Google News and Updates

• Google for Education transformation reports window open, availability expanded worldwide (Seven key areas of transformation are here.)
• Replace your background in Google Meet
• Office editing mode is now the default editing mode for Office files in Drive on the web
• Try out these Google features on your new iPhone

Featured Content

From Patti Young from Cornwall, NY: Hi Kasey and Matt, I love your podcast and look forward to every new episode. This year has been a struggle for teachers and their traditional ways of teaching. I am a 5th-grade teacher in middle school. My district is using a blended learning model. We have 2 cohorts Tuesdays and Thursdays and Wednesdays and Fridays. I see 2 groups of students per day. I really miss putting the kids into groups to share their learning. I love group work and I am really struggling with how to make it work this year. If you or your listeners have any ideas on how to do group work, I would love to try it. Can't wait to hear some new ideas!

Simple answer: collaborate on the assignment within a doc. 

• Set up sections with steps that you want students to progress through. (Kind of like Hyperdocs)
• Discuss in the comments. 
• They can work on an assignment in a different app (Slides, Drawings, even outside G Suite)

Use voice comments with a tool like Mote (justmote.me) for comments for a personal touch of voice

Other tools that integrate nicely with Classroom that can foster discussion:

• Flipgrid (flipgrid.com): Video replies.
• Synth (gosynth.com): Audio discussion tool. Audio replies.

What’s your purpose? Group work, collaboration, cooperative learning?

Group Doc Add-On (From Alice Keeler)

Collaborative Notes with Google Docs

Small-Group Instruction with Google Meet Breakout Rooms and Jamboard

• Google Meet breakout rooms for differentiated learning (by Esther Park)
• Prioritize facilitation and 1-on-1 conferencing touchpoints

Station Rotations in a Hybrid Model (Catlin Tucker)

• More details in e85 of Shake Up Learning Show

Google Teacher Podcast Mailbag

Jen Giffen (Ontario, Canada) -- On the show: about integrating a Zoom link into Google Classroom. (Like Kasey said, no integration.) Workaround: Go to gear (class settings), if you put under “subject” Zoom link and the link, it’ll show up in the header. Not a live hyperlink, but could be copied into another tab. Students have quick easy access. Not perfect but a workaround!

On The Blogs

• Matt:
  • 20 virtual field trips for your classroom
  • 40+ FREE digital escape rooms (plus a step by step guide for creating your own)
  • NEW mini online course: Getting Started with Digital Escape Rooms
• Kasey:
  • Google Classroom Comments - All You Need to Know
  • FREE Google Lesson Plans for Teachers
  • New Books Coming Soon! BlendedLearningwithGoogle.com