Google News and Updates

• Present high-quality video and audio in Google Meet
• See up to 16 Google Meet participants at once with a tiled layout
• Start or join a Google Meet video meeting directly from Gmail
• Explore new sites, relive old hikes for National Park Week (Arts & Culture)

Featured Content

Using Google Tools to Connect with Students

• Encourage connectedness
• Good morning videos
• Office Hours/Check-ins: Keep interactions light-hearted when possible. Try having a joke of the day, funny video of the day, or playing a game.
• Trackers -  from Lisa Johnson
• Google Forms Attendance and Check-in: How are you doing? How do you feel?
• Online safety/Digital Citizenship - Applied Digital Skills
• Using Google Classroom posts and comments to support conversations and connection

Google Slides: give students a prompt and have them respond with webcam pics

Have them teach something non-school curriculum through pictures

Google Form (or a non-graded Google Classroom assignment): Asking “how are you doing” and following up with them via email or Google Classroom private comments

Connect outside tools to Google Classroom:

• Flipgrid for student check-ins, for fun prompts, to share their pets, etc.
• Pear Deck has SEL slides … put them in student-paced mode to be accessed any time

Fun Google Meet video call ideas (13-20 in graphic below has some fun stuff)

Google Teacher Podcast Mailbag

Melissa Burns (South Carolina)  -- I don't know about anybody else, but my Google Classroom Stream was about to drive me CrAzY. I was always getting messages from parents and students that they could not find certain things like links or instructions. My saving grace was discovering the Materials option in the Classwork section. Here I can organize important instructions, links, and even "How-To," videos. Did not know if this could help anyone else. I love listening to ya'll every week.

• Google Classroom Cheat Sheets, Google Classroom FAQ, Bookmark the Classwork Page

Anonymous Voicemail -- Enabled Google Meet on Classroom. Access from top banner. Is there a way to go into Google Calendar and set up a scheduled time? It assigns a different Google Meet location. They aren’t going to the same spot. Her workaround: Go to down to description: enters link there. Doesn’t allow her to enter Google Classroom meet link.

On The Blogs

• Matt:
  • Use Explore Explain Apply to plan remote learning lessons
  • 10 online whiteboard options for remote learning
  • Ditch That Textbook eLearning Resources
  • 70 elearning activities, templates and tutorials
• Kasey:
  • FREE Google Templates
  • Work From Home and Get Things Done!
  • Google Classroom FAQ
  • FREE Webinar: G Suite for School Leaders: Leading the New Normal with a Framework for Meaningful Digital Learning
  • Remote Learning Resources