Annotate Google Docs Via The Google Classroom iPad App

A lovely teacher reached out to me asking if there was an easy way to annotate directly onto a Google Doc using an iPad. We had used some different techniques to do this in the past, but they required a few too many steps including having to convert the Google Doc into a PDF first, then importing it into a different app, and then finally being able to annotate. It worked, but there were a few too many steps which could become time-consuming especially when a teacher has several students and several documents to annotate. We wanted something more streamlined. After searching around and reaching out to some of my PLN friends, I started playing around with Google Classroom as a solution. What was discovered was that in Google Classroom, if teachers have students submit assignments in Google Doc format, the teacher can open the Doc on their iPad and annotate on it! It's a seamless solution for both teachers and their students. 

Watch this short video: 

Annotate a Google Doc via the Google Classroom iPad App

Steps to Annotate a Google Doc via the Google Classroom iPad App

Step 1: Open the Classroom app on your iPad

Step 2: Open the assignment you created for students to submit their Google Doc

Step 3: Click Student Work

Step 4: Click on your student's name to open the Google Doc they turned in

Step 5: After the document opens, click the pencil on the top-right corner

Step 6: Your annotation tools are on the bottom. 

Starting from the right...

• Typing tool "A" 
• Highlighter (different color options) 
• Marker (different widths and color options) 
• Pen (different widths and color options) 
• Eraser
• Select tool that lets you grab what you annotate to move it around the document

Step 7: You can pinch the page on your iPad to zoom in and out of the page, then start annotating! 

Step 8: When you're done annotating, click Save on the top-right. Your edits will be saved as a PDF. 

Step 9: This is what it looks like from the student's side. They'll open the assignment and see a PDF under the Google Doc they turned in. When they open the PDF, they'll see their document with the teacher's annotations. 

You Can Do Anything With Explain Everything - Week 8

'Some apps are like Swiss army knives.Some can do more than you think. Some can be used in thousands of ways in the classroom. Explain Everything is one such app.' - Nick Ackton (via Explain Everything's site)

Explain Everything is an amazing interactive whiteboard app and there are so many things you can do with it to enhance learning. On their website, they list several different ways to use it and include all the Explain Everything features.

Although there are tons of different ways to use Explain Everything, I’ve narrowed it down to four of my favorites. The first two are powerful because they can easily turn an iPad or tablet into an interactive whiteboard, just like that.

First, what you'll need to make them interactive:

1. iPad or tablet.
2. Airserver, Apple TV, or something similar in order to display your device screen. 
3. Apple Pencil, stylus, or your finger. 

Four of my favorite ways to use Explain Everything:

1. Interactive Presentations - If you want to display a presentation to your students and make it interactive so for example you can write on it or manipulate objects, you can do that with Explain Everything. There are different options to make your presentations interactive.
   
   
   
• Create the presentation from scratch using the Explain Everything blank templates or,
• Import a PDF or image of your existing presentations. Your presentations can be Google Slides, PowerPoint, ActivInspire Flipcharts, etc. Explain Everything will easily connect to your Google Drive if have the PDF or images you want to import saved in there.
  

  

  To import, click the plus sign > Photo, Video, File

• Once you import, you can draw right on the slides, add moveable shapes, etc. just like you would using interactive software such as SMART or Promethean ActivInspire.
2. Whiteboard - Just like a whiteboard hanging in a class, you can write on an Explain Everything slide. With a full range of colors to choose from, you can bring your whiteboard drawing to life. And you are not limited to a small space to write on. You have an infinite canvas which means you can zoom in and out of it to fit what you need. You can also add new slides just as you would in a presentation format.
   

   

   To write or draw, click the pencil icon. You can change the width by pressing down on it. You can change the color from the bottom left color tiles. Pressing down on the colors lets you choose different colors. 

3. Sketchnotes - Display visual thinking with Explain Everything. In addition to the ease of drawing, writing, adding shapes, etc. one super reason to use this app for sketchnoting has to do with the infinite canvas you work on. For example, you can draw something that might fit your entire screen. To make more room on your screen, you can select what you drew and pinch it to make it smaller then move it anywhere on your canvas.
   
   Watch this short video as one of the co-founders of Explain Everything, Reshan Richards demonstrates sketchnoting using this tool:
   
   
   
   
   

   

   Sketchnote sample created with Explain Everything
   by co-founder Reshan Richards during the closing keynote at ISTE 2016. 

   
   
4. Explanation Videos - Using Explain Everything is a perfect tool for teachers to create tutorials and lessons for video-based instruction. It is also perfect for students to use as a tool for showing their understanding. The possibilities are endless as to the content you could create using this format.
   

   

   The record button on the bottom of the screen allows you to record, pause, playback. Then you can save your project and export it. 

You have the option to export your project as a Video or other formats as well such as PDF and images.

There is a paid version of Explain Everything (blue icon) and a free version of Explain Everything (white icon). On their website, you can see the detailed comparison between the two.

Find all versions of Explain Everything Here: https://explaineverything.com/download/

Add A Pop Of Color Effect - Week 7

Black & white photos with a pop of color are artistic and a great way to draw attention to a focus point. These mini works of art can be created in just minutes. And with by using your phone or tablet, these color effect photos are easier than ever to create. Although there are several different apps available to do create a pop of color effect, one that works very well is called Selective Color Effect. This is an iOS app and can be used on both iPhone and iPad.

Some of the app’s main features:

• Splash grayscale or any other color on your photo.
• Multi touch zoom in/out and move.
• Configurable brush size and splash opacity.
• Magnifying glass for precise editing.
• Crop & resize images.
• Save photos inside the app for future editing.

One great feature is being able to save photos inside the app. All the photos you edit in the app are saved in case you need to go back and edit in the future. And unlike other color effect apps, this app allows you to recolor for free. Which means if you have, let's say, a flower in your photo that is originally yellow and you want to make it purple, you can!

Here’s how the app works.

• Install the Selective Color Effect app and then open it. 
• Click Library so the app can find the photos on your device. 
• The first time you click Library, you’ll see a message: “Color Effect” Would Like to Access Your Photos > Select OK.
• Once you select and add your photo, it converts to grayscale removing all color.
• From the bottom menu, select either Color or Recolor to add a pop of color effect.
• Use the Pan & Zoom tool from the bottom menu to have precise brush strokes. 
• When you make a mistake, simply click the left undo arrow. 
• Once you're finished with your creation, click Save. You can add your new color effect photo to your camera roll or share it via various social media sites.
  
  

Adding a pop of color effect to your photo to highlight and focus on the most important parts of it has never been so fun! The possibilities are endless.

Note: Because this is a free app, you will see some ads. The good news is the ads are not animated and do not interfere while you’re working on your creation. 

Some web-based options for adding color effect to your photos:

• Fotor Color Splash http://www.fotor.com/features/color-splash.html 
• iPiccy http://ipiccy.com/ft/color-splash 
• FotoJet https://www.fotojet.com/features/photo-editor/color-splash.html 

Smart Tech-niques With Chrome QR Code Scanner & iPad Split Screen - Week 2

Chrome Now Lets You Scan QR Codes

It’s never been easier to scan a QR code, than it is now with Chrome.

Before, in order to scan QR codes on your phone or tablet, it was necessary to install a separate app. Now with the updated version of Chrome, this is no longer necessary. This works for reading QR codes and barcodes and works on your iPhone or iPad.

First, delete any previous QR reader app on your device and make sure you have the latest version of the Chrome app installed.

Then, you can access the QR scanner in two ways:

1. From any home screen on your iPhone or iPad, touch your finger to the screen and drag-down to reveal the Spotlight search box, then type and search “QR” and select Scan QR Code.
   
2. 3D Touch the Chrome app icon and select Scan QR Code. NOTE: 3D Touch is on an iPhone 6S or later.

After doing either of these, the Chrome QR scanner will open for you to use!

The first time QR scanner opens, you must select OK to allow Chrome to access your camera.

Easily scan QR codes and barcodes with the Chrome QR scanner