Show Off Your Channahon Pride!

 There are some things you never outgrow, like cotton candy, playing hopscotch when you come across one on the sidewalk, and stickers! That's why here in CSD 17 we have lots of stickers for students and teachers alike! In fact, there are some special stickers that are available to teachers only -- just by doing the things you do every day in your classroom, like use Chromebooks, use Google Classroom, or use different cool tools you learn about right here on my blog! If you're new to CSD 17, then you'll want to check out the stickers you can get! Once you meet the description of a sticker, then all you have to do is fill out a Google Form and your sticker will make its way to you to proudly display!

Are you a CSD 17 teacher who lost all your stickers in the Chromebook replacement? Fret not! Just fill out this form, letting me know which stickers you need replaced and I'll get right to work!

Got an idea for a new sticker? Drop it in the comments! As a thank you, Ill send you a super cool Google sticker!

Cool Tool Alert: Google Easter Eggs

 Hey, even teachers and students need to have fun, right? Well, you don't need anything fancy -- all you need is Google!

Here's a document that shows some of the most fun Google Easter Eggs -- little surprises that pop up on your screen when you Google something!

Here's an example: Try Googling the word "askew".

Here's another one: Try Googling "cha-cha slide".

What can you use this for in your classroom? Here are some ideas:

• Brain breaks -- use Breathing Exercise for some relaxation, or try the cha-cha slide one to get kids up and moving (every time you click the icon, the kids can do the move)
• Some can be used as instructional supplements -- try the Ask a Question to get a random question and answer, then discuss it and maybe learn a little bit more! Or try Animal Sounds -- you can learn what a komodo dragon sounds like!
• Give kids a minute to play -- let then type "play snake" into Google and play the snake game -- or they can click on the arrow to find some other quick games.
• Incorporate into your teaching -- try the spinner or random number generator for times when you want to a random pick of kids!

Keep in mind the note at the bottom of the document -- some of these Easter Eggs come and go, and some of them don't work well with Google for Education accounts. Sometimes, they may not be 100% great for school (one of the random questions I got when I did Ask a Question was, "What does it mean when a drink is served 'neat'?") You can find Google Easter Eggs by doing a Google search for "Google Easter Eggs".

Let me know if you try any of these in class with your kids! I've got a fun little sticker for you!

Also, the first person from each building who can explain what "Easter Egg" means gets a cute emoji sticker!

New Google Classroom Feature: Add-Ons

 Google Classroom is trying to make your life easier! They now feature add-ons for many popular applications! Check out this video from Google about add-ons:

So, what exactly does this mean? If you use any of the applications listed below on a regular basis with your students, you can now easily create an assignment or material post in Google Classroom without having to open a new tab, navigate to the application, and then set it up to use in Classroom. It is now all integrated with Google Classroom! Here are the applications that are available -- the ones that are underlined are already "allowed"; others would need to be enabled.

• Kahoot
• Pear Deck
• Edpuzzle
• Adobe Express
• Google Arts & Culture
• Nearpod
• Newsela
• Sora
• Formative
• Genially
• WeVideo
• IXL
• Wordwall
• CK-12
• BookWidgets
• PBS LearningMedia
• Google Play Books
• Safari Montage

If you want one the applications listed to be made available as an add-on in Google Classroom, simply send me an email!

One important note: The add-ons feature only works if you are using an upgraded version of Google Workspace! The district has 65 upgraded licenses with 15 currently available. 

Finally, here's one more really great video that walks you through how to use these Google Classroom add-ons, and here's a slide deck, too. Of course, I am always happy to come work with you or your team personally -- I'm just an email or phone call away!