Instructional Fluency

Students are sometimes taken back when I tell them that they can use pen on their bubble sheets. Many of them insist on using a #2 pencil because they still don’t trust me. It’s exciting to s...

http://learning.zahnerhistory.com/2018/12/best-grading-app-for-teachers.html

Typing feedback is much faster than handwriting it. Although some teachers swear by handwritten marking and scoring, it’s hard to believe that they have given the options on Google Classroom mu...

http://learning.zahnerhistory.com/2018/11/provide-feedback-google-classroom.html

“The smartest person in the room is the room,” according to David Weinberger’s Too Big To Know, published in 2012. I heard this quote somewhere in the ether and have thought about it before...

http://learning.zahnerhistory.com/2018/10/crowdsourcing-for-student-centered-learning.html

My father called me to ask if there was a way to turn a JPEG into a PDF. I told him that there were a few ways we can do it and that I should just come over and see what he’s trying to accompli...

http://learning.zahnerhistory.com/2018/10/convert-pdfs-to-docs.html

The virtual world is upon us whether we like it or not. That means we have to take the good with the bad – students are not easily focused on what traditional classrooms put in front of them. T...

http://learning.zahnerhistory.com/2018/09/google-keep-in-the-classroom.html

Three clicks to content is the rule, or so they say. I learned this after searching about how many clicks deep users will often go to access content online. Why was I searching this? I’ll ...

http://learning.zahnerhistory.com/2018/06/classroom-websites-with-student-user.html

It’s that time of year, again. Reviews are being edited and reused from previous years, and a variety of activities are on the agenda to re-engage learners. The conventional paper-based r...

http://learning.zahnerhistory.com/2018/05/10-exam-review-activities-with-google.html

I love the way our high school's modern world history course is designed. The first three to four units are about concept and skill development, while the remaining few units are application of w...

http://learning.zahnerhistory.com/2018/05/embed-slideshows-in-new-google-sites.html

My goal is to use technology to ALLOW STUDENTS TO TAKE INCREASING OWNERSHIP OVER THEIR LEARNING. It is my belief that they can do this under the right conditions. For the teenagers that I wo...

http://learning.zahnerhistory.com/2018/04/student-centered-google-classroom-features.html

My students can now comment on images and PDFs in full view of their peers because of a recent Google Drive update. I know this sounds like a small thing, but it means not having to make a lot of...

http://learning.zahnerhistory.com/2018/03/google-drive-preview-comments-transform-learning.html

More and more of my old paper-based lesson materials are being turned into Google Slides templates. It's a no brainer. I can still print the materials if need be, and the opportunity for collabor...

http://learning.zahnerhistory.com/2018/03/google-slides-for-classroom.html

When I learned that I will be floating to different classrooms next year, my first concern was how I could adapt some of the wall hanger activities to a more mobile situation. I have magnetic tap...

http://learning.zahnerhistory.com/2017/12/embed-digital-word-walls-padlet-new-google-sites.html

Classrooms and kids haven't changed much. Sure, I use a lot less paper and about half of the lesson content comes from my students, but the usual suspects still make an appearance. Kids stil...

http://learning.zahnerhistory.com/2017/12/my-dog-ate-my-chromebook-and-other-classroom-excuses.html

Long videos can be boring. Even though kids ask me for movies, they tune in and out. A long video strategically chunked, however, can open up new opportunities for student engagement.  My c...

http://learning.zahnerhistory.com/2017/12/chunking-content-with-google-slides.html

Any teacher who has worked in a connected classroom knows that kids do not know how to use technology as well as some may think. The unfortunate truth is that kids don't know how to use the Inter...

http://learning.zahnerhistory.com/2017/11/6-web-literacy-routines-for-student-centered-learning.html

Google Drive seemed like the answer to all my problems until I realized that document permissions can get very complicated as more and more of our learning activities had a strong collaboration c...

http://learning.zahnerhistory.com/2017/10/10-ideas-for-google-team-drive.html

Once in a while, I have a student who knows my technology tricks well enough to teach me a lesson. That didn't happen this time because the little voice on my shoulder spoke up before a student c...

http://learning.zahnerhistory.com/2017/08/securing-live-google-sheets.html

I love Google Classroom. It's easy to set up, and the features are very accommodating. But it doesn't do a great job managing the most critical information – rosters, grades, feedback, student ...

http://learning.zahnerhistory.com/2017/08/4-google-sheets-for-classroom-management.html

My phone isn't the one dinging and buzzing with notifications. That would drive me crazy. I don't like Twitter badges and email is just a scary thought. But I set Remind notifications to ban...

http://learning.zahnerhistory.com/2017/06/virtual-office-hours-with-remind.html

In graduate school, I took a geography seminar on industrial ecology. It not only sounded cool, I had been tired of writing papers that were weighed down with philosophy. I wanted to work with nu...

http://learning.zahnerhistory.com/2017/05/lessons-learned-interdisciplinary.html

When James Caudill asked me if I wanted collaborate, it was an easy decision. Why not? Quite truthfully, I had never collaborated with a teacher in another state, never mind another time zone. ...

http://learning.zahnerhistory.com/2017/05/flattening-classrooms-collaborating-google-apps.html

Chrome extensions are right where you need them. When the time comes, it's easy to call up a tool to process what's in front of you the way you need it. But I'm not partial to a particular d...

http://learning.zahnerhistory.com/2017/05/10-google-chrome-extensions-i-wont-teach-without.html

Docs Story Builder is one of the lesser known Google apps, yet my students took to it immediately. It's not hard to use, although it has a quirk – editing dialogue erases whatever comes after t...

http://learning.zahnerhistory.com/2017/04/using-google-apps-with-oer.html

Most Google Apps educators know that Forms works great for collecting almost any kind of information from students, including administering quizzes and collecting open responses. Managing the inf...

http://learning.zahnerhistory.com/2017/04/live-exit-tickets-with-google-forms.html

"Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication." - Leonardo DeVinci   When selecting tools to use with my students, I look for ways to reduce time on the busy tasks. After trying this approach for...

http://learning.zahnerhistory.com/2017/04/5-ideas-for-using-drive-slides.html