Google Apps and Chromebooks for Special Education and Special Needs

The following link has a plethora of resources for using Google to help accommodate students.

Google for Special Education and Special Needs

Neat use of Read & Write for Google

As my students are claiming to be finished editing and revising their writing, I realized that they sure are missing some very clear errors that I can't believe they aren't seeing.  After all, as I read these drafts I am hearing egregious mistakes that have me baffled.  Then it hit me that they aren't "hearing" their errors.  Therefore, today I had my students use Read & Write for Google to help students "hear" their errors.  This little application available in the Chrome Web Store works wonderfully by highlighting some text and hitting the play button.  While the reading voice is a tad robotic, it works well enough to allow students those "What did that just say?!" moments that equate to significant improvements in the writing.

Once you’ve added the extension in the chrome web store, just click on the Read and Write puzzle piece:  

The toolbar will drop down:

Highlight some text in your document, click on the play button,

and the text will be read to you.

Yes, the Chromebook can do most of what the iPad can do

As an educator piloting Chromebooks in a school district previously dominated by Apple products, I keep hearing over and over again how the Chromebook can’t do this, that, AND the next thing that are all possible on the iPad.  While there absolutely are iPad apps that are not available for the Chromebook, in most cases, there are alternative applications available in the Chrome Web Store.  No, they may not work the same way or produce the same exact product, but if they can transform learning for students, then does it matter if it is a different app????

Fortunately, I’m here to share ideas for making the most of your Chromebook(s) and I’m going to focus this post on the greatest Chromebook myths of all...“Students can’t create with Chromebooks.”  Hmmm...ok, time for

• Video editing - Do you like iMovie?  If so, let me introduce you to
• Not only can you perform simple edits of recorded video, but you can enhance videos with advanced features like green screen, voiceover, and music.
• Screencasting - Record what is happening on your device’s screen, which is perfect for how-to videos.
• Collaboration - Guess what, it gets even better!  Since Wevideo is a cloud based service, it allows multiple users to collaborate and work on the same video project from different locations.  Yes...you and your friend can work together while you each sit on your own couch at home.
• Explain Everything - How about using .  Say whaaaat???  Yeah, that’s right, it is available in the Chrome Web Store.
• QR Codes - How about (Pssst...the little square is for QR Code Generator, which is available in the Chrome Web Store)  Create or scan QR codes.
• Tellagami - Ok, so I don’t have a great substitution for this one that performs the same way (Hey, Tellagami Labs, are you listening here?!).  However, will allow your students a simple way to create fun, animated presentations.
• Creative Book Builder - The best alternative is , which is a free service to use.  However, pictures will NOT transfer to the ebook.

What other creative apps or ideas are you using with Chromebooks?  Feel free to post a response and share.

Get the most out of your Google Drive!

If you and your students have access to the Google ecosystem and you aren't using Google Drive consistently, you need to start NOW!  The basic features in Google Drive can and will take your classroom's efficiency and collaboration to a new level.  If you are ready to go beyond the basics, check out this article for some additional features to take advantage of.

5 cool Google Drive features you probably aren't using...yet

Online Math Practice with Simple Differentiation

When thinking about online math activities for students to take advantage of, one of the obvious choices is Khan Academy.  After all, it includes excellent short videos for teaching necessary math concepts.  

While online math practice can be considered a substitution activity, as you are substituting a worksheet for an device screen, I believe it has value in a student’s learning due to its ease of use and differentiation for students .  There are two particular online math tools that I’ve found to be especially useful in promoting with students and their families.  They are Xtramath and Front Row Math.

It is amazing how something so simple can be devastatingly troublesome for young math learners.  However, I see this all too often in math education with basic math facts, which has brought me to the realization that mastery is a necessity for consistent success in math education.  Enter Xtramath.

Xtramath is truly a substitution activity, where students are practicing their basic math facts in short and simple sessions.  This web application has no glitz and no glamour, which is perfectly fitting for a skill that has no glitz and no glamour.  Xtramath simply provides that quick and easy platform that is necessary for practicing math facts without adding unnecessary and unrewarding work for the student or the teacher.  

Once a teacher has loaded their class into xtramath.org and provided students with their unique pin numbers, students can begin.  There is an initial diagnostic test to determine which facts the student needs practice with before setting him/her free to practice routinely.  These practices only require 3 or 4 minutes a day and students see their progress with a simple color coded chart indicating student progress with each fact.

There are reporting options for teachers and parents as well, so everyone involved can easily stay current with progress.  Teachers can easily differentiate by changing the operation and/or the amount of time given for each fact in a session, in order to provide each student with the most meaningful basic fact learning experience.

Basic math fact mastery is an important skill to gain, but let’s be honest, it is a skill that can only take a student so far and won’t be continuously pushing a student’s math knowledge and abilities.  However, if you are looking for an online application that might push your student’s math abilities, I suggest Front Row Math.

Front Row Math provides a platform for adaptive math practice, meaning that the math a student practices will become more challenging or more simple depending on the student’s results.  After taking an initial diagnostic test for an area of math, which determines the student starting point, students can practice independently at their appropriate level.  Therefore, the differentiation is automatically built in!

A teacher simply needs to sign up, enter their class roster, then share student sign-in and class code with each student.  As students practice on Front Row, teachers have access to reports that identify standards that students are strong or weak in.

Added benefits are a whiteboard for showing work, videos to assist students with understanding concepts when stuck on a problem, and an electronic currency that accumulates for the student as they improve (not real money, just a fake currency that can be used to outfit a character on Front Row).

Online Assessment Applications That Teachers Should Be Using

Assessments are most ideal when they can provide quick results that allow a teacher to then do something productive with the data.  Two free web applications that I feel do an excellent job of achieving this goal are www.socrative.com and www.goformative.com.  Keep in mind that there are some differences between the two that may cause one to be more effective depending on the task at hand.

Socrative is almost the definition of immediate assessment results.  Once you provide students with a class code, you need to decide if you want it to be True/False, Multiple Choice, or Short Answer.  Next, you can pose a question to students verbally or in written form and they can enter their response using their device.   As soon as students submit their response, it will populate on the teacher’s device.

You can also create quizzes, find and share quizzes in the Socrative Shared Quiz List, or have students compete on quizzes with the Space Race option.

Goformative is the next assessment tool that teachers should be taking advantage of.  While this web application has features similar to other online assessment tools, there are two distinct features that set Goformative apart.  

The “Upload/Transform” feature allows you to upload a document, such as a PDF or Word document, and then customize it with interactive content.  The interactive content can be images, text, youtube videos, and more!  I particularly like that you can add interactive answer choices.  For example, if you have a multiple choice question, you can add a button next to the question.  

When students click on the button, the answer letters appear for them to choose.  If you mark the correct answers when setting up the questions, then Goformative will do the grading for you.  Plus, with live results, you can see the answers and scores populate as students are working on the assignment.

The second feature I am going to mention is Whiteboard Content.  This allows your students to create a drawing or insert an image to complete a task.  Again, with the Live Results ability, you can see all of your students’ entries as they are submitted.

The video tutorials for this website are fantastic, so check www.goformative.com out for more detail!

Two Creation Tools for Students To Use

One of the best methods for students to provide evidence of understanding for a learning target is to create a tutorial.  In the past, a digital camera was ideal for this task.  However, today there are a number of web tools that can be used to accomplish the same task, but in a more user friendly way.  Two of these tools that I especially like are Powtoon, and Snagit, because they are web applications, meaning they can be used by any device capable of accessing the internet.

Powtoon (www.powtoon.com) is a presentation tool that has similarities to Powerpoint and Google Sheets in the sense that you edit a series of slides.  The two major differences are the editing options available and the final product that plays more like a video, than a slideshow.  While some options require a paid account, there are many images, characters, backgrounds, and music that are part of the standard creation options. More recently, a voiceover option was added which brings a new and welcome element to the presentation process.  Visit www.powtoon.com to set up an account and start creating.  Oh, and right now, teachers can set up a classroom account for FREE!



Snagit is a screen capture tool that will take a snapshot or record screen material for a period of time. You have a variety of options regarding how much of your screen to capture and you can turn audio recording on or off. While Snagit might seem limited due to it ONLY being a screen capture tool, think a bit more about it and ideas will come out of nowhere. For example, combine this with a whiteboard web application such as www.awwapp.com or Smart Technology's web based Smart Notebook Express and you have a quick and simple way to create a tutorial. Turn on your webcam and now you can capture video of yourself and/or what is around you for a reflection. Head to your Chrome Web Store now and add the Snagit extension for the Chrome browser!

Every teacher must know about this...

Doctopus is the must have Google Sheets add-on for teachers.  It allows teachers to set up a class folder structure within Google Drive, so that documents can easily be shared.  Think of Doctopus as your replacement for the copy machine.  Instead of taking that reading log template to the copy machine, making 25 copies, and then handing one to each student...Doctopus allows you to share that reading log electronically and provides you with access to each student's copy so that you can see their progress on it ANY time you choose.

Check out YouTube for a video on using Doctopus to create classes for more information.

Chromebook Files

Once  you have opened your Chromebook and gotten over your awe at how fast it booted up, you might wonder what to do about files.  Hopefully, this will help.

Q: “How do I get my files on to my Chromebook?”  

A: First off, your Chromebook can access all files that you have saved in your Google Drive, so you don't NEED to move files to it...Plus, most files that are not already in Google Drive might not work on the Chromebook.

Buuuuuut, if you REALLY want to move files to the Chromebook, you can do so by doing one of the following two options.

Option 1

1) Open up Google Drive on your PC.

2) Click New, then Upload File.  The files will then show up in your Google Drive.

3) Open up Drive on your Chromebook.

4) Right click on the file you wish to download

5) Click on Download

Option 2

1. Save your PC files to a USB jump drive or an SD card
2. Plug the USB jump drive or SD card into your Chromebook
3. Open the Files app
4. Copy and paste the needed files from the USB jump drive or SD card into the Downloads folder.

Google Docs Voice Typing

Google Docs has been updated to now allow voice typing.  Simply do the following:
- click on the Tools menu
- click on Voice typing
- If you are prompted to allow your microphone to function, click on "allow"
- click on the microphone on the left side of your screen
- Start talking and watch the words appear on your screen.  You can even verbally state punctuation, such as "period" for the end of a sentence.

Have any students that might benefit from this?