Technology Video Tutorials

Using Edpuzzle for Classroom Engagement and Accountability

Looking for a straightforward way to ensure that students are fully engaged with assigned videos - both with pre-existing YouTube videos and your own custom lessons? This technology video tutorial will outline the basics of creating, assigning, and assessing video lessons assigned through Edpuzzle. In addition, it will provide an example of Edpuzzle in which high school science students were able to react in real-time to a variety of engaging phenomena, including those that might be impossible to do in the physical classroom. Additionally, student responses are always confidential, thereby providing a safe environment to try out new ideas.

Amber Williams is a recent graduate from the Single Subject Credential program in the School of Education.

Using Scratch in the Elementary Classroom

Scratch is an online coding platform for elementary through high school students to learn and understand the basics of coding. It is a simple tool that is used to create your own interactive stories, games, and animations that can easily connect to core content areas such as math, science, social studies, and language arts. First, this tech video tutorial will provide a brief overview of the online platform, including how to create an educator account and how to connect students to your Scratch classroom. Next, there will be a short example of how Scratch was used in a fourth grade classroom and an explanation of how to use the coding project page. Finally, this technology video tutorial will conclude with a video of a simple code made on Scratch.

Sarah Bettencourt is a recent graduate from the Multiple Subject Credential Program in the School of Education.

Google Classroom Video Tutorial

Google Classroom is an online platform that allows teachers to post, grade, and provide feedback on student work. First, this tech video tutorial will provide a short overview of the website and how it can be used to make announcements and organize classwork. Next, there will be a short tutorial about how to create an assignment using a fourth grade class as an example. The tutorial will go into detail on how to link a YouTube video to the assignment, upload documents from Google Drive, make a copy of the document for each student, and grade student work.

Olivia White is a recent graduate from the Multiple Subject Credential program in the School of Education.

Introduction to Google Classroom

This technology video tutorial provides an overview of the Google Classroom platform. This TVT will guide you through the basic process of setting up a classroom as well as giving real-life examples of how this technology can be applied to the classroom.

Clarke Andros is a recent graduate from the Single Subject Credential program in the School of Education.

Using EZ Query to Separate and Organize Responses from a Google Form

Need a way to organize responses and data gathered from a Google Form? Let EZ Query and Google Sheets do the work for you! EZ Query, an add-on to Google Sheets, takes information from a Google Form you have created to make individual sub-sheets to organize responses you receive by a distinguishing factor within the data gathered. This video will briefly describe this process and take you through an example of how a teacher used EZ Query to organize responses received from her students by class period. The presentation also includes hyperlinks to make the process of installing and using EZ Query straightforward.

Lisette Brown is a recent graduate from the Single Subject Credential program in the School of Education.

Using Google Forms for Online Learning

Interested in collecting input from students in a streamlined way during online learning? This technology video tutorial will highlight the key features of Google Forms and provide a demonstration of how to navigate the interface in developing both surveys and graded quizzes for use in the classroom. This video will also provide an example of using Google Forms to routinely check-in with students’ wellbeing in a manner that allows students the freedom to share only what they feel comfortable with while still providing useful insight for the teacher to use in lesson planning.

Amber Williams is a recent graduate from the Single Subject Credential program in the School of Education.

Make Any PDF Worksheet into an Editable Online Copy Using Google Slides

Don’t let your awesome handouts/worksheets collect dust during this virtual learning time! Learn how to take a PDF version of your favorite worksheet and convert it into an editable, online assignment to guide your students’ learning. This tech video tutorial will take you through the four simple steps of how to do this for any handout you wish your students to access this school year. Have a link to a video or article that goes along with the worksheet? Learn how to link the exact URL into the same editable worksheet to make completing this assignment that much easier.

Lisette Brown is a recent graduate from the Single Subject Credential program in the School of Education.

Four Free Google Extensions Every Educator Needs

There are so many great Google Extensions out there for education; you can fall into a huge rabbit hole trying to explore and find your personal preferences! In this technology video tutorial, I am going to introduce you to my four favorite Google Extensions: Mercury Reader, Kami, Lumin PDF, and Visor. These four extensions I use nearly every day as an educator. Each slide in this tutorial will provide a brief overview and embedded links to screencasting demos of how to use and interact with all of these tools. Enjoy!

Jesse Magliari is a recent graduate from the Special Education program in the School of Education.

Google Meet: For Simple & Effective Live Instruction

This technology video tutorial will provide an overview of how to use Google Meet for simple, easy-to-use live video meetings. This tutorial will also highlight two optional Chrome extensions for those looking for a more robust experience specific to a classroom environment. Finally, this video provides a description of using Google Meet during distance learning to minimize technical difficulties and focus on being present and engaged. The streamlined nature of the program was so user-friendly that high school science students were able to be in live attendance for the first day of school without difficulty.

Amber Williams is a recent graduate from the Single Subject Credential program in the School of Education.

Using SafeYouTube for Distance Learning

SafeYouTube is a kid-friendly video platform. It is especially great for teachers who are teaching through distance learning. SafeYouTube blocks ads, pop-ups, and sidebar videos. Additionally, SafeYouTube does not automatically start another video. SafeYouTube is simple and easy to use. Teachers and parents simply pick their video from YouTube and copy that link into SafeYouTube’s generator. Once teachers and parents get their SafeYouTube video, they can then upload it onto their Google Classroom. SafeYouTube is a great tool for distance learning!

Jenna Grisby is a recent graduate from the Multiple Subject Credential program in the School of Education.

*As of October 2020, SafeYouTube is now VideoLink. 

Using Padlet to Activate Prior Knowledge

Are you struggling with ways to engage students in the beginning of a lesson? Padlet is an online discussion wall in which students are able to respond using a variety of modalities. First, this technology video tutorial will address the main features of Padlet and will explain how to create a board and how students are able to respond to the board. Then, this video will describe how Padlet was used in an online fifth grade classroom to activate prior knowledge before math lessons.

Kailey Henderson is a recent graduate from the Multiple Subject Credential program in the School of Education.

Flipgrid: A Social Learning Platform

Building a classroom community, for all student abilities, during distance learning is easy with Flipgrid! This technology video tutorial will teach you the basics of how to use Flipgrid in your PreK to PhD classrooms. With video demonstrations on creating “Grids” and “Topics” as well as involving families, this presentation will prepare and excite you about creating your own Flipgrid account for your classroom. Next, this tutorial will provide you with real-life examples of how this tool was used in creating a standards-aligned lesson for fourth grade students. Educators have full control of their “Grids” and video submissions on Flipgrid.

Jesse Magliari is a recent graduate of the Special Education program in the School of Education.

An Introduction to Screencastify

This tech video tutorial takes you through an overview of the screencast Google Chrome Extension tool Screencastify. The tutorial will highlight important aspects of the program as well as model the usage and benefit of using Screencastify for school site applications.

Clarke Andros is a recent graduate from the Single Subject Credential program in the School of Education.

Using Slack to Communicate and Collaborate with your Class

Need a new way to communicate and collaborate with students when teaching online? Use Slack, an integrated workspace to connect you and your students. In this technology video tutorial, you will learn how to create communities for you and your students to collaborate with each other online. This tutorial will also provide ideas on how to incorporate outside apps into Slack to create an integrated workspace for your students. Using Slack will allow you to quickly communicate with students as well as collaborate on different topics. It also provides students with a method to communicate with you and their fellow classmates for support and community. Slack teaches students 21st-century communication, literacy, thinking, and work skills.

Kerry Sanchez is a recent graduate from the Special Education program in the School of Education.

Using Screencastify for Distance Teaching

Want to learn how to screen record using just your computer? This technology video tutorial will teach you how to use the tool Screencastify in your distance learning classroom. This tool can be used for all grade levels and to teach all subject matter. Teachers may include their video and voice or just their voice. Screencastify videos can be uploaded to Google Classroom for students to view at their convenience. This tech video tutorial provides examples on how to use Screencastify in a kindergarten class and includes a short example of a science lesson using Screencastify and PowerPoint.

Jenna Grisby is a recent graduate from the Multiple Subject Credential program in the School of Education.

Quizlet - For Flashcards, Assessments, and Friendly Competition

Interested in supporting your students in building fluency with class concepts? Want to offer your students multiple ways to engage with the material without creating endless study guides by hand? Need to create a variety of assessments? Quizlet can help - and this technology video tutorial will show you how. This tutorial will highlight the key features of Quizlet by providing a step-by-step demonstration of how to get the most out of it. In addition, this video will describe how Quizlet Live created an opportunity for friendly competition between teams of students even while learning at a distance.

Amber Williams is a recent graduate from the Single Subject Credential program in the School of Education.

Using Zoom for Virtual Instruction

This technology video tutorial provides an overview of key features of Zoom, providing recommendations on how to create a safe and engaging classroom environment when teaching synchronously online. After going step-by-step through a variety of Zoom settings, the video tutorial provides a few examples of ways to make the curriculum engaging when teaching online.

Ashley Parker is a recent graduate from the Single Subject Credential program in the School of Education.