Tech for Test Prep

Testing Season is fast-approaching! Let technology do some of the work for you. I have several tips for you to help maximize your test prep while using Google apps (Slides™️ and Docs™️)!

Here are several ways to use task cards created in Google Slides™️ as station activities during Test Prep Review. Creating task cards in Google Slides™️ is really simple - just use one slide per question/prompt (NOT four questions per slide). It also helps to change the slide size to 11 x 8.5. To me, this is the best approach because you can print in various ways to get the maximum use out of your task cards.

Game Cards

Using Google Slides™️

GAME CARDS: Use task cards created in Google Slides™️, cut them out individually, and use them as board game cards. You can even throw in “skip this turn” or “jump ahead 1 space” cards to make it feel like a game. I was able to just do a simple Google search for a game board template. I just printed it large (on 4 pieces of paper), taped it, and laminated it. This was so easy to throw together last minute because I already had task cards created in Google Slides™️. I had some students write the answers on the backs of the cards when they finished work early the day before. Easy Peasy!

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Task Cards with

Word Bank

Using Google Slides™️

TASK CARDS WITH A WORD BANK: This is a great spin on “traditional” task cards! This is especially helpful for differentiation or if you have classes of students who are below grade level. Here’s how it works: Students are given a sheet with 2 columns: questions and answers (shown below). Taped around the room are folded papers with a vocabulary term shown. This is the word bank, so the word bank is displayed all over the room. I had students remain seated at their desk to fill out their sheet with the answers. They raised their hand for me to make sure they’ve filled in all their answers. Once I gave them permission and a highlighter, they would walk up to an answer (displayed on the wall) and unfold it to display the question it belongs to. They will mark on their answer sheet as correct or incorrect. They will continue this until they’ve checked their entire paper. I have the grade breakdown on the board, so they can score their paper and turn it in. This gets so much accomplished!! Students have access to a word bank, they get to move around and use highlighters, and I don’t have to grade any of it! 

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Traditional Task Cards

Using Google Slides™️

TASK CARDS WITHOUT A WORD BANK: Of course, use the task cards created in Google Slides™️ as standard task cards. I tape them in the hallway to get students moving and to spread them out some. I especially like to spread students out during stations to keep the noise level down and to limit the “talking to students in other groups” scenarios.

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Worksheet-Style Packets

from Task Cards created in Google Slides™️

WORKSHEET-STYLE PACKETS: We’re still using the same task cards from Google Slides™️! Instead of printing them individually, print them 6 slides to a page, portrait. Then, you can staple them and use as study guide packets. You can use these for students to work independently or in small groups - it’s very versatile!

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Review Game in Present Mode

Using Google Slides™️

REVIEW GAME IN PRESENTATION MODE: Use the task cards you created in Google Slides™️ in presentation mode as a whole group review game! Because you have one question/prompt per slide, you can just click on “present” and go! Display one prompt, have groups answer and keep score! 

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Another perk to this Google Slide™️ task card strategy is that you can “Make a Copy” to create an answer key. Then, because Google gives you a link, you can easily send the answer key out to Remind (or another messaging system) days before the test. This way, students and parents have access to the CORRECT answer key to study. I have had GREAT success with this strategy.

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Jeopardy-Style Review Game

Using Google Slides™️

JEOPARDY-STYLE GAME: This game is a lot of fun, but it does take more prep work. I have a free template for you to use, so you can skip most of the legwork! The first slide is the dashboard slide where all the links are located. You will have your 5 categories and the number of points from 100 - 500 in each category, similar to Jeopardy. The group will choose their category and point (Ex. History, 300). You will click on “300” in the History column. This will take you to the prompt. The group will answer, you’ll check, and click “Go to Menu” and it’ll take you back to the dashboard slide. 

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QR Codes

for Test Prep and Review

QR Codes are a great tool to use in the classroom that have access to technology. I know, QR Codes are nothing new! There are a ton of ways to use them, though! This is especially true for test prep because students (and you) are typically burnt out on test review during this time of year. The QR Code can add just a little “something different” to hold their engagement during test prep. Here are a few of the many ways to use them.

1. QR Code to display the question/prompt. As pictured, simply put the prompt number and the QR Code on the page to display around the room or in the hallway. Students have an answer sheet to record their answers. They’ll scan to view the prompt and record their answer. Typically, I do not make students go in numerical order - just find an empty question page. If this is the case, make sure the answer sheet already has the numbers to avoid confusion. You could even have them number their paper before they begin. 

HOW-TO: I used Google Docs™️ to type my questions because Google gives you a link. This was easy for me to paste into the QR Code generator box. Of course, there are a million different ways to do this! I created one Doc for each prompt and copied the “share link”. Then, just do a Google search for QR Code generator and follow their prompts. One thing to look out for: Expiration Date. Some QR Code generators expire after one year, so be mindful of this if you’re planning on using this activity next year! Once the QR Code is set up, just copy and paste it into your prompt number sheet. Slides is a great option for this so they’ll all be in ONE place, but that’s totally optional.  

2. QR Code to reveal the correct answer. Place the QR Code close to the question for students to use to self-check. They’ll answer the questions, then scan the code to reveal the correct answer. 

HOW-TO: Use the same steps as before except insert the QR Code into the task card. 

3. QR Code to lead to notes or videos about a topic. I used this most during review time, not during the introductory phase of instruction. You can definitely use these QR Codes during the introductory phase. It’s just my personal preference to use them during the review phase. I STRONGLY believe in the power of self-assessments, mostly for science, social studies, and math (ELA is just a different animal). I use the QR Codes to lead students to extra notes/videos on the self-assessment page. My self-assessments also serve as a study guide. Providing the QR Code in addition to the IN Notes page number gives ALL students the opportunity to study the concepts regardless of the state of their notebook. It also gives parents the opportunity to watch a quick video on the concept to help their child understand. This was especially helpful when I taught 7th grade Life Science. Below is a picture of the QR Code used in a Self-Assessment.

HOW-TO: Use the same steps as before except insert the QR Code into the self-assessment.

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COMING SOON! Blog Post on Using Self-Assessment and Free Templates

Maximize Your Gmail Inbox and Your Efficiency

If you’re like me, you probably get SO, SO, SO many emails because you’re juggling 50,000 different things at any given time! I’ve compiled a few ways that you can really maximize your inbox and have it start working for YOU! These are all so super simple, even if you’re not techy.

1. Automated Labels and Filters

This tip isn’t new, but it’s definitely a must! In Gmail, you can automatically add labels to incoming emails and categorize them (Spelling Bee, etc.). You can also use this to keep those Google Calendar invite responses or forum post messages from clogging up your inbox by sending them to “Archive”. 

Here are some labels I’ve used over the years: 

Spelling Bee

Young Georgia Authors

Science Fair

Tech Fair

Leadership Team

Parent Contact

Student Contact 

CCGA (the college that sent Student Teachers)

Labels are a GREAT way to keep organized, however, it’s so easy to forget to add the label every single time you get one of these emails. Here is my timesaver: create automated filters to label these as they’re coming in! This may not work for every label you create, but it can definitely work for some. It just depends on the situation. Of the labels listed above, I automated the following: Spelling Bee, Young Georgia Authors, Science Fair, Tech Fair, Leadership Team, CCGA. I was unable to automate parent and student contact because there are too many email addresses to input and there are no common key words. 

Here’s How: 

1. In Gmail, click the drop-down arrow INSIDE the search bar (at the top of your inbox). 

2. In “Has the words” type in the key word that will be found in the emails. For example, I’ll type Spelling Bee and click “Create filter”

3. This is where you have options! I choose “Apply label” and select or create label. Apply any other options (I usually don’t add any others except “Skip the inbox” occasionally), then click “Create filter”. 

4. DONE! Test it out! Send yourself an email with the keywords you selected and see what happens! It should automatically add the label to the incoming email BEFORE you open it! You can use the left sidebar to view all emails in that particular label. Now, they’re all waiting in one place for when you when your mind is ready to take them on! 

2. Unread Emails at the top

This one is GREAT if you get a million emails in a day! I didn’t necessarily need this when I was teaching, but when I began as Instructional Technology Coaching, it was a LIFESAVER! I used to be able to get away with leaving emails that needed my attention unread to come back to them. That no longer worked when I started getting around 30 emails in a work day. Luckily, Gmail has my back! I’m able to set up my inbox to keep all of my unread emails (no matter the order in which they come in) at the top and all the read emails underneath. 

Here’s what it looks like: 

Here’s How: 

1. In Gmail, click on the settings gear, then click “Settings”. 

2. Click on “inbox” in the top bar 

3. Click the drop-down next to “inbox type” and select “unread first” 

4. Click on the word “Options” next to “1. Unread” and select the number of unread emails to display. (I set mine to 10 items). 

5. Click “Save Changes” at the very bottom, and you’re done!

3. Google Tasks

Google Tasks is one of my favorite productivity tools. It can really be a game changer because it integrates with your email and calendar. It even has an app version that will send you notifications! It saved my sanity and kept me on track when we have a million things going on! Tasks has a sidebar inside your Gmail, so you can add and organize your tasks while you’re checking your email. You can even turn an email into a Task with a deadline/reminder! 

4. Templates

Templates are ALWAYS timesavers! I always get really anxious when I’m contacting parents - I want to make sure I word everything exactly right. I used to spend so much time rewriting or pulling up old emails to copy-and-paste. Now, I have templates set up for emails that I either struggle to write and get perfect or for emails that I send frequently (meeting reminders, notes, etc.). 

This is a feature that you may have to “enable”, as it does not always default enabled. Don’t worry, it’s just a few clicks! 

1. Login to your Gmail account 

2. Click on the “settings” gear in the top right corner of your inbox

3. Click “Advanced” 

4. Click the “enable” option next to “Templates” 

This process enables the template feature, so once you do this, you shouldn’t have to repeat this step.  

To create a template, simply draft the email you want to use as the template (Click “Compose”, type in the subject, and type up the email, leave the “TO” blank for now). Then click the “more” three dots in the bottom right of the draft. Click “Templates” and “save as template”. Now, you’re done!

To use a template you’ve already created, open a fresh draft (Click “Compose”). Click the “more” three dots in the bottom right of the draft, click “Templates”, and select the template you want to use. This should auto populate your email to match your template. Fill in the recipient, and you’re ready to send! 

5. Events from an Email 

Y’all this is SO good! I live by my Google Calendar, so being able to create an event straight from Gmail is a major timesaver! From an email, you can create an event that will save to your Google Calendar. 

Here’s How: 

1. Open the email from which you want to create the event

2. Click the 3 dots “more” icon at the top bar (above the email). See image below. 

3. Click “Create event”. This will open a new window in Google Calendar

4. Complete the prompts and “Save”. This will attach the email and its contents to the event in Google Calendar. 

6. Schedule an Email 

This is one my FAVORITE features!!! I love being able to schedule emails, especially if it’s a reminder email for deadlines. I was responsible for our middle school’s Spelling Bee, so I relied on scheduling email reminders. Nobody has time to compose reminder emails in “real-time”! I would take a chunk of about 15 minutes to compose several emails and schedule them out as reminders for the Spelling Bee nominees. For example, I would schedule one email as the “initial” email announcing the rules of the Classroom Spelling Bee and the time frame for which this needed to be completed. Next, I would schedule an email reminder two weeks before the deadline for Classroom Spelling Bee winners. Then, I would schedule a reminder one week, then one for 2 days prior to the deadline. I would compose and schedule these all in one sitting whenever I had the 15-minute time chunk sometime in September. This is like email’s version of “set it and forget it”!! 

These emails are still editable after you’ve scheduled them (before they are sent). So you can edit the email, subject, and recipient any time before the email is sent. You can also cancel the email. 

Here’s how: 

1. Compose a new draft 

2. Type up your email, subject, and add your recipients 

3. Click on the dropdown arrow NEXT to “Send” 

4. Follow the prompts to select your send date and time

   Edit your scheduled email: 

1. Click on the “Scheduled Send” inbox in the left sidebar

2. Select the email and edit as needed

7. Contact Groups 

I find that I often email the same group of people, over and over. I taught middle school, so I was frequently emailing the other 5 teachers on my academic team. I was also involved in lots of committees and was emailing those groups of people frequently. Contact groups are a major timesaver in this case! No longer do I type in each person’s name in the recipient box! Now, I just type “7C”, which is what I named my academic team’s group, and it auto populates all 5 teachers’ email addresses into the recipient space! I can also type “rti” for it to autofill the teachers on that committee. This is completely customizable to save you the most amount of time. 

The contact groups have changed with Google’s new updates. So, this process may look a little different if you’ve set them up in the past. 

Here’s how to set it up! 

1. Open a new email draft (Click “Compose) 

2. Click on the word “To” (where you normally type in the recipient’s email address) 

3. Select the email contacts you want to include in your group  **You might have to toggle to “All Contacts” instead of “My Contacts”**

4. Click “manage labels” 

5. Name and Create

6. Insert (this will add these emails to the recipient space)

Next time you want to email this group: 

1. Open a new email draft

2. In the recipient space, type the name of the group (7C or rti, etc.)

3. Press “Enter” key and it should automatically change from the group name to the separate email addresses of all in the group 

4. Continue the email as normal! 

7 Foolproof Tips for Organizing your Google Drive™️

I know sometimes our Google Drive can get totally out of hand! We’re just so busy and doing a billion things at once, so organizing strategies are usually last on our minds. I have 7 foolproof tips for you to get your Google Drive organized and to KEEP it that way!

1. Save to Multiple Folders - Save a file to multiple folders WITHOUT making a copy! These files will be synced and will update at the same time. Click on the file once (so it’s highlighted blue), then press Shift Z, and follow the prompts.   

2. Color Code your Folders - We can all use a little COLOR in our lives, am I right?! You can add color to your folders by right clicking on the folder, and clicking “change color”. 

3. Delete those Pesky Shared Files - Have you opened your “Shared with Me” folder and had an IDEK reaction?! If you are NOT the owner, you can delete these files without affecting everyone else’s. BE CAREFUL! If you are the owner and delete the file/folder, it will delete for everyone else, too. If you are unsure, just right click the file, click “View Details”, and the owner’s information will appear. 

4. Title Everything You Add/Create as You Go- I know this sounds obvious, BUT we all have our moments of “I’ll do that later”. Microsoft Word prompts you to title and choose a save location before you exit; Google, however, autosaves, so you must add the title on your own! #dontforget 

5. Find a Home for your Homeless Files (Take Advantage of Folders) - Just as you do with any other storage (flash drive, documents, etc.) organize your files into folders. You can even put subfolders inside your folders! Don’t be afraid of creating folders! 

6. Search Features - I definitely use the search feature more than I’d like to admit...I can never remember what I titled it! Luckily, Google has my back! We can search by owner, file type, or even by text! The search by text even works for text inside your pdf files! Say Whaaaat?! Just click the drop-down arrow in the search bar at the top of your Drive, and voila! 

7. Create Templates for Yourself! - Create your Doc, Slide, Sheet, or Drawing, but in your title, type the word “TEMPLATE” and use that one to make a copy each time. For example: “Modified Schedule TEMPLATE”. Next time you need the template, find it in your Drive, Make a Copy, and fill that sucker out! 

Switching from OneDrive to Google Drive? Check out Google’s Quick Guide! 

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