Add-ons & Handy Tools
What is good about Google Hangouts is that you can easily access your students by their emails and this is already in your Cloud’s brain. Therefore, setting up is SIMPLE. What is impractical about this is the difficulty in “seeing” your kiddles. For this reason, some of the other options, like LOOM & Zoom may be better.
Screencastify is a Chrome Extension that records your SCREEN on your computer. You could technically use your SmartBoard software and have ScreenCastify open to show the students exactly what you’re doing - similar to how you’d use it in a traditional classroom. You could record how you are using one of these programs listed to show students HOW you got on, how you logged-in, etc. I anticipate using it to allow for the Group to play Kahoot!, Gim Kit, or games you’ve created like a Jeopardy board through JeopardyLabs!
Are you a totally White-board teacher?! You’re WELCOME! Use Google’s Jamboard to fill your void. It’s a whiteboard with simple drawing tools. Why not set up a ScreenCastify to record what you’re writing so that your students can feel like they felt in the Classroom? This is useful if you do not have access to SmartBoard software on your laptop or if you have a substitute laptop that lacks resources.
Free! And you don’t even need to download anything. Seriously simple.
A Google Add-On where you can turn a spreadsheet into interactive flashcards!
FREE.
This is BRILLIANT. This program allows you to convert your PDFs into an editable/workable document. If you have PDF worksheets for your students, this would allow you to make it digital - and for your students to fill out answers - online.