Entrepreneurship Surveys: Kratky

I am writing this blogpost for our Business Teacher, Christina Kratky.  We are excited for the opportunities her students have in her Entrepreneurship course.  (This is the project that I was blessed to be a part of for the past 3 years)  They are participating in a regional competition called the Greater Binghamton Scholastic Challenge sponsored by Modern Marketing Concepts.  At this competition over 50 student groups from 20+ school districts bring product/service ideas to fruition through much hard work.  The past couple of years, the winners have received funding to actually start a business. Last year, partly due to your input, we won 2 of the 3 events!!  Every aspect of it is real-world and we need YOUR help! Below are the surveys each group put together.  IF you have time to complete a couple, they could really use your feedback.  None of them will take you more than 60 seconds to fill out.  Remember, this is a learning experience for all of them, so if you have any feedback for them, please feel free to comment on this blog or tweet me at @MrsMurat.  Thank you in advance for your assistance!

RetroCleat

EaSeeHome

Hunters Heated Hammocks

Only You

The OdrRack

TRAC Triggers

Spra-Lax

Unnamed App

Flee Market Clothing

GSuite Course

During the 16-17 school year, I got thinking about how many Chromebooks we are putting into the district and our emphasis on Google as a learning, collaborating and creating platform.   I was thinking that offering a GSuite course to complement our Microsoft Office class would be a helpful way to help students become more proficient in all things Google.  Below are the components of the class.  I would love your feedback! 

Parent Letter

The class is asynchronous and self paced. That is important to me because I didn't want to frustrate anyone in class because the pace was too slow or too fast for them. I have students in here that are already into graphic design and others who are still figuring out how to login each day.  As you saw in the parent letter, the students have to choose their path through the class.  They choose which points to earn and when to earn them as they strive towards our quarterly point goal.  Most of the links below are hyperdocs I created with the skills they have to show.  Some are simply Google Docs with a couple skills because they are less intensive platforms (think Alerts vs. Slides).  To show that the students have mastered a platform, they choose how to show the evidence.  They can conference with me, they can create a tutorial, create a doc or slide deck with screenshots, etc. Each platform has an optional extension activity where they can address a societal need with that platform.  That could be for a teacher, a fundraiser, a community organization, etc.  The sky is the limit!  Each platform has a live rubric in Schoology where I will assess whether they have demonstrated the skills required for the platform.  I have only included a few of them for your reference. You will notice in all of them that they get extra points for teaching me something about the platform that I didn't previously know.

Disclaimer: I have been updating these as I go, but they may not reflect the latest changes in GSuite.  Please make sure you proofread each AND check that the skills it asks the students to show are still accurate. 

If you feel so inclined, my Venmo for coffee is @Rachel-Murat

Alerts
Blogger
Books
Calendar
Chrome
Docs
Draw
Drive   Drive Rubric
Earth   Earth Rubric
Expeditions
Explore
Forms
Gmail
Maps
My Maps
Photos
Scholar
Search
Sheets
Sites
Slides
YouTube  YouTube Rubric

As you can see towards the end of each of the Hyperdocs, they can earn extra points by creating an on topic meme or anchor chart.  Here is the rubric that they can access via Schoology. 

There are a couple extra adventures this semester.  We will have an app smack down each quarter where students teach the in class audience as well as the virtual Periscope audience about Chrome apps and extensions.  The rubric and a past example from my DigCit class are included.
App Smackdown Rubric
App Smackdown Former Student Example

We will also have a biweekly showcase where students can show the class something they learned that might be a hidden gem or a hack they figured out.

Each week students will be required to complete this Weekly Performance Assessment.  This will enable the student to monitor their progress in class and will act as a springboard for one on one conferences with me.

The students will submit their creations here.  You will notice that it includes a reflection of the product and process.  I am hoping that is instructive for them as they progress through the class.

Right now, I am planning to list badges on Padlet, but am exploring different badging platforms.

I would really love your feedback (the good, the bad and the ugly)! Suggestions, comments, etc.  I'm all ears!  Thank you!

US History, Economics and Civics Hyperdocs

This summer @Math912Teach afforded me the opportunity to attend a Master Class institute that featured the authors of Dive Into Inquiry (Trevor Mackenzie), The Google Infused Classroom (Holly Clark and Tanya Avrith) and The Hyperdoc Handbook (Lisa Highfill, Kelly Hilton, Sarah Landis).  I heard about hyperdocs previous to this but my understanding of them was weak at best.  I went in excited to learn more and this Master Class did not disappoint!! I left with what I like to call a learning concussion!  I went right back home and started to dive into creating hyperdocs for my US History class based on the inquiries I built last year.

If you feel so inclined, my Venmo for coffee is @Rachel-Murat

Here is the hyperdoc I use for PD.  It includes student testimonials.

PD Hyperdoc

On the left are the hyperdocs I used in 17-18.  On the right are the updated ones I am using in 18-19.  I will add them as I go.

17-18 Geography                                                                 18-19 Geography                                                          
17-18 Justified Anger (Colonial Times)                              18-19 Justified Anger 

17-18 Declaration of Independence                                     18-19 Declaration of Independence

                                                                                              18-19 Articles of Confederation

Constitution (Created by my student teacher, Sean Mullins)  18-19 Constitution
-
Westward Expansion                                                            18-19 Westward Expansion                                         
Civil War                                                                               18-19 Civil War

Reconstruction                                                                       18-19 Reconstruction

Industrial Revolution                                                             18-19 Industrial Revolution

Imperialism

Progressive Era

WWI 

1920

1930's

WWII

Cold War

Civil Rights Movement

Decades and Presidents (60's - 2010's and Kennedy - Obama)

Here is what I have developed so far this year for Economics

Economics 101

Demand 

Market Equilibrium

Personal Finance

Here is what I have developed so far for Participation in Government (Civics)

Political Parties

Legislative Branch

Executive Branch

Electoral College

Things I have learned:
1. For me, it is easier to create the hyperdocs in Google Slides because I can manipulate the images I want to put in there much more easily.  Buncee, Thinglink and Wizer might be platforms that could be useful also.
2. I have found many of the different images I use on Kate Hadfield designs and Teachers Pay Teachers.
3. I am constantly referencing the books I mentioned above so that I don't get into a rut when giving students choice as to how to respond to things.
4. You will notice that if it isn't a Google Doc that is linked there is a link to the Google Doc in the Google Slides.  My students have the choice of typing on the Google Slides or on a preprinted copy.  At this point, I know who usually wants a preprinted copy, so I have them ready for the students.  This saves an immense amount of time and paper.
5. In class, I start off the period talking about the goals for the period (what to accomplish) and then give them roughly 20-25 minutes to accomplish those goals.  If they finish early, they can continue working.  I do have a couple students who need more time to complete the sections of the hyperdoc so they come in during Resource Room, their lunch or study hall to not only stay caught up but also to get ahead.
6. While they are working on reaching the daily goals, I am conferencing one on one with each student.  During this time, I have my tablet so we can look at their answers to the checks for understanding.  Additionally, I am asking them to clarify any of the information they've written down.  Lastly, I ask them if they have gaps in their understanding.  To a student, they are very honest about their gaps.  They learned very quickly that if they get help as they go,  they will be better able to participate in discussions and more successful on the assessment (whatever that may be).
7. I needed to vary the design for my own sanity and so they aren't seeing the same old same each time.
8. When building them, keeping the end in mind is crucial (at least for me).  I have the curriculum map up on one screen while I build them so I can make sure I am covering everything.
9. Varying the types of resources (video clips, readings, websites, documents, etc) has really made a difference for my students, especially when I can give them a choice of two or three for each topic.
10. Having them write each and every inquiry is so important, but they get tired of the long response each time, so that is why I have varied up the writing requirement.
11. Having them design a Breakout was so much fun (and meaningful) for both them and me!

I have come to rely on the hyperdoc community immensely.  Their voice and suggestions have been very meaningful for me. You can find helpful resources/communities on Google +, Facebook Hyperdoc group and on Twitter using #hyperdoc or #hyperdocs.

I will update this blogpost each time I create a new hyperdoc, so bookmark it if you found it useful!

I would love your feedback on anything in this blogpost.  What are your thoughts?  What suggestions do you have?

Thank you!