Creating a fillable pdf

I must admit that since this summer when I started watching Nate's tutorials on Sophia, I have been trying to replicate how he was able to make fillable text fields in Adobe Reader. Today, after hearing a few questions about fillable forms, it finally struck me that he was using a pro version of Adobe Acrobat.

So, I turned to the all-knowing Google, and I came up with www.pdfescape.com. This is a free online fillable pdf creator.

In addition to Nate's great tutorial, which can be viewed here. I have added a video below specifically about how pdfescape can help you accomplish the outcomes Nate was able to accomplish.

Quickly Collect & Use Student Emails for Effective Document Sharing

Today's post is an overview on a few steps teachers can take to gather student emails using a Google Form, followed by creating a class contact list in gmail based upon the form's submissions. See the video for more of an explanation.

Doctopus (and Goobric) for document sharing, project management, & efficient assessment

Hello again,

Today I wanted to tackle a comprehensive script that allows for a lot of functionality in the classroom: Doctopus. Below is a picture of the doctopus workflow I discuss in the overview video.

Here are a few things the Doctopus script can do for teachers:

1. Efficiently share a single document template (or resource folder with multiple resources) with all students so that all students can either edit, comment, or view only the single document / resource folder. The document types doctopus can handle include drawings, presentations, docs, and spreadsheets.
2. Efficiently deny one user or all users access to the document/folder you shared with them.
3. Allow for quick commenting on all student documents and email those comments automatically to the students.
4. Efficiently share a single document template with the entire class where each student can edit his or her own document, but you maintain ownership of all documents.
5. Efficiently share multiple different document types (one per student) so that you can differentiate the type of work that each student or student group is doing. (See the video I created.)
6. Efficiently share multiple documents (one document template type / group) with multiple groups.
7. Attach a rubric to a doc using the goobric script (through doctopus.)

Overview Video

Doctopus in action




Applying Goobric to Doctopus for quick assessment



Additional resources:

Click Doctopus Script for more information on the script.

More information on the Goobric Script:

Connecting to Marshall's shared server (aka Marshalldata or U drive) without connecting to Students or Secure wifi

MAC instructions first, followed by PC instructions second

MAC Step 1

MAC Step 2

MAC Step 3

PC Step 1

PC Step 2

Using gClass Folders

The gClass Folders script is a great script associated with Google Forms to quickly and easily create View, Edit, and Dropbox folders for your students.

Click here to access the generic template I discussed in the video.

I have created this tutorial to help explain using gClass Folders. You can also click here for further information.




Thanks for your time!

Using Google Forms for assessment

In today's post I am going to explain how to save a little time using the Flubaroo script to autograde close-ended questions a teacher poses to students using Google Forms as the assessment tool.

If you would like to learn more about the Flubaroo script, click here.

PART I

This video explains how to create a quiz using Google Forms.





PART II

This video explains how to install the Flubaroo script.





PART III

This video explains how to use the installed Flubaroo script to autograde selected questions from your Google form.






PART IV

This is an advanced tutorial on how to add script to create an email menu so that you can email comments directly to each student. Note: this script does not send out an email to all students, only the student whose row is active at the time when you click on the email menu.


Below is the javascript code for adding a script to be able to email students information / assessment comments directly from the spreadsheet. I have added a picture below, as well, to help depict the elements of the code I am explaining hereafter.

Before I launch any further into how to use the code, we need to consider why this code might be useful to a teacher.  This code could be useful if ever a teacher has different items that need to be emailed to multiple students; instead of having to compose multiple different emails, the teacher could compose the text in the spreadsheet and email each individual student out of the spreadsheet. Second (and closer to our purposes for quiz assessment) a teacher may want to consider using the code if that teacher uses Google form quizzes to ask students to fill in short, text answers to questions. Pedagogically, we know that we are not necessarily getting the truest assessment picture of a student if we only ask multiple choice and true/false questions, so one may consider adding the occasional short answer question.

We see from the above videos that the Flubaroo script will automatically grade the multiple choice, fill-in-the-blank, and/or true/false type questions, but for questions where students have wider liberty in their response, the questions will most likely be ungraded.

This is where the email script can help. Create an answer column for each short answer question, then edit the script below to email each student the comment you have written in the corresponding answer cell. If, for example, I had two short answer questions I wanted to provide feedback for, I could add this code to the script below -- body += "\n\nText you want to appear in email" + sheet.getRange(row, getColIndexByName("Exact text of column you want emailed")).getValue(); -- (Note -- are not part of the script).

So there you have it, a shortcut for being able to provide short answer feedback via email.

If you have further questions, you may find me in the Tech Office or walking the halls. Thanks for your time,

Matt

function getColIndexByName(colName) {
  var sheet = SpreadsheetApp.getActiveSheet();
  var numColumns = sheet.getLastColumn();
  var row = sheet.getRange(1, 1, 1, numColumns).getValues();
  for (i in row[0]) {
    var name = row[0][i];
    if (name == colName) {
      return parseInt(i) + 1;
    }
  }
  return -1;
}
function emailStatusUpdates() {
  var sheet = SpreadsheetApp.getActiveSheet();
  var row = sheet.getActiveRange().getRowIndex();
  var userEmail = sheet.getRange(row, getColIndexByName("Username")).getValue();
  var subject = "Quiz Comments";
  var body = "Comments from your latest quiz \n\nComments: " + sheet.getRange(row, getColIndexByName("Comments")).getValue();
  body += "\n\nDescribe why the above color is your favorite.(Teacher Corrections): " + sheet.getRange(row, getColIndexByName("Assessment for question 2")).getValue();
  

  MailApp.sendEmail(userEmail, subject, body, {name:"Color Quiz Text Answer Results"});
}

function onOpen() {
  var subMenus = [{name:"Send Status Email", functionName: "emailStatusUpdates"}];
  SpreadsheetApp.getActiveSpreadsheet().addMenu("Email Menu", subMenus);
}

Student printing to library printer (PC)

Students can print to the library student printer from either open access or the student network (different than before).

Step 1

Step 2

 Step 3

Step 4

Step 5

Step 6

Step 7

Step 8

Step 9

Printing from a mac to the student printer in the library.

Below are directions for printing to the student printer in the library. Students can find these same directions in the Student Portal on the 1:1 Technology tab (see image below).

And, here are the directions:

 Dear Teachers,

I first wanted to congratulate you for making the opening of our 1:1 launch a success. As each day passes, I have appreciated being a part of the initial setups in many of your classrooms: ensuring student accounts are set, partnering on creating some of the foundational technological tools you will be using in your classroom, and interacting with students to help solve a variety of student computer issues. Each of these arises from your embracing student technological use in your classroom, and I am grateful that I have the opportunity to support your efforts in the 1:1 endeavor.

Second, in support of your classroom work, I also wanted to begin more concretely with my other primary role of working with you to help further your growth in the classroom technology domain. Before October conferences I hope to meet with each one of you to discuss plans, ideas, realities, and solutions for your classroom, as well as have an opportunity to connect with each of you to further the technology networking and collaboration among classrooms that is already taking place. I have created a form for you to schedule a technology conference with me. Please click here to go to live form to schedule conference.

Additionally, I will be maintaining a 1:1 blog through Blogger (http://marshalltechcoordinator.blogspot.com/), which I will embed in the faculty portal and which I will be able to share ideas, tutorials, and inspiration for those looking for an extra boost. I will also post links to this blog on my twitter page: @mattwhittaker_1. As we push for more opportunities for professional growth in teacher-friendly formats, I hope these posts will be yet another venue where we can share and discuss practices and philosophies related to technology, curriculum, and pedagogy. In the meantime, if there is something that I can help you with, help you design or talk through, be there as you set it up with students, etc. please let me know.

Great work, team, and keep it up.

Matt