CUE Conference Presentations

The Fall CUE Conference took place at American Canyon High School on 10/28 & 10/29. It was a whirlwind attending so various sessions, gaining an abundance of tools, and learning about things I am currently passionate about (hyperdocs galore!). 

Click on the brown titles to view the presentations!
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Top 5 Tips from "Google Classroom Tips":
  1. Always include a challenge question for early finishers.
  2. Leave feedback in the private comments BEFORE you grade. That forces students to make the corrections and THEN turn in the work for the grade!
  3. Create one document. Allow students to edit. Now you have one doc to grade instead of 30. And, students can collaborate and view responses.
  4. Never give detailed directions. Have students read the directions. Forces students to talk to one another and figure it out on their own.
  5. Bonus from the presentation: ​Tell your students:  "Being fast is not the same as being smart."
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Top 5 Tips from "Digital Storytelling...":
  1. Students can use Vocaroo for easy voice recording.
  2. Change slides to 24x6 to create a "comic strip."
  3. Students can use Screencastify, an add-on students can download, to read their slides; this encourages students to practice & focus on speaking as a skill.
  4. Create a mini sound booth for voice recordings (improves quality of sound).
  5. Record voice by speaking into the speaker of headphones (improves quality of sound).
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Top 5 Tips from "Writing: Brainstorming...":​
  1. Make the brainstorming process fun by using Google Draw, Poppet, or StoryboardThat to jot down ideas and create visuals.
  2. During the research portion, use sweetsearch.com, which is meant for students! Gets rid of the "junk."
  3. Use kibin or a thesis generator for those who struggle with putting their thesis together.
  4. In the Peer Edit & Revision step, use Grammarly!
  5. Include the publication step. Publish writing on Wordpress, new Google Sites, Seesaw, or Book Creator (iPad app).
Bonus: Use Doctopus + Goobric to add your rubric to Sheets for easy grading.
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Top 5 Tips from this "Advanced Lesson...":​
  1. Give students the option to show what they know. Check out these docs with multiple tools that students can use.
  2. Teach with videos! Check out Lisa Highfill's YouTube channel and the collection of videos she has put together.
  3. Are you struggling with designing your Hyperdocs? As in... how do I make it look pretty? Check out their Design School Tutorials on Youtube. They are short, so you watch what you need. Amazing!
  4. Still struggling? Hyperdocs Boot Camp may be your answer! Next session begins Jan. 8. Check it out here.
  5. ​Check out Teachers Give Teachers for a free give-one-get-one website for hyperdocs. Follow them on Twitter also!
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Top 5 Tips from "5 Hyperdocs...":​
  1. In today's world, we write less. Consider social media- everything we write is short. But, we ask students write more. We need to teach students word choice, instead of length. Less can be more!
  2. ​Writing is a process. Reimagine the writing process! Inspire students by showing them the video below.
  3. Voice typing can teach speaking AND punctuation! Ask students to use voice typing. It should end up being typed without punctuation. Then, teach the punctuation! And of course, use it to practice speaking skills.
  4. During editing... have students give themselves a compliment! Then begin to grade themselves. We need to put students up, not down. We need to balance kindness with realness.
  5. Check out Slide 15 of the presentation. There is a fantastic quote analysis hyperdoc. Repeat the hyperdoc multiple times throughout a reading, and they will become quote analysis pros and will learn to cite quotes in their writing!
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Top 5 Tips from "Amplify Student...":
  1. Flipgrid is like Snapchat + Padlet had a baby. You create a Flipgrid (class), they record a short video, they post, and fellow students can view one another's videos- all in one place!
  2. This tech tool will increase student voice. The slides mention that Flipgrid allows the back row to come to the front. It's perfect for ensuring that every student participates and speaks.
  3. For those who teach a language-- talk about perfection for speaking practice.
  4. On the slide, you will find a page with printables, including a little how-to page for students and a hall pass printout for when students want to record in the hallway for privacy.
  5. Use code FALLCUE17 for 45 days free! The free version isn't so bad either; I will be trying the free version before I purchase!​​
Bonus: Flipgrid is compatible on all devices. Wahoo!
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Top 5 Tips from "Help Students Find Choice...":​
  1. Before starting a PBL project, work on team building! Have the groups work together in various activities to build their teamwork, communication, and happy mojo.
  2. During the brainstorming process, ensure that students are sharing. Have groups write thoughts on a poster, then have a gallery walk. Students must then ADD ideas to one another's posters.
  3. During PBL, ensure that you track daily work. One way of doing that is by keeping work logs, blogging, including check points, establishing learning targets, etc.
  4. If you keep work logs, ensure that students write down specifically what they did that day, and include links to their work or research.
  5. Include roles in your groups. Role ideas: resources manager (keeps track of resources), voice manager (ensures that group members participate equally), task manager (ensures that students are on task).​