 Hello I am Kayla Simonson. Today we will be exploring creating a digital learning community with Google Sites. It is a web app that can be used to develop a web page. Before we get started don't forget to subscribe and hit that bell to enable notifications for our channel by clicking our logo during the video. Also leave us a comment or check out our related videos by clicking the pop-up cards in the upper right corner. Here's how to get started with creating your own digital learning community. Our three goals of creating a digital learning community are to develop autonomy in the classroom, increase participation, and increase parent knowledge of and access to what is happening in our classroom. We will use these five tools to accomplish those goals. Google Sites, Screencastify, Canva, Flippity, and YouTube. Today we will talk about why to utilize these tools and see them in action. Our first tool is Google Sites. This website builder allows us to create a single location that houses all of our information and organizes it in an iconic fashion instead of simply text-based. Google Sites is free and easy to use. Let's look at two examples of digital classrooms and you pick your favorite. Here is example number one, the old version, Google Classroom. This platform quickly becomes a wall of text which can be hard to navigate and overwhelming to students especially if they are absent or fall behind. Or example number two, the new version, a website that is built on Google Sites. Google Sites can easily be organized by chapters, units, or your preferred method and information can be stored on different pages rather than being presented all at once. This format is more eye-catching, engaging, and easier for students to navigate because of the reliance on icons and pictures instead of just words. You can even add pictures of student work. Our second tool is Screencastify. This program allows you to record your screen and voice simultaneously as well as edit for clarity. Recorded videos give students autonomy and allow for individualization and differentiation. Teacher-led review while completing homework or other out-of-class assignments and these videos give parents a reference when helping their children with homework. Screencastify can be used to record new material, review, or provide more in-depth learning. Let's view an example. In this video, Screencastify was used to record while a Google slide deck was presented on the computer. This video was utilized both by students who needed extra help and by students who came into the class in the middle of the semester. Today we're going to review level one rhythms. You're going to be my echo. My turn first. This is the quarter note. It is equal to one beat and when we see it, we will say ta. Let's practice. One, two, ready and say. Ta, ta, ta, ta. Good job. Our third tool is Canva. This website is used to create engaging materials that will capture the attention of your students. These days, students are interested in things that are pleasing to look at so it's time to approach education like marketing a company. Canva makes this easy by providing templates for almost everything you need. Presentations, worksheets, infographics, and more. Plus, you can get an educator account for free. Here you can see the studio view in Canva where this presentation was created. On the left side, you see samples of editable templates. The elements tab includes shapes, lines, and clip art. You can upload your own images and video, add text, and change the background. The options are endless. Our fourth tool is Flippity. This is a website that provides multiple Google Sheets templates to create games, activities, and other clever items. The Flippity badge tracker allows students to see their progress in real time and teachers to give feedback without grading more assignments. Badges help motivate students to develop a strong work ethic while encouraging mastery and allowing students to work at their own pace. Here is an example of the finished badge tracker project. Students can clearly see what badges they have earned and on the right you see the editable spreadsheet where you enter tracking information. Flippity does include instructions and demonstrations for how to use the Google Sheets templates. Our fifth and final tool is YouTube. There are two ways to utilize YouTube. You can either upload your own videos or utilize others already hosted on the platform. You can discover and share primary sources, news stories, performances, read-alouds, and just about anything else you seek. You can also easily embed YouTube videos into Google sites so that students do not have to leave the website to view the video. Here you see Michelle Hull's example of utilizing YouTube videos on her Google site. She has provided text directions on the left and YouTube videos demonstrating the activities on the right. Thanks so much for watching. Be sure to like, comment, and reply to one of our other videos or share the playlist below. Subscribe to our channel and enable notifications so you don't miss out on the next episode. Don't forget to check out our other resources like this podcast and see what else is going on in our county schools. Be sure to follow at Dear Dis is on social media or contact us via email or our blog.