Tell an Animated Story through GIF or Video with Creator Studio and Slides

Did you know that you can make animated GIF's or movies with Google Slides? It's pretty easy with an Add-On called Creator Studio. 

The free version of Creator Studio lets users create GIF's and videos without sound. If you want to add sound to your videos, you will either have to import to another program (i.e. iMovie, Clips) or buy the premium version. 

There are a variety of ways that you can use this; however, I would like to show you how you can have student reenact historical events, stories, or teach a lesson through an animation. For example, let's say that you are having students retell how the Boston Tea Party occurred. 

First, students would want to create a Slides presentation. Students can add slides, pictures, and speech bubbles to tell the story. This is a great way for students to practice planning and logistics because they will have to think of things like timing, communication, and symbolism. 

Next, you will want to use the Creator Studio Add-On to create your GIF or video file. Make sure that you install the Add-On from the Chrome Store.  

Check out my video on how to create your GIF or video in Creator Studio!

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Matt Bergman (2021)

Create an Interactive Small Group Discussion with Slides and Mote

Mote is quickly becoming one of my favorite tools because it provides teachers and students with a free way to record audio to enhance Google Slides presentation, comments in Google Docs, and so much more. 

I was recently exploring the Mote website and they provided several really good templates for classroom discussion. I decided to take a stab and make one that provides a few additional accessible elements!

• A placeholder for the student's name and audio recording

• The discussion question section provides a place for a text and audio version of the question. This is very important for students who need to see and hear text! 

• A placeholder for any links that you may need to share with students

• An opportunity for students to provide feedback (aka "like" a certain response) by dragging the thumb icon to the response they agree with the most

Remember! Students will need to have the Mote Chrome Extension installed in order to record their responses.  Click here for your own copy. 

How does this work? Check out my video below: 

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Matt Bergman (2021)

Change Your Mote Icon in Slides to Captivate Student Attention

Did you know that you can change your Mote icon in Google Slides to any picture that you would like? It's easy to do and very effective!

Step 1: Record your audio using Mote in Google Slides. 

Step 2: Next, insert your Mote into your Google Slides presentation. 

Step 3: Then, secondary-click (or right-click) on your Mote icon and insert the picture of your choice!

Why would you want to change the icons? 

Changing the icons can provide students with an opportunity to get your students attention! For example, you want to direct your students' to important instructions and decide to use a Bitmoji to get their attention!  You could change your Mote icon to a Bitmoji and tell your students to click on the Bitmoji for important instructions on each slide. 

Create Accessible Instructions for Jamboard and YouTube Videos with Sticky Motes

 I love Mote because it helps create accessible assignments for ALL of my students! The best part is that my students DO NOT need the Chrome Extension or an account to benefit from this audio tool. 

Mote recently launched a new feature, which they dub Sticky Motes. It is a helpful hack for infusing audio instructions into Jamboards and YouTube videos. The instructions appear as a video recording on a sticky note that can be moved across the screen. 

The best part is that you can now embed your Sticky Motes into a Google Classroom assignment with the click of a button! 

Want to see it in action? Check out the following video for more!

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Matt Bergman (2021)

Jamboard Getting to Know You Frayer Eduprotocol

I am a big fan of Eduprotocols and the Frayer Model! I recently came across an excellent Eduprotocol idea that can be completed in less than 10 minutes. 

If you are not familiar with a Frayer Model, it is a four-quadrant diagram that students often use to define vocabulary terms, analyze text, etc. However, have you ever considered using this model as a fun getting to know you activity at the beginning of the year? 

Jamboard Getting to Know You Frayer Model

Here is my interpretation of this Eduprotocol by using Jamboard! 

Want your own copy? Click here to download! 

How Does it Work? 

Step 1: Share a copy of the Jamboard with each student through Google Classroom or your learning management system. 

Step 2: Have students interview and use Jamboard to record information about their partners. This should be done in less than 10 minutes. Speed is important when using Eduprotocols. 

Consider having students use the different tools on Jamboard to complete the activity. This is a great way to orient students to using Jamboard for the first time or after a long break. Here are some suggestions:

• Use the camera on their device to take a picture. 
• Use the pen tool to write their partner's name. 
• Use the post-it note feature to write 3 things they are good at. 
• Use the textbox to share what they are good at and something they would like us to know about them

Step 3: Have students share out! This is a great way to ensure accountability. 

Consider telling students to share a particular quadrant on the Frayer model. For example, "James, can you please share quadrant 2 (something your partner is good at?)?" 

Conclusion

With the beginning of school coming up, this might be a great way to have students get to know their classmates. This is a twist to Eduprotocols by combining technology with a Frayer model; however, you can use this protocol without technology too! That's the beauty of the Frayer model and this protocol. 

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Matt Bergman (2021)

Create an Animated Video Drawing with Keynote

Keynote is a great tool for developing presentations; however, if your students have access to iPads, you can create animated video drawings! Check out how you can combine drawings, audio, and video in this quick video tutorial:

How Could I Use This? 

You could easily use this feature for students to create presentations on historical figures, characters in a book, etc. Once students have finished, the presentation can be easily exported as a video. Perhaps you could take each student's video and import it into iMovie or Clips for a class documentary! 

Here's an animated GIF of the project! 

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Matt Bergman (2021)