Most teachers have sent home communication showcasing their students’ work in the classroom.
For example, these communications might highlight a student showing leadership, compassion for others, hard work, or creativity.
As a parent, I have found these notes buried at the bottom of my son or daughter’s backpack weeks later.
Sometimes these time-consuming accolades get missed in the everyday chaos that is life.
This got me thinking about a Google add-on that I used years ago and had forgotten about:
This add-on allows you to create a form where submissions can populate a Google Doc.
For example, a teacher could fill out a form by selecting a list of characteristics a student has exhibited and automatically generate a letter through Autocrat.
This letter could be easily emailed or copied and pasted into a Remind message sent out to families.
Not only can teachers use this for communication in their classrooms, but they could also use it to create missing library book lists or lesson plans by identifying different fields in Autocrat.
Autocrat can be a bit tricky, but we’ve included a video below explaining how it can be set up:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=42&v=JpqEHW3CZhU&feature=emb_logo
Already using Autocrat? We would love to hear how you are using this tool.
Coming Soon
The 5:1 ratio has completely changed my thinking about interactions in the classroom. It all started with a question about grading. After all, part of our jobs as teachers is to provide corrective feedback to help students grow. The 5:1 ratio helps to ensure that students can receive this feedback effectively. More importantly, however, it can help us be intentional about creating a classroom environment that centers our humanity.
Educators often cite a lack of time as one of their most significant stressors. How can we help teachers find the balance necessary to feel satisfied in their jobs and meet their social and emotional needs? This third post in the Time for Teachers blog series will discuss the importance of a self-assessment in addressing individual problems and solutions teachers face. This is not to say the onus of addressing challenges should fall squarely on the shoulders of individual teachers. Teachers need a community of practice and support to help them identify problems they might face individually that could benefit from solutions that come from consulting with colleagues.
Educators often cite a lack of time as one of their most significant stressors. How can we help teachers find the balance necessary to feel satisfied in their jobs and meet their social and emotional needs? This second post in the Time for Teachers blog series will discuss two possible solutions that can help all educators save time while addressing needs to serve students and communities: agile meetings and short pulse surveys.
During this time of remote learning, what are some best practices in the ways you communicate with your students and their parents? In this webinar, we’ll explore examples and tips for communication, specific tools and resources to aid this process, and lessons learned from applying these practices.
Are you feeling overwhelmed about transitioning your classroom into a remote learning environment? In this webinar, we share simple strategies for getting started, communicating with students and parents, finding and delivering content, building relationships, and designing assessments. You can do this!