But do you all know everything that you can do with SchoolZone?
Over the last year, we have seen some pretty major changes come to SchoolZone that have flown under the radar. I'm going to take some time to point out some of these features to you. For some of you this may be old new, but who knows - maybe you might find a hidden treasure!
Attaching DocumentsSo this is a feature that has been around for a while, however we have seen some changes here as well.
In SchoolZone, we have the ability to add any type of attachment to a Note, Homework, Event, etc. that we create in SchoolZone. Just look for the little paper clip icon, and click!
You will find it on the menu for the Text Editor, as pointed out below.
Once you click on it, you will be able to upload any file type you would like (as long as it does not exceed the size limit of 3.1 MB). You can upload a document that you have saved on your computer, and as a new few feature, you can also choose to upload a Google Doc if you wish!
To upload a document from your computer, simply click on the CHOOSE FILE button. From here it will take you to a list of your documents and all you have to do is click on the document you would like to upload!
Another option for uploading documents is to upload Google Docs. If you have any Google Docs that you would like to share with students or parents, here is a very effective way to do it, which is actually quite easy (as long as the document has appropriate sharing settings - we'll get to this later...)!
Start by clicking on the paper clip button again, except this time you will need to select the option Google Docs - check out the picture below:
Just make sure the circle is selected, and then you will click on the Browse button. This will take you to a list of all your Google Docs. Now, if you have anywhere near as many Google Docs as I do, it may take a little bit to load.
But once loaded, you will be able to select the document you are looking for. Once selected, simply click on the Submit button near the bottom.
Hand-In Feature
Another feature that has been made available on SchoolZone this past year is the Hand-In button. This features creates the opportunity for students to hand-in electronic versions of documents, allow teachers to check who has submitted assignments electronically, and allow teachers to provide students with immediate feedback.
To enable this feature, all you need to do is create a new Homework assignment, and before clicking save click on the box that says Hand-in.
Once having selected this feature, complete the entry as normal, with the explanation of the homework, and potential including a digital copy of the instructions.
As teachers, we will then be able to check homework that has been completed by students. To do so, all you need to do is go to the Homework Tab, and find your assignment that you have entered.
Once you click on the Hand-in button, you will then be taken to a list of the students that have submitted the assignment. On this screen you can also click on the link to view the students submission, as well as post comments or feedback.
Using this feature, teachers are able to quickly see who has not yet submitted an assignment by clicking on the link that says "To see the students who have NOT yet submitted files, click here."
Students are able to submit various documents for the same assignment - a great chance to submit a rough draft and a final version!
Parent Accessibility:
Another new feature is that parents will now have access to all of these documents and comments that are posted on SchoolZone using attachments and hand-ins. For all regular documents, parents will see the document, and for Google Docs, parents will see a PDF (static) version of the document as it is at that moment.So far this has helped numerous parents stay aware of what work their child is completing, as well as what is not getting finished.
As we learn more about Google Apps, there will be more ways in which you can integrate SchoolZone into your teaching. It is a great teaching tool that we are constantly working on improving. If you have any great suggestions as to how SchoolZone could be improved, please feel free to pass them my way and I will pass them on to the technical team working on SchoolZone.
Once again, I hope this information was helpful! If you have any questions, do not hesitate to talk to me or post them below! Thanks! :)
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