Classroom Toolkit

Katie Moran

Google Certified Trainer

Table of Contents

Click on the topics below to skip directly to the tutorials.

The @ Insert menu in Google Docs

Draft emails in Google Docs

Dropdown menus in Google Docs and Sheets

Paragraph styles for organization & accessibility

Smart chips in Google Docs and Sheets

Use custom building blocks for frequent content

Free PD from Google Workspace for Education

Google Applied Digital Skills

Google Arts & Culture

Built-in accessibility features

Use Select-to-speak on a Chromebook

Reading Mode on Chrome for struggling readers

Citation creation within Google Docs

Closed captions on a blank Google Slides presentation

Lexend font for dyslexia

Google Workspace User Tricks

Chrome OS & Chromebooks

Google Workspace Instructional Tips

Other Websites, Apps, & Extensions

See a full set of my favorite Classroom Toolkit tutorials is available at Shake Up Learning with an All Access Pass subscription.

Created by Katie Moran (www.techwithkatie.com) May 2024

Chrome OS

and Chromebooks

Built in Accessibility features on the Chromebook

Chromebooks offer many built-in accessibility features�to meet a wide range of user needs.

Add an Accessibility section to your Quick Settings Menu, making it even easier to access these tools.

Add the Accessibility section to the Quick Settings:

1. Click on the Quick Settings Menu (the Time icon).
2. Select Settings .
3. On the left, select Accessibility.
4. Click to toggle on Show accessibility options in Quick Settings.

Find more information at Turn on Chromebook accessibility features

Created by Katie Moran (www.techwithkatie.com) May 2024

Table of Contents

Use Select-to-speak on a Chromebook

Chromebooks have two text-to-speech accessibility tools.

ChromeVox is a full screen reader that works continuously in the background.

​

Select-to-speak is a more specific, on-demand screen reader option.

​

Use the Select-to-speak tool three different ways:

1. Near the Quick Settings menu, click the Select-to Speak icon, then drag the mouse over the area of text.
2. Press & hold the Search key + drag the mouse over the area of text.
3. Highlight the text, then press Search Key + s.

Find more information at Hear text read aloud

Created by Katie Moran (www.techwithkatie.com) May 2024

Table of Contents

Google

Workspace

User Tricks

Use the @ Insert menu in Google Docs

Anytime you are working in a Google Doc, you can use the type the @ symbol to pull up a menu of insert options. Some of my favorite include:

1. Smart chips for people, places, and dropdown menus
2. Building blocks for drafting an email, organizing meeting notes, and tracking progress
3. Linked files from Google Drive
4. General Insert elements from within Google Docs, such as bulleted lists, images, tables, and paragraph styles

Use the @ menu

1. In a Google Doc, type "@".
2. Select from the list of suggestions, or start typing the insert option (ex: @email, @bulleted list, @filename)

More information at Add items with the @ menu

Table of Contents

Created by Katie Moran (www.techwithkatie.com) February 2024

Drafting an email in Google Docs

Sending a team or collaborative email has never been easier!

Work with email drafts on Google Docs

1. Within a Google Doc, type @email and press Enter.
2. To add recipients in the “To” field, type “@” and search your contacts, or type out the email address.
3. You can add a subject line, write text in the email body, and format your draft.

📌 Tip: You can collaborate with other Editors that share access with this Doc!

Preview and send your email draft in Gmail

1. At the top left of the email, click Preview in Gmail .
2. In the pop-up window, you can make additional changes to your email.
3. When ready, click Send.

More information at Use Google Docs to draft emails

Table of Contents

Created by Katie Moran (www.techwithkatie.com) February 2024

Dropdown menus in Google Docs�and Sheets

Google Sheets changed the name of the Data Validation feature to Dropdown menus. You still get the same functionality, but with a cleaner visual for users.

But in Google Docs, you can now use the same great feature in your tables.

To add a dropdown menu in Google Docs, type @dropdown. You can choose from a preset list or create your own for the document.

Google Docs also has a list of Building Blocks (Insert > Building blocks or in the @ menu) that include tables using these dropdown menus. Click here to learn more!

More information at Use new table templates and dropdown chips�in Google Docs to create highly collaborative documents

Table of Contents

Created by Katie Moran (www.techwithkatie.com) February 2024

Utilize Paragraph Styles to keep organized and allow for more accessibility

Paragraph styles in a Google Doc is the hidden gem we all need for more accessible documents and easy to link outlines.

Make a title or heading:

1. In Google Docs, select the text you want to change.
2. Click Format > Paragraph styles (or use the dropdown menu on the toolbar)
3. Click the text style, then click Apply ‘text style’.

Create a custom style:

1. In a Google Doc, select text with the style (font name, size, and style) you want to use.
2. Click Format > Paragraph styles > Normal Text or Heading 1-6 > Update ‘Heading’ to match.

More information at Add a title, heading, or table of contents in a document

To set a custom style as the default:

Click Format > Paragraph styles > Options > Save as my default styles.

Table of Contents

Created by Katie Moran (www.techwithkatie.com) February 2024

Smart Chips in Google Docs and Sheets

Smart chips in Google Docs and Sheets is an easy way to link, sort, and customize information.

In a Google Doc, the chips remove long, distracting URLs, email address, and other information. In return, the chip is a link with lots of other options embedded in the chip window.

In a Google Sheet, the chips can be used to filter data and create data validation options.

To add smart chips:

1. In a Google Doc or Sheet, click on Insert > Smart chip; or type @ and search the menu.
2. Choose from the list of options.

More information at: Insert smart chips & building blocks in your Google Doc�and Insert smart chips in your Google Sheets

Table of Contents

Created by Katie Moran (www.techwithkatie.com) February 2024

Use custom building blocks in Google Docs

This is only available in Teaching & Learning Upgrade or Education Plus editions of Google Workspace for Education.

Create a custom building block:

• In Google Docs, highlight the content (text, table, formatting, etc.) you want to turn into a building block.
• Right-click the highlighted content.
• Click View more actions > Save as a custom building block.
• Add a name (that you can remember) and an optional description.
• Click Create > Got it.

Use a custom building block:

In a Google Doc, type “@” and the custom building block name;

Or, type “@”, scroll to Building blocks and click Expand >. �Select the custom block from the dropdown list.

More information at Add a title, heading, or table of contents in a document

Table of Contents

Created by Katie Moran (www.techwithkatie.com) February 2024

Google

Workspace Instructional Tips

Reading Mode for struggling readers

​

Use Reading Mode in the Side Panel:

• Within a Chrome browser, click More > More Tools > Reading Mode .
• Right- click the Reading mode icon on the Chrome browser, and select Pin for future, quick reference.
• Use the Reading mode toolbar to:
• Adjust the font
• Adjust the font size
• Change links from active to inactive
• Change the Reading mode background color
• Change the spacing between lines
• Change the spacing between letters.

Find more information at Use Reading mode in the Side panel, accessed May 2024

Use Reading Mode in a Chrome browser’s side panel to create a customized reading experience for articles on the internet. This is a must-use tool for students who need visual and audio supports for reading.

Table of Contents

Created by Katie Moran (www.techwithkatie.com) February 2024

Citations in Google Docs

It has never been easier to teach research and digital ethics.

Add a citation source and related details

1. Open a document in Google Docs and click Tools Citations.
2. In the sidebar, select your formatting style from MLA, APA, or Chicago Author-Date.
3. In the Citations sidebar, under your selected style, click�+ Add citation source.
4. Select your source type.
5. Select how you accessed your source.
6. Enter or edit any source information in the fields.
7. Click Add citation source.

More information at Add citations and a bibliography

Table of Contents

Created by Katie Moran (www.techwithkatie.com) February 2024

Closed Captions in Google Slides

Google Slides has a Closed Caption option for your audience (or students) to better understand you.

Although this might be distracting for the whole class, if you have a student who needs CC support, invite them to open their own blank Google Slides into Present mode.

Present with captions

1. From within Google Slides, click Slideshow
2. At the bottom left of the Present screen, click More Captions preferences Toggle captions
3. As you speak, captions appear on the screen. Captions do not include punctuation.

More information at Present slides with captions

Table of Contents

Created by Katie Moran (www.techwithkatie.com) February 2024

Consider using different fonts

For more information How to make your text more accessible

To add fonts to your Google Workspace:

1. With a Google document (Docs, Slides, Sheets, Drawings), click on the Font dropdown menu on the toolbar.
2. Choose + More fonts
3. You can type in the name of a specific font (i.e. Lexend), or sort through the list with the filter options at the top.
4. Click the name of the font in the list and a blue check mark ✔ will appear. You can add more than one font at a time.
5. When you are done, click OK.

The Lexend font family is specifically designed to make digital text more accessible. This particular font helps readers struggling with dyslexia.

Another font named Redacted is a clever way to hide sensitive information or to create a fun reveal for later!

Table of Contents

Created by Katie Moran (www.techwithkatie.com) February 2024

Other

Websites, Apps,�& Educators to Know

Free professional development from Google Workspace for Education

​

Did you know that Google Workspace for Education offers more than a dozen classes to support teaching and learning with Google products? These courses are free and self-paced, so start (and take a pause!) as your schedule allows! Find more information at : https://edu.google.com/intl/ALL_us/for-educators/training-courses

Some of the trainings Include:

• Certified Educator Trainings : Fundamentals and Advanced
• Google Workspace for Education Tools : Basic, Intermediate, and Premium
• Leverage Google Classroom to manage, measure, and enrich learning experiences (link)
• Google Classroom: Practice Sets (link)
• Google Tools for In-Person Learning (link)
• Chromebook for Educators (link)
• Digital Citizenship and Safety Course (link)
• Accessibility Tools Training (link)
• Support English Language Learners ( link)
• Inspire Creativity through Learner Engagement (link)

Table of Contents

Created by Katie Moran (www.techwithkatie.com) February 2024

Google Applied Digital Skills

Empower your students to use technology in practical, real-world scenarios! Google Applied Digital Skills offers more than 200 free digital lessons, each with their own lesson plan, self-paced video lessons with bite-size action items, and grading rubrics.

The lessons and units are designed for a variety of ages, starting with late elementary all the way to adult learners. Teachers can create classrooms for students to join, which allows teachers to track student progress and watch them work in real-time.

Check out the curriculum HERE to see the variety of lessons available, and you might even see a lesson you already incorporate into your class! 😃

Table of Contents

Created by Katie Moran (www.techwithkatie.com) February 2024

Google Arts & Culture

Google Arts & Culture is one of the world’s largest online databases and digital archives of international art, architecture, historical documents and videos, fashion, science, visual arts, and so much more!

For the classroom, I like to create Galleries (think of this like a Google Drive folder or collection) or Wonder Walls (see a sample) to build inquiry for an upcoming unit or to provide primary sources for my students to examine.

📌 Next level: Let the students create Galleries of supporting evidence as an informal or alternative assessment!

Learn more about Google Arts & Culture and how I envision teachers using it to build inquiry in the classroom.

Table of Contents

Created by Katie Moran (www.techwithkatie.com) February 2024

Katie Moran

Instructional Technology Resource Teacher with Rockingham County Public Schools, VA

Google Certified Trainer

Email | katie@techwithkatie.com

Website | www.techwithkatie.com

Social Media | @TechWithKatie