Tech Tip: Filter Topics in Google Classroom!

If you have been using Topics to organize your posts in Google Classroom, you're in luck! Classroom just received an upgrade!  

On the Classwork page, the Topics you've created are now listed on the left side of the page.  Click a topic to filter your Classwork page to ONLY see posts in that topic.  Click "All Topics" at the top to see everything again.

Filtering only changes YOUR view during that time. Other students and teachers in your class still see everything, and can choose to filter and unfilter on their own screens. 

How do I Create Topics?

When creating a post on the Classwork page, you can select a topic you previously made, OR create a new topic on the spot. Just click the dropdown in the bottom-right of the pop-up:

If you already created a post, you can still Edit it and add a Topic!

Drag n' Drop to Rearrange Posts

Click, drag, drop your posts to move them from Topic to Topic!  

If they don't have a topic, they will go to the top of your Classwork page.

Quick Grading with a Rubric in Google Classroom - Even for Non-Digital Work

Use your own rubric to quickly grade and give feedback in Google Classroom - even if the student work wasn't turned in there!

1. Post your rubric as an "Assignment":


2. Make sure each student gets a copy:


3. Assess!

Want a copy of this rubric? Click Here: bit.ly/1ptClassroom

Grade smarter, not harder!

This particular rubric was created in Google Sheets. It uses Checkboxes and Conditional Formatting to create one-click highlighting for easy grading and easy reading.

If these features are not important to you, you can of course use Google Docs.

I used Sheets for this because when giving feedback to 150 students, I want to streamline things as much as possible. I save every second I can by reducing the number of clicks and reducing the number of times I move my hands between keyboard and mouse.  If there is a piece of feedback I give commonly, I type it out somewhere else and have it ready to copy/paste.

The rubric style itself was created in the Single-Point Rubric format. If you're not familiar, check out that link as well as the original Your Rubric is a Hot Mess blog post, both by Cult of Pedagogy's Jennifer Gonzalez.

Tech Tip: The Power of Paste Formatting!

Save yourself a LOT of clicks by copy/pasting the formatting only (font color, size, etc) from one location to another in G Suite Apps:

1. Click the text that has the formatting you want.
2. Double-click the "Paint Roller" icon.
   
3. Paste that formatting only by clicking on the target text, highlight lines of text, or clicking the entire text box:

This can save a lot of time when trying to change formatting across an entire document.

One of my favorite uses is in Google Sheets: 

Pro Tip: If you click the paint roller ONCE, it will then paste formatting ONCE.  If you double-click the paint roller, it will "stick" and you can paste your copied formatting multiple times. To turn the roller back off, click it one more time.

Happy Pasting!