As part of my daily routine, I scan dozens of blogs, visit a handful of Facebook groups and skim through Twitter. The goal: find the most helpful resources, tools, and articles that I can share with my teacher friends (that’s you!)

Here are my top 10 links for October 2021!

More space for comments in Docs – The comment “bubble” in Docs, Sheets, and slides is getting 43% wider! This means less scrolling when reading comments. 

Don’t let students get “kicked out” of Google Classroom – a new admin setting for Google Classroom prevents students from unenrolling from your class. 

New Google Docs Template – A few months ago, Google introduced “smart chips.” There is a new document template called “meeting notes” that utilizes smart chips to create a template you can use to take notes during a meeting. This is the first of several templates Google will release. 

Teaching with Google Arts & Culture – Google has created a new teacher guide to introduce educators to this wonderful collection of historical and cultural artifacts. 

New Meet settings for Google Classroom – Meet links have moved from the classroom header to the side of the stream page. Co-teachers also receive co-host access to Classroom Meets. 

Screencastify updates – You can now add interactive questions to your Screencastify videos and track which student has watched.  

Mock Social Media Templates – Asking students to create a fake Instagram account or Twitter thread is a fun way to use modern tools for learning. Matt Miller created a collection of 14 new templates that are worth checking out. 

Digital Pumpkin Carving – This simple Google Slide activity is fun for all ages! 

Frightgeist 2021 – Every October, Google compiles search data on the most popular Halloween costumes. Use this website for a data assignment in your math, statistics, or computer application course.

Halloween Choiceboard – this fun list of spooky activities was compiled by my friend Tonya Nugent. You can use this as a sponge or free-time activity during the month of October. 

What awesome resource did I miss?

Got something that’s too cool not to share? Hit me up on Twitter or Instagram (@jrsowash). I’m always on the hunt for interesting and useful resources!