How May We #GAFEhelp You?

Do you use Google Apps for Education (GAFE)? Are you a connected educator on Twitter? (And if you are not, then why not? But that is another conversation to have later.) Have you ever had a question about GAFE and so you Tweet it out only for it to get lost in the abyss of Twitter and never get a response? Or if you do get a response, it is completely random and really doesn’t help? 

Well, we hope this will be a solution to that dilemma. We would like to introduce to you a new Twitter account, @GAFEhelp.

Eight GAFE using educators connected on Twitter and have teamed up to manage this new handle. Our goal is to be a resource to other GAFE using teachers and help provide a quick answer to any type of GAFE related question you may need help with.

In addition to this new Twitter account, we will be using the hashtag #GAFEhelp to also facilitate communication of any questions that may be out there.

We don’t see ourselves as experts, but just a group knowledgeable teachers wanting to help provide answers to your questions. If we don’t know an answer, we will try to help you research a solution and provide resources to help you get going in the right direction.

So if you need help with Google Apps, just tweet us @GAFEhelp and/or use the hashtag #GAFEhelp. So, How may we GAFEhelp you?

Meet the GAFEhelp Team:

Justin Birckbichler (@Mr_B_Teacher) - 4th grade teacher in Virginia. Teaches with 1:1 Chromebooks. Google for Education Certified Innovator and Trainer.

Ben Cogswell (@cogswell_ben) - TK-6th Educational Technology TOSA in Salinas, CA. Google Educator Level 1 and 2. 1:1 iPads & Dell Venues implementing GAFE in 12 schools with 380+ teachers.

Sean Fahey (@SEANJFAHEY) - 4th grade teacher in Indiana at a Google Apps for Education School. Teaches with 1:1 ChromeBooks.

Ari Flewelling (@EdTechAri) - Staff Development Specialist (Technology Integration and 1:1 Support), Google Certified Trainer & Innovator, CUE Affiliate President

Kelly Martin (@kmartintahoe) - K-8 Educational Technology and Curriculum Coordinator in South Lake Tahoe, California. Google Educator Level 1 and 2. Supports 60+ teachers in a 1:1 chromebook environment in grades 3-12.

Karly Moura (@KarlyMoura) - Instructional Coach & Educational Technology Support Teacher in California. Supports educators in a Google Apps for Education school teaching with chromebooks and ipads.

Mari Venturino (@MsVenturino) - Middle school science and AVID teacher in California. Teaches with 1:1 iPads. Google for Education Certified Trainer & Innovator.

Joe Young (@jyoung1219) - Math & STEAM Instructional Coach in Palo Alto, California. Taught 1st, 2nd, and 5th grades in a GAFE district, 1:1 iPads, 1:1 Chromebooks, and served as a tech lead teacher.

Five Things You Didn't Know About Participate Learning

If you have ever been a part of a Twitter chat then you probably know that Participate Learning easily creates a transcript of the chat and will even do it for you if your chat is one that is regularly scheduled. That feature alone is what got us frustrated storify users hooked. Add in the AWESOME curated resources automatically collected during the chat and you have a chat moderator's dream come true. I recently got a chance to chat with Brad Spirrison from Participate Learning and I found out that there is a lot about Participate.com that you might not even know about!

• There are over 10K expert-vetted resources (apps, videos, web, oer) scored and tagged for common core. You can browse resources and collections by grade, category, and of course common core.  

• Participate users can make their own resource collections/playlists using resources from Participate, plus links you add, and files you upload. You can also invite others to collaborate in a collection!

• They have incredible customer service. If you are interested in capturing resources tweeted to any hashtag, not just chats, let them know. They will will create it for you. You can the capture collections/transcripts for up to 72 hours. Resources can be captured for up to 30 days before.

• Participate Learning recently created pages for upcoming EdCamps. That means that ANY resource tweeted alongside an edcamp hashtag will be curated on Participate Learning.

• There's an extension for that! Participate Learning has an easy to use chrome extension that makes it super easy to save online resources to Participate Learning Bookmarks, then add them to collections from your profile!

Check out Participate.com and follow them on Twitter @participatelrn, Facebook or Google+. There are a TON of 90-second tutorial videos available on their YouTube Channel making it an incredibly easy to use tool for finding resources, connecting and collaborating.