Creative Interactive Lessons with Google Slides

November 15, 2020

If you currently deliver digital content through any online platform, Google Slides should be a part of your teaching strategy. Google Slides is a powerful tool that can engage students, ramp up collaboration, and deliver content synchronously and asynchronously. It is AMAZING and my go-to for creating and delivering lessons.

Google Slides can be accessed from any remote location as long as you or the student has an Internet connection. So this makes it a perfect tool for remote teaching, assigning work, tutoring, or interactive lessons.

Google Slides allows you to construct personalized, project-based learning experiences for students and deliver content in an interactive manner. Here are some ideas for using Google Slides in the classroom for distance learning.

Play Games

Games are a great way to review material, check for understanding, and assess what students know. There are free templates out there for Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, Who’s Who, or Jeopardy.

Create a Story

Students can create a story about Deaf culture, Deaf history, or simply a story using the vocabulary they are learning in the themed unit you are teaching. Students use the Google Slide deck to tell these stories in video and then create the images that go along with the story. The video gets placed on one side of the slide and the image goes not the other. This makes a great end of the year assessment or just a way to wrap up a unit.

Drop and Drag

The teacher can create a drop and drag activity by adding a Gif or video to the page and students match it to the word or action.

Lecture

Let’s face it, with cameras off it is difficult to know what students are learning or even if they are even there. Use an interactive Google Extension like Peardeck or Nearpod to have students answer questions along the way during your lecture. These extensions provide you with data and let you know if students are participating.

Hyperdocs

Create Hyperdocs that are self-paced so students can learn independently in an asynchronous setting. Add videos, Gifs, and tasks throughout the slide deck so students can learn, explore, and show off what they have learned.

See all the premade options for these at the end of this post.

Assessments and Portfolios

Use Google Slides as a way to assign performance tests (no cheating) and final exams. Provide prompts for students to respond to (In written English or video). Students can record their answers and embed the video in the slide deck. All of the work can be found in one location.

Here is an example of an end of the year final exam.

The opportunities for learning and teaching are endless with Google Tools and Google Slides is the most versatile of these tools. What lesson will you create today using Google Slides?