I love everything Google! The tools in the Google Suite are made for teachers and students, even our youngest learners. One of my favorite Google tools is Google Slides. Your students have so many opportunities to communicate and cooperate together on Google Slides. These student collaboration ideas for Google Slides will help your students work together and learn all the content you want them to know!
Getting Started with Google Slides on Google Classroom
Google Slides pair so well with Google Classroom. When you upload a slide presentation to Classroom, you have three options.
- Students can view file
- Students can edit file
- Make a copy for each student
When you want your students to collaborate and work together using Google Slides, choose the Students can edit file option. It’s important to pre-teach them out to use their own slides and not erase others’ work. If you pre-teach these skills, even your youngest learners will have no problem creating and collaborating together on Google Slides!
Discussion Starters
Get your students discussing expectations for the classroom with Google Slides discussion starters!
These scenarios are perfect for small group work. Share the Google Slides on Classroom allowing a small group to edit their presentation or assign each group a specific slide. Your students will respond to discussion starters like “You’re playing at recess and find a five dollar bill on the blacktop. Nobody sees you pick it up. Should you keep it or let your teacher know?” Although not all the group members may agree, these discussion starters give students a chance to collaborate with meaningful discussions and then share their responses in Google Slides!
Graphic Organizers
Google Slides is more than just a presentation tool. It’s a collaboration tool. Create or upload a slide presentation to share in Google Classroom. You have three options when sharing slides. One is view only. This is perfect to share notes with students. Next, is make a copy for each student. This is one I use often to let each student have their own editable assignment. Finally, there is the option to allow students to edit. This is a great chance to allow your students to all collaborate and create slides together. Use this to have your students collaborate on a memory book or introduce themselves at the start of the year. You can also have small groups assigned editable slides to work on together. The possibilities are endless!
Digital Scoot
I love those beginning of the year getting to know you activities! You know the ones. Students find someone in the class that has a specific characteristic or has something in common with them. This activity is now digital on Google Slides. Share the digital scoot with the whole group, or have each student have their own individual copy. Either way, they are collaborating by getting to know one another! Students will find others in the class with the following characteristics (and more)!
- has gone camping
- rides a skateboard
- takes selfies
- has a pet fish
- likes to eat pizza
- The resource is also customizable, so you can share your own “Find somebody who. . .” characteristics with the class or have them make their own!
Ebooks
Having your students write their own stories or nonfiction text is amazing! I love seeing what they come up with on paper, but now you can let them share their own pieces on Google Slides. Just create a blank document (or an Ebook template) and share with each student group, giving them editing rights to the slides. When students finish, you can simply go to File-Download-Download as PDF and share their completed Ebook with classmates, staff, and parents.
Think of all the fantastic stories your students can share in their own Google Slide Ebooks!
I love using Google Slides with my students. There are so many student collaboration ideas with Google Slides to get you started! Learn more about using Google Slides in your classroom for collaboration, independent work, and more!
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