Register for *free* March Virtual Courses by Friday 2/28

REMC March Courses

You’re in Luck ☘ REMC’s Virtual Courses are free & offer 10 free SCECHs

REMC’s Virtual Courses make it easy to keep up with your professional learning.  These courses offer an easy, convenient way for teachers to connect and collaborate while reducing time and cost. Their courses are available throughout the school year and are open to all Michigan school personnel. Best of all, their courses are *free* and offer free 10 SCECHs when completed.

Nine courses are offered in March. Each course is open for three weeks and consists of two (2) one-hour “live” webinars that are recorded and available for viewing later and eight (8) hours of resource review, assessment developments and written reflection. All REMC courses are open to all Michigan school personnel. There are no registration or SCECH fees because REMC SAVE partners provide support for all REMC Professional Learning opportunities.  

REGISTER NOW

March 2020  Course Information

March courses begin on Monday, March 2.  The deadline for registration is Friday, February 28.

Courses descriptions are provided below. If you have questions or need further assistance with your course registration, please contact the REMC Event Coordinator.

March Course Descriptions

Enhancing Instruction For All Learners
March 2 | 10 SCECHs

Address diverse student learning needs with technology integration.
1. Identify basic principles of universal design, differentiated instruction and best practice teaching strategies to enhance existing or new lessons or classroom activities.
2. Apply these strategies using technology integration to improve learning.
3. Learn to find and use interactive learning activities to address a variety of learning styles.
Address learning barriers and support learners using technology tools.

Making the Most of Your Google Classroom
March 2 | 10 SCECHs

Google Classroom is an easy way to organize and distribute your classroom assignments. You can even share documents through Classroom and create a two-way conversation between you and your students. Learn all the ins and outs of Google Classroom and the many ways you can integrate multiple applications into Google Classroom. (e.g., Geogebra, Discovery, Flipgrid, edPuzzle, etc.) Learn how to add and grade assignments, post daily warms up, add parents and guardians, and much more!

Searching Safely and Strategically
March 2 | 10 SCECHs

It has become essential for teachers and students to know how to search safely and efficiently to retrieve reliable information. The course provides educational database links to safe, accurate sites. Participants will also learn to evaluate information from the internet to determine their authenticity. Participants will also leave with a good grasp of what is available in Michigan eLibrary; FREE resources for every resident in Michigan.

Authentic Student Learning and Gamification
March 2 | 10 SCECHs
Explore the many elements of game mechanics that can also be used for classroom instruction! Examine the purpose and use of Gamification and Game-Based Learning. Uncover how Gamification and Game-Based Learning provide rich, unique experiences for student learning. The course itself models the Gamification style so participants will gain deep Gamification experience as well as experience in games that reflect the Game-Based Learning approach.

OER to Support Competency-Based Education (CBE)
March 2 | 10 SCECHs

Open Educational Resources (OER) are free, high quality, openly licensed educational tools that can be retained, reused, revised, remixed, and redistributed. This course will allow participants to learn about, explore, and implement OERs to support competency-based education (CBE). Competency-Based Education helps educators transition to a structure that personalizes education for students by creating flexibility and allowing students to progress through content by demonstrating mastery, rather than relying on seat time. CBE incorporates elements of flexible time, place, and pace while enhancing student agency through choice, voice, and authenticity.

Leading a Culture of Change in your School
March 2 | 10 SCECHs
Explore the essential needs of Leadership and Culture. This course is designed for school, district, and teacher leaders who wish to implement a change effort in their school or schools. Leaders is a broad category and can include coaches, teachers, technology specialists, aspiring leaders, or others interested in supporting school change. This course will focus on technology initiatives and other ideas that incorporate change.

Google: Applying Google Apps for Education in Chrome, Level 1
March 2 | 10 SCECHs

Google Apps for Education provides educators with an expansive repertoire of tools for empowering students and managing instruction. This course starts with the basics including how to create documents and share them with students, colleagues or parents. Participants will: 

  1. Understand the different sharing options that are available.
  2. Learn how to navigate the Chrome Web Store to find and install apps that meet the needs of your students.
  3. Install, explore and utilize new Google Apps and/or Chrome extensions that enable teachers to leverage the impact that technology integration and Chromebooks can have in their classrooms.
  4. Realize the transformation these tools can have on teaching and learning when access to information is seamless and ongoing, not confined to the school day or classroom.

A Practical Guide to Global Success Skills in the Classroom for the 21st Century and Beyond
March 2 | 10 SCECHs

Global Success Skills (GSS) are critical to student development to ensure students can successfully navigate college and career opportunities. A 2016 survey conducted by the National Association of Colleges and Employees (NACE) identified a high need for entry-level students and employees to have practical skills in the following areas: leadership, communication, collaboration, and problem-solving. This course provides an in-depth understanding the Global Success Skills. Learn how to apply the skills in classroom instruction and professional growth lessons. Personalize learning experience by choosing areas to explore using the tools provided in class.

Social Media: Improve Student Critical Thinking and Collaboration, Level 2
March 2 | 10 SCECHs
Examine how social media tools can be used to support deeper student learning. In this course, collaboration and critical thinking are components of a rich academic experience. Explore how “any” social media tool can play an essential role through Substitution, Augmentation, Modification, Redefinition (SAMR) Level 3 and Depths of Knowledge (DoK). Choose from a variety of tools to investigate and design a collaborative learning experience that encourages students to develop critical thinking. The final assignment can be customized for a variety of classroom learning experiences.

Safer Internet Day Resources

Safer Internet Day

From cyberbullying to social networking, each year Safer Internet Day (held sometime in February) aims to raise awareness of emerging online issues and chooses a topic reflecting current concerns (this year it’s online identity). Safer Internet Day aims to not only create a safer internet but also a better internet, where everyone is empowered to use technology responsibly, respectfully, critically and creatively.

Safer Internet Day (SID) 2020 took place on Tuesday, 11 February 2020 with a theme of “Together for a better internet”.

Two sites for some related resources to check out are Richard Byrne’s February posting entitled Fifteen Digital Resources for K-12 and the resource search engine with language filters on SaferInternetDay.org.

Noteworthy Illuminate DnA changes for secondary teachers

Illuminate&Google

Middle school and high school teachers who use Illuminate DnA can now push Illuminate DnA assessment results to their MISTAR Q Gradebooks and can now post Illuminate DnA assessments into their Google Classrooms (and receive scores back after students submit their work and if they do the aforementioned push, can easily transfer those as grades into their gradebooks). The steps to do each are outlined below:

Push Assessment Results to MISTAR Q Gradebook

Please note: The assignment you will be assessing must be created in Q before you are able to push results to it from DnA.

Where to Start

  1. Click on Assessments.
  2. Under General, select View Assessments.
  3. Once on the list of assessments, click on the title of the assessment you wish to push results for.

Assessments must have standards aligned to all questions and the correct performance band applied to the assessment in order to import successfully into your Q Gradebook.

 1. Select Q Gradebook Details

  1. Click the Administration tab.
  2. Select Push to Q Gradebook.

The following selections are conditional, working together based on the selections that have been made:

  1. Select the Track.
  2. Select the Class.
  3. Select the Assignment you wish to push assessment results to.

 2. Select How to Push Scores

  1. Confirm wish scores you want to push into your Q Gradebook.

 3. Visit Your Q Gradebook

Your Illuminate Assessment scores should be available in your Q Gradebook.

Next Steps

To push assessment results to multiple Gradebooks, repeat the process for each individual Gradebook.

———

Posting Assessments into Google Classroom

Where to Start

  1. Go to Assessments.
  2. Select View Assessments.
  3. Click on the title of the assessment.
  4. Go to Administration > Online Testing.

Post to Google Classroom

  1. Create an Assessment Administration by selecting Post to Google Classroom.
  1. Enter the Start Date, or the first day the assessment is available.
  2. Enter the End Date, or the last day the assessment is available.
  3. Select a single or multiple Google Classroom(s) to post the assessment to.
    • This is based on your Google Classroom setup and if the email account matches your Illuminate User Account information.
  4. Select Post to Google Classroom to continue.

I have a ton of Classrooms on my list! At this time, both active and inactive Google Classrooms tied to your account will show. You may want to consider a naming convention or changing the title of inactive Google Classrooms in your account.

This instantly posts the assessment into the Google Classroom(s) previously selected. Assessments set to Test in Portal or Test with Quick Code will not be available for students in their Google Classroom(s).

  1. green banner will appear to note the assessment posting a success.
  2. To enable Online Testing Tools for students or change the students this assessment is to be administered to, select Edit.

The assessment has been posted to all students in your roster and will be available for students to take online through their Google Classroom accounts, based on the start and end dates previously entered.

Next Steps

Check it out! You still have access to Assessment Panel and live proctoring tools!

Changes to multiple inboxes in Gmail starting March 5, 2020

Multiple Inboxes

What’s changing

Google is updating the way multiple inboxes work in Gmail. Specifically, starting March 5, 2020, they’ll enhance multiple inboxes to support independent scrolling, a unified toolbar, and adjustable width in right-side configurations.

In addition, after the update, multiple inboxes will no longer support three-pane layouts with the preview pane (renamed “reading pane”) view. 

See the “Additional details” section below for more information on these changes.

Why it’s important

Multiple inboxes help you break out key emails, like important tasks or those from specific people, and make them visible alongside your main inbox in Gmail, in a completely customizable way.

Additional details

Split pane configurations no longer supported 
Beginning March 5, 2020, multiple inboxes with preview pane (to be renamed “reading pane”) configurations will no longer be supported.

If you currently have multiple inboxes in an unsupported configuration, you will see a notification in Gmail informing you of this upcoming change. Once this change takes effect, the preview pane will turn off if you use multiple inboxes. If you want to continue using preview pane (i.e. reading pane), you’ll need to use an inbox type other than multiple inboxes. You can do this by going to Settings > Inbox > Inbox type.

Notification banner in Gmail
 
Inbox type settings in Gmail
Configure multiple inboxes and reading pane more easily
On or after March 5, they’ll also relocate the settings for multiple inboxes out of the “Advanced” tab and into the “Inbox” tab along with other inbox configurations to better align with user expectations.
Once these changes go into effect, you’ll be able to enable or disable the reading pane by clicking the gear icon and selecting Settings > Inbox > Reading pane. With reading pane view, you can open mail next to your list of conversations, making mail reading and writing faster while also providing more context.
Reading pane settings in Gmail
 
Individual scroll bars for multiple inboxes, adjustable panels, and collapsible sections
On or after March 5, when the right side configuration of multiple inboxes is enabled, each inbox will have an individual scroll bar. This will allow you to scroll in either inbox separately as needed so you can more flexibly navigate your email. Previously, you could only scroll both inboxes at once.
The divider at the right side between the inbox and the multiple inbox sections will become adjustable, allowing you to minimize or maximize each panel as needed.
Also with this update, additional sections in multiple inboxes are now collapsible.
 
A single action toolbar for multiple inboxes
There will also be one action toolbar across multiple inboxes. This will allow users to take actions across multiple sections and ensure that triage functionality and keyboard shortcuts work consistently. Currently, at the top of each inbox, there is a separate toolbar for each section in the bottom and top configurations, but no toolbar for any of the additional sections for the right-side configuration. Now, there will be one unified toolbar for the whole inbox in all configurations.

Getting started

End users: Once these changes begin rolling out, the preview pane will turn off if you use multiple inboxes. If you want to continue using the preview pane, you’ll need to use an inbox type other than multiple inboxes. You can do this by going to Settings > Inbox > Inbox type.

Individual scroll bars, adjustable panels, collapsible sections within multiple inboxes, and the single action toolbar will be available by default.

High School Seniors’ summer opportunity — Google run Computer Science Summer Institutes

Google offers a number of Computer Science Summer Institute (CSSI) opportunities for graduating high school seniors in Summer 2020! Details on two are pasted below this general information. High school seniors are encouraged to apply by Friday, February 28th at 11:59 pm. The Detroit session will take place July 7th – July 27th at the Google Detroit office. They have other Institutes in other states for which they cover airfare, room and board.

CSSI aims to provide students with an interest in computer science an opportunity to learn what their future careers may hold and inspire them to complete their work toward a technical degree. The Institute encourages students to develop their technical skills, while also building important personal networks and friendships with a diverse group of students who share their passion!

Students can expect:

  • a specially-designed, project-based curriculum to help prepare for their CS studies
  • daily development sessions to help them prepare for future job opportunities
  • interaction directly with Google Engineers
  • exposure and insight into Google’s internship programs and technical career opportunities

To apply, students will need to do the following:

Complete the general application, found on their website. This will include a high school transcript and answers to two
essay questions.

Participate in Google’s Online Challenge after the general application closes. Students
will receive further instructions after the general application closes.

For questions about the program, email CSSI@google.com.


CSSI-HBCU overview

Computer Science Summer Institute (CSSI) for Historically Black Colleges and Universities’ (HBCUs) mission is to promote equitable representation in tech by connecting incoming HBCU students with like-minded peers, Google engineers, CS professors, HBCU alum in CS, and Black technologists in the local tech ecosystem.

Our goal is to increase the retention rate of students from Historically Black Colleges and Universities graduating with computer science degrees. At CSSI-HBCU, students cultivate an unparalleled community to support them in their journey to and through university, internships, and full-time opportunities at Google and in tech.

During the program, cohorts of students from geographically-similar HBCUs participate in a three-week dorm program based in Raleigh, NC or Huntsville, AL, where they’ll be taught an introduction to computer science by Google engineers. Through an engaging and hands-on curriculum, students develop a solid foundation of computational thinking, which prepares them for their future studies in CS. The program finishes with a capstone project where students develop an application, so they have the tangible proof of what they’re able to achieve.

Program includes:

  • A specially designed, project-based Python curriculum to best prepare students for their first year of college in CS
  • Daily developmental sessions to help prepare students for CS studies and future job opportunities
  • Robust opportunities to learn and interact with Google engineers
  • 10:1 student-to-teach ratio to provide a personal learning experience
  • Exposure and insight into Google’s internship programs and technical career opportunities

Eligibility and application

Students must:

  • Be a current high school senior
  • Considering an HBCU as one of their top two college or university choices
  • Intend to be enrolled as a full-time student in a 4-year BA/BS program in the US (excluding territories) or Canada in Fall 2020
  • Intend to be enrolled at an HBCU in a computer science, computer engineering, software engineering, or a related department for the 2020-2021 academic year
  • Be able to demonstrate an interest in studying computer science
  • Be able to attend every day of CSSI

The program is open to all qualified high school seniors who meet the above criteria.

We especially encourage applications from students underrepresented in the engineering and tech industry, including Women, Black, Latinx, Hispanic, Native American, Veterans, and students with disabilities.

Application materials

Please complete the online application, which will include:

  • The general application
  • A current unofficial or official high school transcript (PDF required)
  • Responses to multiple short answer questions. Each response should be under 200 words (PDF required)
  • Participate in Google’s Online Challenge after the general application closes. You will receive further instructions after the application closes.

If any items are missing from your application, you will not be considered for the program

Program locations and dates

2020 Program locations:

  • Alabama A&M University: July 5, 2020 – July 25, 2020
  • North Carolina Central University: July 12, 2020 – August 1, 2020

FAQ

What’s the design of the program? CSSI-HBCU is a three-week dorm program taking place in Huntsville, AL and Durham, NC.

What level of computer science experience is required? As long as you demonstrate an interest and enthusiasm for computer science, no technical background is necessary. We accept and encourage applications from students of all technical levels for CSSI as long as you meet all other eligibility requirements.

How do I apply? Please select the “apply” button on this page. Applications will only be considered if all materials are included. For tips on technical resume writing, please visit our Virtual Career Fair or our “Applying to Google” article.

What if I am taking a gap year? Am I still eligible for the program? Students who are currently on a gap year and will be attending college in Fall 2020 are eligible to apply to the program. If you are going to take a gap year for the 2020-2021 school year, please wait to apply the following year.

What if I’m enrolling in a two-year college or community college in the Fall of 2020? If you plan to enroll in a four-year college after your two-year or community college career, you are eligible for SCCI-HBCU. Please note that students who will only be studying for their associates degree are not eligible at this time.

When will I be notified if I’m accepted? Applicants who are accepted will be notified in mid-May.

What costs does Google cover? Google will cover the cost of the students’ round-trip flight within the US and Canada. Google will also be providing on-site housing and food for students who are selected to attend the program.

What are the dates of the program? We are currently working on our 2020 dates and will post them as soon as we can!

Where will the students be staying? The students will be staying in dorm style housing in Huntsville, AL or Durham, NC. Details on housing, logistics, and daily transportation to Google’s offices will be shared with accepted attendees.

Why have we selected these two locations? The program will take place in Huntsville, AL and Durham, NC. We’ve selected these two locations as they’re near HBCUs we partner with. These cities are also close to Google offices and local partners which ensures we’re able to include more Google volunteers in the program.

Can I choose my roommate for the program? If you know another attendee and wish to share a room with them, we can try to accommodate your request. However, we hope students will network, make new friends, and room with someone they haven’t met yet.

What if I have a conflict that requires me to miss part of CSSI? All students selected for CSSI must be able to attend every day of the program. We are unable to make any exceptions. Please make every effort to be available each day (for example, working with your university to attend an orientation session that fits with your schedule). If a schedule conflict arises, notify the CSSI team immediately, so they’ll be able to find another student to attend the program in your place.

Who are the HBCUs selected to participate in CSSI-HBCU? All HBCUs are invited to participate in CSS-HBCU. Our aim is to create a consistent, strong pathway from HBCUs to internship and full-time opportunities at Google.

Do I need to send an official copy of my transcripts and SAT/ACT scores? Unofficial or official transcripts will be accepted. You do not need an SAT or ACT report — just type in your score in the application. If you will be attending a university that does not require SAT or ACT scores and did not take either of these exams, simply leave this section of the application blank.

I will not be a first-year university student in Fall 2020, may I still apply? No. CSSI is only open to qualified high school seniors entering their first year of university study in Fall 2020. Younger students may visit our Google in Education site to explore our K-12 opportunities. Current university students may visit our technical opportunities pages for full-time and internship opportunities.

Are international students eligible? International students are eligible to apply as long as they intend to be enrolled at an HBCU in the US or Canada in Fall 2020. Please note that if selected, Google will only provide round-trip airfare within the US and Canada or cover a portion of your flight.

Is there an age requirement for CSSI? No, there is currently not an age requirement to attend CSSI. Please note if you are under the age of 18 at the time of application, a parent or guardian will need to sign all forms on your behalf.

I got into CSSI, does this mean I received a scholarship as well? If I don’t get into CSSI, do I still have a chance to receive the scholarship? Acceptance into CSSI does not automatically grant you a scholarship. You must apply separately to the Generation Google scholarship to be considered. Please see our Scholarship+ page for more information about our scholarship offerings.

I live in a U.S. territory/I will be attending school in a US territory, am I eligible? If you will be attending school in a US territory in Fall 2020, you will not be eligible to apply. However, if you live in a US territory but plan to attend school in one of the 50 states, you can apply as long as you meet all other requirements. Note that Google will only provide round-trip airfare within the US (excluding territories) and Canada.

What if I want to withdraw my application? We are sorry you want to withdraw your application for CSSI. Please send a note to cssi-hbcu@google.com and your application will be deleted from our system, along with your opted-in information, within two days (48 hours) of receipt of your note.

What is Google’s Online Challenge?? Google’s Online Challenge is a 30-minute online challenge that will ask about your general cognitive ability to problem solve questions. You will receive an email after the general application closes giving you the time and date the challenge will open. You must complete the challenge in one sitting. Think of this as a way to demonstrate your amazing problem solving skills!

If you have questions that aren’t answered in our FAQ, please email cssi-hbcu@google.com. We’re happy to address any questions directly related to the CSSI Program, but are unable to respond to other inquiries. We will not respond to spam, barraging messages, or messages that are primarily inflammatory or exploitative in nature.


CSSI at Google overview

Computer Science Summer Institute (CSSI)’s mission is to provide a space for young, aspiring computer scientists to succeed by connecting incoming freshmen with like-minded peers and Google engineers in this three-week program. At CSSI, students will learn programming fundamentals directly from Google engineers, get an inside look at some of Google’s most exciting technologies, and even design and develop their very own application with fellow participants that will be showcased to Googlers. Students attend the program at one of our Google offices and experience firsthand Google’s unique and innovative office culture.

Program includes:

  • A specially designed project-based curriculum that includes HTML/CSS, JavaScript, Python and Google App Engine to help prepare students for their first year of college CS
  • Daily developmental sessions to help you prepare for your CS studies and future job opportunities
  • Opportunities to interact directly with Google engineers
  • 10:1 student-to-teacher ratio to provide a personal learning experience
  • Commuter students will receive a travel stipend (this will usually cover all or almost all of your travel expenses) and will be provided lunch. Dorm students will have their housing, transportation, and meals covered for the duration of the program
  • Two weekend activities planned at no extra cost
  • Exposure and insight into Google’s internship programs and technical career opportunities

Eligibility and application

Students must:

  • Be a current high school senior
  • Intend to be enrolled as a full-time student in a 4-year BA/BS program in the US (excluding territories) or Canada in Fall 2020
  • Intend to be enrolled at a university in a computer science, computer engineering, software engineering or related area department for the 2020-2021 academic year
  • Be able to demonstrate an interest in and motivation for studying computer science.
  • Be able to attend every day of CSSI

The program is open to qualified high school seniors who meet the above criteria.

We especially encourage applications from students underrepresented in the engineering and tech industry, including Women, Black, Latinx, Hispanic, Native American, Veterans, and students with disabilities.

Application materials

Please complete the online application, which will include:

  • The general application
  • A current unofficial or official high school transcript (PDF required)
  • Responses to multiple short answer questions. Each response should be under 200 words (PDF required)
  • Participate in Google’s Online Challenge after the general application closes. You will receive further instructions after the application closes.

If any items are missing from your application, you will not be considered for the program

Program locations and dates

We have two different types of programs. If you live near one of our Commuter offices, you will travel into the Google office each day. If you don’t live near a participating Google office, you will be considered for our Dorm program, where you will stay in dorms on site for the duration of the program. Our 2020 program locations and dates are still being determined, please check back soon.

  • Atlanta, GA: July 7th – July 27th
  • Cambridge, MA: July 13th – July 31st
  • Chicago, IL – July 8th – July 24th
  • Detroit, MI – July 7th – July 27th
  • Washington D.C. – July 7th – July 27th
  • Los Angeles, CA: July 13th – July 31st
  • Mountain View, CA: July 13th – July 31st
  • New York City, NY: July 7th – July 27th
  • Pittsburgh, PA: July 13th – July 31st
  • Seattle, WA July 13th – July 31st
  • Waterloo, ON July 6th – July 24th

Please note: students will only be considered for one site (either dorm or commuter) based on their home location and cannot request to attend another site. We will confirm which site you are being considered for shortly after the application deadline.

FAQs

How do I apply? As soon as we begin accepting applications, please select the “apply” button on this page. Keep your eyes peeled in January, and remember to review the list of required application materials. Applications will only be considered if all materials are included. For tips on technical resume writing, please visit our Virtual Career Fair or our “Applying to Google” article.

Do I need to send an official copy of my transcripts and SAT/ACT scores? Unofficial or official transcripts will be accepted. You do not need to have your current year grades on the transcript, but it must include prior years of high school. We do not require SAT or ACT scores on the application.

Who is eligible to apply? The program is open to all qualified high school seniors who are entering their first year of university study in Fall 2020. We are committed to addressing diversity in the technology industry. Students who are a member of a group that is historically underrepresented in the technology industry are encouraged to apply.

I will not be a first-year university student in Fall 2020, may I still apply? No. CSSI is only open to qualified high school seniors entering their first year of university study in Fall 2020. Younger students may visit our Google for Education site to explore our K-12 opportunities. Current university students may visit our technical opportunities pages for full-time and internship opportunities.

What if I am taking a gap year? Am I still eligible for the program? Students who are currently on a gap year and will be attending college in Fall 2020 are eligible to apply to the program. If you are going to take a gap year for the 2020-2021 school year, please wait to apply the following year.

What if I’m enrolling in a two-year college or community college in the Fall of 2020? Students who are not enrolling in a four-year university in Fall 2020 are not eligible to apply. If you plan to enroll in a four-year college after your two-year or community college career, please note you may be eligible for one or more of our Google scholarships.

Are international students eligible? International students are eligible to apply as long as they intend to be enrolled at a university in the US or Canada in Fall 2020. Please note that if selected for a residential site, Google will only provide round-trip airfare within the US and Canada.

Is there an age requirement for CSSI? No, there is currently not an age requirement to attend CSSI. Please note if you are under the age of 18, a parent or guardian will need to sign all forms on your behalf.

I got into CSSI, does this mean I received a scholarship as well? Acceptance into CSSI does not automatically grant you a scholarship. You must apply separately to the Generation Google scholarship to be considered. Please see our Scholarships+ page for more information about our scholarship offerings.

When will I be notified if I’m accepted? Applicants who are accepted will be notified in early-mid May.

What level of computer science experience is required? As long as you demonstrate an interest and enthusiasm for computer science, no technical background is necessary. We accept and encourage applications from students of all technical levels for CSSI as long as you meet all other eligibility requirements.

I live in a U.S. territory/I will be attending school in a US territory, am I eligible? If you will be attending school in a US territory in Fall 2020, you will not be eligible to apply. However, if you live in a US territory but plan to attend school in one of the 50 states, you can apply as long as you meet all other requirements. Note that Google will only provide round-trip airfare within the US (excluding territories) and Canada.

What will Google pay for? For the dorm programs, Google will provide round-trip transportation within the US and Canada, and housing (including room fees and taxes). Most meals will be provided either at the dorm or at Google. For the day camps, students will be provided with a travel stipend and expected to commute into the respective Google offices for each day of CSSI. Students at commuter sites will receive lunch at no cost each day.

What will the housing be like for the dorm program? Students will live in dorm-style housing during CSSI 2020. Details on housing, logistics, and daily transportation to Google’s offices will be shared with accepted attendees.

Can I choose my roommate for the dorm program? If you know another attendee and wish to share a room with them, we can try to accommodate your request, but it is not guaranteed. However, we hope students will network, make new friends and room with someone they haven’t met yet.

What will be provided at the Google offices? The Google office is where classroom instruction will take place. Students will be provided with food at the Google offices during their stay.

How much will the travel stipend be for the day camp? This information will be shared with the participants, but will be sufficient to cover your cost to get to and from Google for the duration of the program.

What if I have a conflict that requires me to miss part of CSSI? All students selected for CSSI must be able to attend every day of the program. We are unable to make any exceptions. Please make every effort to be available each day (for example, working with your university to attend an orientation session that fits with your schedule). If a schedule conflict arises, notify the CSSI team immediately, so they’ll be able to find another student to attend the program in your place.

What if I want to withdraw my application? We are sorry you want to withdraw your application for CSSI! Please send a note to cssi@google.com and your application will be deleted from our system, along with your opted-in information, within two days (48 hours) of receipt of your note.

What is Google’s Online Challenge?? Google’s Online Challenge is a 30-minute online challenge that will ask about your general cognitive ability to problem solve questions. You will receive an email after the general application closes giving you the time and date the challenge will open. You must complete the challenge in one sitting. Think of this as a way to demonstrate your amazing problem solving skills!

If you have questions that aren’t answered in our FAQ, please email cssi@google.com. We’re happy to address any questions directly related to the CSSI Program, but are unable to respond to other inquiries. We will not respond to spam, barraging messages, or messages that are primarily inflammatory or exploitative in nature.

YouTube Video Approval, Student Accounts, and Google Classroom

Earlier this year elementary students’ Google for Education accounts were also assigned access to the YouTube app and consequently they are logged into YouTube when visiting the site on a district Chromebook.  We made this setting change to enable a YouTube filter available in our Google admin console.

Instructional staff can approve a video by clicking the “Approve” button in the BLUE BAR at the bottom of the video’s playback window. The approval happens instantly and across the board, so please be sure you have previewed the entire video to make sure it’s appropriate for all students, K-12.  See BELOW:

 

Once the video is approved, a new button that instructional staff will see will appear entitled “Remove,” which allows  a staffer to remove access of the video from student view again. Please remember, with great power, comes great responsibility! If you’d like to see a quick video on this, please view: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ExecRCz6f8c&disable_polymer=true

 

Finally, it has come to our attention that at times, there will be a “glitch” where the video will still be “blocked” when the video is being viewed by student via a link from Google Classroom OR Gmail. If that should happen, it’s important to note that the either the video has not been approved by a staff member OR that it simply needs to be opened in a new tab.  In order to view the video in a new tab, student must simply click on the “Open” button at the top center of the Gmail or Classroom viewing window.  See below:

ORIGINALITY REPORTS and RUBRICS now generally available for Google CLASSROOM users

Originality Reports
Selected excerpts from Google’s announcement https://gsuiteupdates.googleblog.com/2020/01/originality-reports-rubrics-ga.html

Why you’d use them

Help students turn in their best work 
Originality reports check a student’s work for matches across billions of web pages and books.  This can make it easier for instructors to evaluate the academic integrity of the student’s work and provide them constructive feedback.

Students can also use originality reports to check for missed citations or poor paraphrasing before they turn in a document. This gives them the opportunity to improve their work and learn from their mistakes before final submissions.

Enhance feedback to students with rubrics
A rubric is a scoring framework that makes it easier for educators to evaluate student assignments, set clear expectations, and provide actionable feedback.

With the new rubrics feature, educators can now:

  • Create a rubric as they create an assignment.
  • Reuse rubrics from previous assignments rather than creating them from scratch.
  • Export and import Classroom rubrics to share with other instructors.
  • Grade students work with a rubric from both the “student listing page” and Classroom’s grading view, where instructors can select rating levels as they review the assignment.

Additional details

Number of originality reports available per assignment:
Classroom instructors can enable originality reports on three assignments per class for free.

Students can run originality reports on a document three times per assignment before submitting. When students submit their work, a new originality report is created for the instructor.

Getting started

End users: 
Originality reports: Once originality reports are available in your domain, instructors can turn them on per assignment by checking the originality reports checkbox within the assignment creation process. Visit the Help Center to learn more about using originality reports.

 

 
Rubrics: Visit the Help Center to learn more about creating a rubric in Classroom.

 

Resources

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