Looking for ways to keep kids on task for an activity? When I am in the classroom, I find myself guilty of saying, "You have three minutes left." But then I start working with a group, and lose track of time. Next thing you know, the three-minute activity has turned into 7 or 8 minutes. I picked up a little trick at the IL Computing Educators Conference that I love! YouTube has a collection of videos you can use as timers, for just about any increment of time you would need. But instead of having to open these timers in another window, you can insert the timer video directly into a Google slide to help organize a lesson and have all your tools and links in one place. These timer videos could also be inserted into a Google Classroom post, with directions for the activity.Click HERE for a sample. Then, click on the timer video on the right to see it in action!
How do you do this?
- Open Google slides
- Go to "Insert" > Video
3. In the YouTube search box, enter the increment of time you are looking for.
4. Click on the video you like (Some have a different design, or different sounds played at the end). Then click on the blue "Select" button.
5. That's it! The video will appear in your presentation, ready for your lesson!
