What was life really like in the plains and on the Oregon Trail? This section of the PPT explores some of the real challenges and hardships faced by American pioneers as they journeyed westward. It will use the Oregon Trail game as an example, reference, and model to help better understand the Oregon Trail in a fun and educational way.
The Oregon Trail game is perhaps the most famous educational computer software game ever created. Even today, references to the game can be found throughout popular culture.
The following 18 landmarks were included in the original version of the Oregon Trail game. These are not the only major landmarks on the historic Oregon Trail (notice the infamous Platte River is missing), but they are a good starting point to learn about the realities of life on the trail. Therefore, the same landmarks are included in the Oregon Trail PPT game that’s available at the end of this presentation.
Independence, Missouri (starting point)
Kansas River (102 mi)
Big Blue River (82 mi)
Fort Kearney (118 mi)
Chimney Rock (250 mi)
Fort Laramie (86 mi)
Independence Rock (190)
South Pass (102 mi)
a) Green River (57 mi) (leads to Soda Springs)
b) Fort Bridger (125 mi) (leads to Soda Springs)
Soda Springs (143, 162 mi)
Fort Hall (57 mi)
Snake River (182 mi)
Fort Boise (113 mi)
Blue Mountains (160 mi)
a) Ft. Walla Walla (55 mi) (detour before The Dalles)
The Dalles (125 mi, 120 mi)
Columbia River (5 + 95 mi)
Barlow Road (100 mi)
Willamette Valley, OR!! (final destination)
Independence, Missouri (starting point)
Kansas River (102 mi)
Big Blue River (82 mi)
Fort Kearney (118 mi)
Chimney Rock (250 mi)
Fort Laramie (86 mi)
Independence Rock (190)
South Pass (102 mi)
a) Green River (57 mi) (leads to Soda Springs)
b) Fort Bridger (125 mi) (leads to Soda Springs)
Soda Springs (143, 162 mi)
Fort Hall (57 mi)
Snake River (182 mi)
Fort Boise (113 mi)
Blue Mountains (160 mi)
a) Ft. Walla Walla (55 mi) (detour before The Dalles)
The American Old West is probably most well known for stories of “cowboys vs. Indians” or “outlaws vs. lawmen.” While many stories are true, much of what we think of when we think of the Old West has been sensationalized to the point of legend. This section will include cowboys, Indians, outlaws, and lawmen, but will focus more on the biggest rivalries during that period than on individuals.
This section of the the presentation will cover the following ten Old West rivalries:
Hamilton vs. Burr (1804)
North vs. South (1861-1865)
Cowboys vs. Indians (1883-1913)
US Army vs. Indians (1775-1924)
Man vs. Wild (1836-1869)
Outlaws vs. Lawmen (1865-1890)
Government vs. Big Business (Trust-busting) (1900-1917)
Hatfields vs. McCoys (& other famous feuds) (1863-1891)
Blacks vs. Whites (the title is an obvious over-simplification) (1526-??)
This section of the PPT focuses on the historic Old West. It is broken into three major sections and a total of eight subsections. Each subsection includes between five to eight major events that defined the era. It covers nearly 50 total events.
My goal here is to just give a brief overview of the events, and how one thing led to another. For more details about each event, click the links within to explore Wikipedia or other resources.
The Historic American Old West can be broken down into three major sections:
Hamilton wrote extensively in support of ratification of the U.S. Constitution. He wrote 51 of 85 of The Federalist Papers that argued for ratification.
The U.S. constitution consisted of 7 articles and establishes a strong federal government (which Hamilton was in favor of).
Articles 1-3: Detail the separation of powers of the U.S. government
Articles 4-6: Lay out the rights of state governments
Consisting of 10 Amendments to the Constitution that were written to address objections raised by non-Federalists regarding the powers of the federal government laid out in the Constitution.
James Madison studied the deficiencies pointed out by non-Federalists and crafted articles of amendment that he wanted to be included within the Constitution itself. Congress approved twelve articles, and the States ratified 10 of these, but they were kept separate from the Constitution as the Bill of Rights.
The Jay Treaty resolved ongoing issues between the U.S. and Great Britain after the 1783 Treaty of Paris (which officially ended the Revolutionary War and established boundaries between the U.S. and Great Britain in North America).
The Jay Treaty is named for John Jay, who was the main negotiator, although is was designed by Hamilton and supported by Washington. It facilitated 10 years of peaceful trade between the two in the midst of the French Revolutionary Wars that began in 1792.
The Treaty angered France and bitterly divided the U.S. into two parties: the pro-British, pro-Treaty Federalists (Hamilton) vs. the pro-France, anti-Treaty Jeffersonian Republicans (Jefferson).
France, angered by the Jay Treaty, and the U.S. declaration of neutrality from the war in Europe (1792), stepped up efforts to disrupt trade with Britain. In 1797, an American diplomatic commission was sent to France to try to negotiate a solution to these problems that might lead to war.
The diplomats were approached through informal channels by French diplomats Jean-Conrad Hottinguer, Pierre Bellamy, and Lucian Hauteval (later referred to as diplomats “X”, “Y”, and “Z” in documents released by the Adams administration) who demanded bribes and a loan for French foreign minister Talleyrand before negotiations would begin.
The affair outraged the U.S. and led directly to the undeclared Quasi-War. Federalists were in control of both houses of Congress and the presidency, and took advantage of the outrage to build up the nation’s military. They also attacked the Jeffersonian Republicans for their continued pro-French stance.
Jeffersonians are more Frenchman than American.
Hamilton
Jefferson would counter that Federalists are more British, and focused on building a monarchy, than a true democratic republic (i.e. they are more anti-American than we are).
In 1793, Congress had suspended repayments of French loans incurred during the Revolutionary War. This, along with the Jay Treaty that France viewed as contrary to their own treaties with the U.S. led France to begin capturing American ships at sea that were trading with Britain.
By October 1797, over 316 American ships had been captured. And when diplomatic negotiations failed due to the XYZ Affair, Federalists used it as an opportunity to build up the American navy for a war against France.
After ratifying the U.S. Constitution, the Federalist-dominated Congress (Hamilton’s party) passed a series of 4 Acts, known as the Alien & Sedition Acts. The Federalists argued these would strengthen national security during the Quasi-War with France. Critics argued they were an attempt to suppress non-Federalist votes and violated the freedom of speech in the First Amendment of the Constitution.
Naturalization Act: harder for an immigrant to become a citizen
Alien Friends Act: allowed the President to imprison and deport non-citizens who were considered dangerous
Alien Enemies Act: imprison and deport non-citizens from a hostile nation (such as France)
Sedition Act: criminalized making “false statements” critical to the national government
Actually, before the Louisiana Purchase of 1803, America faced a constitutional crisis and nearly a revolution (thus, this election is sometimes referred to as the “Revolution of 1800”). For a full explanation, this post on Vox contains some great detail.
Long story short, at that time, in presidential elections, the first place person would become President and the second place person would be Vice President. But no one had considered what would happen when one party put forth BOTH a Presidential choice and a Vice Presidential choice at the same time.
The Republicans had put forth Thomas Jefferson as Presidential candidate and Aaron Burr as Vice Presidential candidate. But, they both received 73 votes which meant “technically” there was a tie between them.
The opportunistic Burr realized that the Federalists feared Jefferson and might actually hand him the presidency in a tie-breaker. But Hamilton managed to eventually sway Federalist opinion away from Burr. So even though he had fiercely opposed Jefferson previously, now he helped him get elected to President (since his own Federalist party lost the election). But this is not the event that led to their duel.
In 1804, he was dropped from the Presidential ticket with Jefferson because of his behavior in 1800 (and actually, he was frozen out of any influence in the 1800 Jeffersonian administration as well). He then attempted to revive his political career by (unsuccessfully) becoming governor of New York. Burr heard reports that Hamilton had privately slandered him before the election, and that was the last straw. The duel was on. This whole story sure gives a new level of depth to their rivalry.
I feel it is a religious duty to oppose his career.
Hamilton
I would have shot him in the heart if my vision had not been impaired by the morning mist.
Burr
And yet, that is not the end of Burr’s story. He later attempted to treasonously claim and take over parts of America (as President of his own America) that he apparently thought the federal government had less control and power over.
He claimed to have been attempting to increase the size of Jefferson’s U.S. by taking the land from Spain. But Jefferson had him arrested and tried for treason. He was found not guilty by the judge in a controversial decision, but here now is another reason he’s considered a villain in U.S. history.
The Louisiana Purchase was a long-term goal of Thomas Jefferson who was able to complete the deal with France in 1803. France had controlled the Louisiana Territory since 1699, ceded it to Spain in 1762, and then regained ownership of it in 1800 through Napoleon.
The U.S. purchased the territory for $15 million, and the acquisition nearly doubled the size of the existing U.S. territory by adding to it approximately 828,000 square miles (2.14 million sq. km) of new land.
However, boundaries were not determined exactly, until:
The Treaty of 1818 with Britain that firmly established the northern boundaries, and
The 1819 Florida Treaty with Spain that firmly established the western boundaries
Shortly after the acquisition of the Louisiana Territory, Army Captain Meriwether Lewis and Second Lieutenant William Clark formed the Corps of Discovery, a select group of U.S. Army and civilian volunteers, commissioned by President Thomas Jefferson, to explore and map the new territory.
They set out from Camp Dubois in Illinois in May 1804 and spent the next two years in exploration. In the winter of 1804, they built Fort Mandan in North Dakota. In April, when they were about to set out again, tensions rose among the native Mandan people and nearly came to a conflict. It was then that the party met a French-Canadian fur trapper and his Shoshone wife, Sacagawea.
Charles M. Russell (1864-1926); Lewis and Clark on the Lower Columbia; 1905; Opaque and transparent watercolor over graphite underdrawing on paper; Amon Carter Museum of American Art, Fort Worth, Texas; 1961.195
From there, the two stayed with the expedition, serving as guides, cook, and interpreter until nearly the end (August 1806). Sacagawea proved invaluable to the expedition and is remembered widely as perhaps the most important key to its success. Her husband, the trapper, was not remembered so fondly, and Lewis has called him “a man of no particular merit” as well as “perhaps the most timid waterman in the world.”
By the time the expedition returned to St. Louis in September 1806, they had explored over 6,000 miles of new territory, produced 140 maps, encountered 70 Indian tribes, and discovered 200 new species.
The AFC was founded in 1808 by German immigrant John Jacob Astor, and by 1830, his company (in multiple locations) had grown to monopolize the fur trade in the U.S., becoming one of the largest and wealthiest businesses at that time.
In 1811, his company established Fort Astoria in Oregon at the mouth of the Columbia River. It was the first American settlement on the Pacific coast. In June, most of the crew of the Tonquin, one of his trading ships , was massacred by the Tla-o-qui-aht Indians after the captain insulted a chief.
The following October, 1812, a group of his company discovered South Pass, WY (see below) as a viable passage across the Continental Divide, when they returned east to tell of the fate of the Tonquin.
In September 1808, peninsular-born Spaniards in New Spain (Mexico) overthrew the Viceroy. In 1810, American-born Spaniards began plotting an uprising against Spanish rule, and on September 16, the Catholic priest of the village of Dolores rang his church bell, giving the call to arms for the beginning of the revolution.
By 1821, the war for independence concluded with the Treaty of Cordoba. Also in 1821, Spain’s Florida Treaty with America took effect – two years after its initial signing. Both events weakened Spain’s hold on lands in North America and paved the way for further American influence and expansion.
South Pass was discovered in October 1812 by a group of 7 men from the Pacific Fur Company (a subsidiary of John Jacob Astor’s American Fur company (see above)). They were returning to tell of the massacre of the crew of one of their trading ships.
South Pass would later by used by more than half a million westward migrants as part of the main route of the Oregon Trail, among others. It was the key, primary passageway for wagons bound for the Pacific, and its discovery proved invaluable for America’s early westward expansion.
The War of 1812 was the only war in U.S. history in which the U.S. Capitol was burned, and the only war fought between the U.S. and Canada.
In fact, at that time, northeastern Canada was under British rule. Canada did not become a truly independent nation until 1982, when it adopted its own constitution, although they are still a part of the British Commonwealth – which accepts the British monarch as its own.
The war, therefore, was another conflict between Britain and the U.S., this time stemming from different things:
Long-standing territorial disputes
Britain supported Native American tribes who opposed U.S. colonial settlement in the Northwest Territory (surrounding the Great Lakes)
In 1807, the Royal Navy began enforcing tighter restrictions on U.S. trade with France
Britain began impressment of men (forced conscription into their military) on captured U.S. ships – even if they had a document of U.S. citizenship
The conflict primarily arose at sea, and could have been fought primarily at sea (many battles were), but the Royal Navy was far larger and stronger. Therefore, the U.S. decided to invade Canada – to attack Britain on land, where they might have an advantage – and expand U.S. territory into northeastern Canada.
Until 1814, Britain was partially also involved in a war with Napoleon in Europe, so they were less able to put their full might behind defending Canada. But by 1814, the conflict with Napoleon was resolved, and they were able to reinforce their troops in Canada.
The Treaty of Ghent was signed between the two countries in the city of Ghent, United Netherlands on Christmas Eve, 1814, but would not take effect until 1815.
In fact, one of the biggest battles of the War of 1812 was fought in New Orleans after the Treaty was signed. The Battle of New Orleans was the climax of Britain’s five-month Gulf Campaign to capture New Orleans, and possibly the rest of the Louisiana Territory. But under the leadership of Brevet Major General Andrew Jackson, the greatly outnumbered American forces defeated the British assault in just over 30 minutes. The Americans suffered 71 casualties, while the British suffered over 2,000, including the deaths of their first and second-in-command.
The victory was deemed the “Miracle at New Orleans” and made Andrew Jackson a household name and popular culture (pamphlets, songs, editorials, speeches, and plays) glorified his image to heroic and legendary. His popularity led to his election as the 7th President of the U.S. in 1828.
Era of “Good Feelings” (1817-1825)
Five key events during the Era of Good Feelings:
Florida Treaty with Spain
2nd Great Awakening
Missouri Compromise
Mexican Independence Achieved
“Monroe Doctrine”
The phrase “Era of Good Feelings” was first used by Benjamin Russell in the Columbian Centinel, a Federalist newspaper based in Boston, on July 12, 1817. It followed President James Monroe’s visit to Boston as a part of his good-will tour of the U.S.
The period is marked by downplayed partisan affiliations (particularly on the part of President Monroe), the collapse of the Federalist party, and a collective sense of national pride and purpose – with a desire for national unity – following the War of 1812.
After nearly two weeks of 6-8 hour days, scouring Wikipedia and other historical websites and blogs, I feel like I’ve retaken my high school American History class, but this time with greater insights into what happened during that period of time.
I was asked to give a presentation on “American Pioneers” for the Teacher Training program I’m involved with. I said, “great, I’m related to some of the Old West pioneers – I could probably talk about that a little.”
But as I got to work building the PPT, I realized there was actually a LOT of stuff that I was only marginally familiar with. And as I dug deeper, I became enthralled with my study of the American Old West – it’s quite fascinating.
Breakdown
This presentation is LONG (200+ slides in total). Although that’s partially due to splitting US map gifs depicting the growth of the nation into multiple slides, I think the full PPT and contents contained within are of such a length as to warrant multiple blog posts. Therefore, the full presentation will be broken down in this way:
Continue reading below for a description of each concurrent section.
Brief introduction
This presentation begins almost where my Hamilton presentation ends. (But it includes some important events that took place during the Federalist Era while Hamilton was still alive, such as the U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights.)
Hamilton was shot and killed in 1804 in a duel with then Vice President Aaron Burr. The Louisiana Purchase was made in 1803, which began the period of westward expansion in the US.
Historical Old West
The period of the American Old West can be broken down into three major sections:
The American Old West is probably most well known for stories of “cowboys vs. Indians” or “outlaws vs. lawmen.” While many stories are true, much of what we think of when we think of the Old West has been sensationalized to the point of legend.
This section will include cowboys, Indians, outlaws, and lawmen, but will focus more on the biggest rivalries during that period than on individuals. I’ve selected the following ten rivalries to focus on:
The Oregon Trail is probably the best known example of American westward expansion and “manifest destiny.” It was largely popularized for a generation of students in the 1970s and 80s on the Apple II computer, and other devices, in the form of a computer game developed by MECC.
The Oregon Trail game is a classic (I grew up with it as well), and arguably the top educational game of all time. It introduced players to the harsh realities of the Oregon Trail in a fun and educational way. Therefore, this section of the PPT partially attempts to recreate the experience of the computer game as a PPT game that can be played in a classroom. It is divided into two sections:
This presentation was for the Teacher Training program at Jeonju University. With this presentation, I coupled together (and updated) a few of my most well-used presentations for the program, including a PPT on Internet Security, the previous Teacher Tech Tips, and an overview of some of the technology options we had for things to study in the course.
Teacher Tech Tips Update
This talk is an updated version of a similar talk I gave in 2017. It combines that talk with another presentation I’ve given to my high school classes on Internet Security and Safety, as well as introduces possible app options to learn during this Teacher Training course.
There are THREE main topics to discuss in this presentation:
Phishing is a type of social engineering where an attacker sends a fraudulent (“spoofed”) message designed to trick a human victim into revealing sensitive information to the attacker or to deploy malicious software on the victim’s infrastructure like ransomware. – Wikipedia
In other words: Phishing is a false email or message you receive that purposefully attempts to get you to compromise your security in some way.
Questions to Consider:
Do you know someone who has been scammed? What happened?
What is the purpose of a scam? What are some tricks people use?
What kinds of personal information might someone try to get? How do they get it?
Commonalities in Phishing Messages:
They want you to verify your account information (online)
Because they alert you that “your account is in trouble!”
And there’s a sense of urgency
You can find English spelling or grammar errors (very common)
There’s often a link provided (which can be disguised)
Or some kind of attachment (also disguised, potentially hiding a virus)
Or the message sounds too good to be true (“You’ve won $1 million!”)
And often there is a generic greeting (“Dear Sir / Madam”)
The PPT gives THREE examples of phishing emails. Can you notice what is “off” about each one? What clues give away their phishing intention?
Hacking
What is Hacking?
Hacking refers to activities that seek to compromise (by breaching defenses, or exploiting weaknesses in) digital devices, such as computers, smartphones, tablets, and even entire networks. – MalwareBytes
Can you read the following message? It’s written in Leet:
K33P C4LM 4ND 5P34K L337
In English, it reads: “Keep Calm and Speak Leet.”
Leet is basically a kind of modified spelling of English words that replaces some characters with numbers or symbols that look similar to the English letters they are replacing.
It’s also a GREAT way to stay safe on the Internet. By using a password or passphrase that includes symbols or numbers in place of similar-looking letters, you can create a password that is relatively easy to remember but hard to hack.
Password Tips
NO
Dictionary words or very common words (nor combinations of 2 or 3)
Not short – shorter = weaker and easier to hack
Not easy to guess information like your birthday, or your mother’s name, or any information that can be easily found on your Facebook profile
YES
$ymbol$, L337$p3@k (Leetspeak), etc
Longer = stronger
Sometimes patterns are helpful – for example, on social media, create a passphrase that reminds you of your purpose on each platform:
onFacebookIpostpics4family
A passphrase is much stronger than a password
For example: mymothertoldmetoalwaysbecareful even though it doesn’t use any special characters, numbers, nor Capitals, is MUCH stronger than 5@f3tY!1st (safety!1st) and much easier to remember
Now, while we’re on the subject of passwords, let’s also talk about the difference between Single Sign-on methods (logging in with Facebook or Google, etc) and the traditional email/password login method.
These ARE NOT the same, so please don’t be confused.
In a basic sense:
Single Sign-on
Facebook or Google, etc manages your private data, user profile information, and so on
When you click the SSO button, you sign in to THAT site
Then THAT site provides THIS site with a special TOKEN proving you are you
Then you get access to THIS site
Traditional Login
THIS site records your email and password and stores it in its own database
THIS site manages your user profile information
When you click the login button, THIS site checks your email / password combination against its database to verify your identity
If your email / password combination is correct, you get access to THIS site
In sum:
Single Sign-on is managed by Facebook, Google etc, and retains NO email / password information for you in THIS site – you are logged in with a TOKEN
Traditional Login is managed entirely by THIS site, and THIS site retains your email / password data, which is used to log you in. There is NO connection to Facebook, Google, etc using the Traditional Login – it only remembers your email (but is NOT connected to it)
Pros & Cons
Personally, I prefer SSO logins to Traditional logins for a number of reasons:
It’s easy and streamlined
I don’t have to create ANOTHER account and remember ANOTHER password
It already links to my verified profiles on social media
With updated accurate info and profile pictures
I can link other accounts to the service or site as well
There are less failed logins
Less abandonment of the site
And greater user adoption
There are a few disadvantages we can talk about as well though:
Security issues
If the major website is compromised (hacked), then your information that’s stored on it will also be compromised (but Facebook / Google are huge and have enormous resources – more than THIS site – to combat that)
Also, it can promote bad password practices like reusing the same password everywhere for convenience
Privacy
Additionally, by logging in to Facebook / Google on THIS site, you will be allowing these services to track your behavior and display targeted ads here
Also, your social data is essentially completely “open” and accessible to THIS site once you login
But personally, I still find SSO to be far more convenient, and I can deal with the disadvantages it provides.
But remember:
If you JOIN the site with SSO
You ALWAYS have to login with SSO
You can’t use your email / password in the login fields
Social Engineering
What is Social Engineering?
In the context of information security, social engineering is the psychological manipulation of people into performing actions or divulging confidential information. – Wikipedia
One of the best movies that highlights social engineering is Catch Me If You Can (Amazon affiliate) with Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hanks:
The most basic principle to always keep in mind when it comes to Internet, computer, or even building security is:
YOU are always the weakest link
Let’s take a look at some of the most common social engineering methods and tactics below. Click the links for more information:
Protect yourself from social engineering by keeping the following principles in mind:
Be skeptical (trust no one)
Don’t open suspicious (unexpected) emails (or messages)
Mark suspicious messages as “Spam” or “Junk” (this helps everyone)
Don’t click links in messages (hover over them to double-check the destination, or copy-paste the link in your browser window as links can be disguised)
Check URLs (look for HTTPS (“s” for “secure”) and make sure the URL is real)
Don’t enter your personal information, particularly NOT passwords or credit card information into websites you’ve linked to from outside sources
When in doubt, call customer service to verify the email or message
Create strong passwords (passphrases)
Always remember to install security patches and updates (which fix vulnerabilities that have been exploited)
This portion of the presentation was originally given as part of a training seminar at Global Prodigy Academy international high school in Jeonju. Please view the following link for that presentation in its entirety:
The majority of that presentation remains the same in this updated version with the exception of Multiple User Profiles, in both Chrome and Windows, which we’ll look at in more depth after the Useful Computer Tricks section.
Useful Computer Tricks
The following are some of THE very best computer tricks for teachers I’ve picked up over the years (and use on a nearly daily basis):
Browser Tricks
CTRL + SHIFT + N = Chrome’s Incognito mode (doesn’t save passwords, browsing history, etc)
CTRL + SHIFT + T = Re-open the most recently closed tab
In Gmail, with keyboard shortcuts enabled: C = compose new message
Also in Gmail, type SHIFT + ? to view a pop-up of ALL of Gmail’s keyboard shortcuts
And in Google Docs, a quick way to Strikethrough anything you don’t want is to highlight it and press ALT + SHIFT + 5
We’ll talk about Multiple Chrome users in the next section
Windows Shortcuts
CTRL + ALT + DELETE = Slow, additional step to Task Manager
But CTRL + SHIFT + V removes styling from the text you copy-paste
CTRL + K = create hyperlink from selected text
CTRL + Z = undo
But CTRL + SHIFT + Z = redo
Multiple Users
For me, discovering that it was possible to create multiple Users in Chrome and Windows has been a real game changer.
I used to need to login to multiple different email accounts constantly throughout the day in order to get some work done. And after a time, some accounts would be automatically logged out. And I’d often loose track of what I was working on, or which tabs I needed open for different tasks.
But with multiple Chrome users, I’m able to separate the tabs and emails I’m using for different accounts quite easily, and keep them separate. I open a different User account whenever I need to switch tasks.
The same is true for multiple Windows users. By creating multiple users in Windows, I’m able to keep my files and programs separate from everyone else in my family who also uses the same computer.
In this way, whether in Chrome or Windows, each user profile, and all their content and settings, can be customized to the particular user who needs it.
Acceptable Use Policies
What is an Acceptable Use Policy?
An acceptable use policy (AUP) is a document stipulating constraints and practices that a user must agree to for access to a corporate network or the Internet. Many businesses and educational facilities require that employees or students sign an acceptable use policy before being granted a network ID. – WhatIs.com
This is something that came up a few times at the high school I was working at. In principle, the high school owns the email accounts and all the computers that students and faculty use while at school. So, any inappropriate use can be disciplined by the school.
Examples of inappropriate use:
Student: bullying classmates via the school email, looking at inappropriate things on the school computers, harassing or attempting to blackmail teachers with the school email
Teacher: job hunting with the school email, looking at (or showing) inappropriate things on the school computers, etc
General Guidelines:
I think it is always a good idea to remember WHICH email account you are using when you send messages, and WHO OWNS the email or the devices you are using. Here are some general AUP guidelines to help you stay safe:
Keep things professional (at all times)
Your school / company owns your school email, office device, etc
Scheduling / socializing with students outside school hours (including instant messaging) needs to be handled with caution, and is not recommended
Keeping door codes & computer passwords secure is important (beware of writing down passwords near your computer, or students looking over your shoulder as you type the password or enter the door code)
A zero-tolerance policy for bullying and harassment might be advisable
In this Teacher Training course – which runs for 18 weeks – we will study many of the following apps. I’m presenting this list to you here for future reference and also to see which you may have heard about and which you may be interested in learning more about.
Anything with a red asterisk * is what we will definitely study. After Row One (Google tools), apps are presented in alphabetical order.
Row ONE
* Google Classroom (Publish class content, collect & grade assignments)
*Google Docs (Collaborate on assignments, create books / journals)
Quizizz is an app and website that is quite similar to Kahoot with a few interesting additions. Like Kahoot, a user can create a series of questions to ask a group of people who compete to answer them correctly and speedily. Scores are determined according to whoever answers correctly first.
Quizizz, unlike Kahoot, adds some additional features to the game itself including different Theme choices and Power-ups. And in Quiz creation, whereas Kahoot only has two “free” question types (multi-choice and true/false), Quizizz has a total of FIVE possible options:
Multiple choice (one correct answer)
Checkboxes (more than one correct answer)
Fill in the blank (correct answers + alternatives)
Open-ended (no correct answers, opinion based)
Poll (multiple choice – or checkboxes – opinion based)
Quizizz also adds the option of connecting to Google Classroom to assign quizzes for homework to your classes.
Recommendation: As with Kahoot, Quizizz also has an app where it is possible to create and edit quizzes. However, I it is still slightly easier to find everything on the website (the screen is larger), and you will likely be hosting your quizzes from the computer. So it is a good idea to familiarize yourself with the website first.
Step 1: Sign up / in
Sign up
Google sign up
Role
Location
Dashboard
Go to quizizz.com and click “Sign up”
Sign up with your Google account (or email)***
Select your role (Teacher)
Select how you are using it (At a School)
Welcome to the Dashboard
*** Important note about “Sign up”
In the Sign Up screen, you have TWO options:
Sign up with Google
Sign up with email
Whichever option you choose to sign up with MUST be used to sign in later (and they do not overlap each other). For example:
if you sign up with Google, you CANNOT use Email / Password to sign in later
if you sign up with Google, you MUST use Google to sign in later
Why “Google” and “Email / password” are not the same
The reason for this is because of the authentication (sign in) method used by the website.
Google Sign In log you in with an authentication TOKEN
(A separate window opens where you log in to your Google account separately. Once you authenticate (login) with Google, your email service sends a unique authentication TOKEN to Quizizz in order to confirm your identity. So, in this case, Quizizz does NOT store your password at all, but rather relies on the TOKEN provided by Google to log you in.)
Email / password will remember both your email AND your password
(The password is actually passed through a hashing algorithm in order to scramble it so it can’t be intercepted by another user. The scrambled password is matched with the scrambled password stored in the database for your user ID, and if the two scrambled passwords match, your identity is confirmed and you are logged in. So, in this case, Quizizz stores BOTH your email AND scrambled password in their database.)
That is why the two sign in methods are not compatible (interchangeable).
Google = uses a TOKEN (and remembers only your email)
Step 2: Search for / Create a Quiz
Dashboard
Search
Single Quiz view
Create New
Ask question
Question Types
1. Multiple choice
2. Checkboxes
3. Fill in the blank
4. Open-ended
5. Poll
Finished quiz
“Done” – add details
My Library
Open single quiz
“Search” for quizzes to use
You’ll be shown a list of relevant search results
Select one to view (you can also Like or Save them to a Collection). From here you can Play Live, Assign HW, or Practice
“Create” a new Quizizz of your own
Write your own question at first to familiarize yourself with the Question Types
There are FIVE Question Types shown above:
Multiple choice (one correct answer)
Checkboxes (more than one correct answer)
Fill in the blank (correct answers + alternatives)
Open-ended (no correct answers, opinion based)
Poll (multiple choice – or checkboxes – opinion based)
After you finish creating questions, you’ll still be able to Edit them
Click “Done” in the upper-right to finish the Quiz (you must choose a grade level, and can also add additional details)
The Quiz will then appear in “My Library”
If you click on your finished Quiz, you can Play, Assign HW, or click “Edit” in the Quiz details box to edit it further
Step 3: Play / Assign a Quiz
Single Quiz view
Assign Homework
Play Live
Teacher: Join my Quiz
Student: Join my Quiz
Student: Nickname
Teacher: Start Quiz
Student View
Student answer
Teacher View
Teacher Finished
Student Finished
To Play or Assign a Quiz as Homework, first select the Quiz you want either from Search or from “My Library.”
From Single Quiz View
Assign HW – brings up options for date, time, and class (linked to Google Classroom)
Play – gives a few options like Team, Classic, and Test (choose Classic)
The Teacher’s View shows the Quiz ID students need to enter to join the quiz
Students navigation their Internet browsers to joinmyquiz.com and enter the ID
Students may choose a Nickname (and other options)
Then, select a Theme
From the Teacher’s View, once the students have all joined, they may now “Start” the Quiz
Students are show a question
And may click their answer – they are awarded points and bonuses depending on their answers and time elapsed
Teachers can watch student progress through the quiz
And at the end of the quiz, they are shown a report with statistics from the quiz results
Students also can review their own performance after the quiz
Step 4: Quiz Reports + Google Classroom
Teacher Finished
Student Finished
Reports Dashboard
Single Report Results
Connect Google Classroom
As mentioned above, at the end of a quiz:
Teachers can immediately view the quiz results
Students also have their own quiz results review page
Additional Reports can be found in the “Reports” link in the left sidebar
A single report view shows the full list of students who took the quiz as well as all their answers, and statistics about the quiz. It’s well worth investigating.
Finally,Google Classroom can also be linked to Quizizz from the “Classes” link in the left sidebar
I hope that gives you a good overview of using Quizizz in your classrooms. There is much to explore, so just take some time to familiarize yourself with the program. Again:
I recommend getting familiar with the website FIRST
And then going back in to the app to learn it
Once you know what is available in Quizizz through the website, it’ll be a lot easier to find it in the app.
Kahoot is an interesting app and website that allows one user to create a series of questions to ask a group of people who compete to answer them correctly and speedily. Scores are determined according to whoever answers correctly first (points are allocated in decreasing amounts to second place, third place, and so on).
Recommendation: Although the Kahoot App also makes it possible to create and edit Kahoots, I remember doing MOST tasks on the computer because it is slightly easier to find everything (the screen is larger), and you will likely be hosting your Kahoots from the computer. So it is a good idea to familiarize yourself with the website first.
In the Create Account screen, you have THREE options:
Email / password
Sign up with Google
Sign up with Microsoft
Whichever option you choose to sign up with MUST be used to sign in later (and they do not overlap each other). For example:
if you sign up with Google, you CANNOT use Email / Password to sign in later
if you sign up with Google, you MUST use Google to sign in later
Why “Google” and “Email / password” are not the same
The reason for this is because of the authentication (sign in) method used by the website.
Email / password will remember both your email AND your password
(The password is actually passed through a hashing algorithm in order to scramble it so it can’t be intercepted by another user. The scrambled password is matched with the scrambled password stored in the database for your user ID, and if the two scrambled passwords match, your identity is confirmed and you are logged in. So, in this case, Kahoot stores BOTH your email AND scrambled password in their database.)
Google and Microsoft Sign In log you in with an authentication TOKEN
(A separate window opens where you log in to your Google or Microsoft account separately. Once you authenticate (login) with Google or Microsoft, your email service sends a unique authentication TOKEN to Kahoot in order to confirm your identity. So, in this case, Kahoot does NOT store your password at all, but rather relies on the TOKEN provided by Google or Microsoft to log you in.)
That is why the two sign in methods are not compatible (interchangeable).
Google / Microsoft = uses a TOKEN (and remembers only your email)
Step 2: Create / find a Kahoot
Discover
Check the questions
Create
Use a Template
Create a Question
Question Types
View My Kahoots
You may wish to investigate Kahoots that have already been created first to get an idea for the kinds of things that are possible. Click “Discover” in the top menu to do so. Later, you may wish to “Create” your own (top-left button).
“Discover” Kahoots (top menu button)
Search for a Kahoot that looks interesting
Select it to view the questions
Some Kahoots you may be able to Edit, or add to your own Library. Others you may only be able to Favorite and Play with your class
“Create” your own Kahoot (top-right button)
Create a New Kahoot or use a Template
You can modify an existing Template
Or, if you are creating a New Kahoot, type your own questions and answers
Question Types:
Quiz (4 choices)
True / False (2 choices)
Typing (premium)
Puzzle (premium)
Poll (premium)
Slide (premium)
After creating a Kahoot (or using a Template), find it in your Library of Kahoots under the “Kahoots” button in the top menu
Step 3: Host your Kahoot
View My Kahoots
Play or Assign
Game options
Input ID
Input Nickname
Wait for all students to join
Begin game
Question with answers
Question results
Leaderboard
To host / play your Kahoot:
View your Kahoots Library
Click “Play” on the Kahoot you want to host
Click “Teach” to play it in class
Select “Classic” in Game options (you may also want to change or disable the Lobby music toward the bottom of the screen)
When you Start the game
The screen on the right will appear on your projector / computer
Students should go to kahoot.it to enter the Game PIN on their devices
Students can choose a Nickname (caution: some students may try to choose joking or rude nicknames)
Once all students have entered the Game PIN and a nickname, Start the Game
Questions will be shown on screen with a timer
Students select the correct answer from the group of symbols on their device
After all students have answered (or time is up) the correct answer will be shown on screen
Finally, a leaderboard will be shown and tally up each player’s points
Step 4: Kahoot Reports
Reports Tab
Played Kahoots list
Analysis
You will also be able to see a detailed analysis of the results of a played Kahoot in the “Reports” tab.
Click “Reports” in the top menu
Select the Kahoot you want to view reports for
Detailed analysis includes:
Correct %
Difficult questions
Students who need help
Students who didn’t finish
I hope that gives you a good overview of using Kahoot in your classrooms. There is much to explore, so just take some time to familiarize yourself with the program.
I recommend getting familiar with the website FIRST
And then going back in to the app to learn it
Once you know what is available in Kahoot through the website, it’ll be a lot easier to find it in the app.
