Kahoot Alternative with Gynzy

 

Gynzy the Kahoot Alternative

Nice tool to replace Kahoot

Created by Scott Aten, March 12, 2026

As you should be aware of by now, SB 29 prevents schools from using any application that requires students to sign in if the vendor will not sign the State of Ohio Student Data Privacy Agreement.  Despite numerous attempts by our Tech Team and requests from other districts in Ohio, Kahoot continues to refuse to sign the necessary agreements.  But fear not, we have found an alternative to Kahoot that looks and functions the same way.

Enter the Gynzy app.  This app was introduced to teachers in the new buildings at the beginning of the year.  The app has many interactive whiteboard tools, but one called "Classroom Quiz" should give you Kahoot vibes when you use it.

Quick Start Guide

Here are some instructions to follow if you are unfamiliar with Gynzy.

• Go to the Gynzy site and create an account.
  
  
• Once on the site, you will see some tools at the bottom of the screen.  You are actually looking for the "tools" button.  
  
  
  
• Click the "tools" button, and you will be taken to a menu of interactive whiteboard tools you can use.  Switch the menu from "Classroom Management" to "Games and Activities".
  
  
• Now you are looking for the "Classroom Quiz" tool.  Click it.
  
  
  
• From here, you have two options: Find a Quiz OR Create a Quiz.  The library of created quizzes is not nearly as expansive as Kahoot's, but you can take a look and see what has been created.  Your best option will be to create a Quiz, click "get started."
  
  
• You are now in the Quiz creation area.  Simply supply the quiz with the question, an image (if you like), and the answer options.  Once finished, click the "+Add Question" button to add additional questions.
  
  
• Once you are finished, click "Save"
  
  
• This will take you to a screen that allows you to preview or start.  I would recommend saving the slides next.  To do that, simply click the save icon and give it a name.  This will allow you to pull it up again when you are ready to use it. 
  
  
  
  
  

Getting the students into the game

Once you are ready to use the quiz with your class, you can load it following these steps:

• Teacher logs in to the Gynzy site.
  
  
• Click the folder icon in the tools (this is where all of your creations will be saved).
  
  
• Double-click on the quiz you want to use.
  
  
• Choose "open new lesson".
  
  
• Click "Start"
  
  
• Much like Kahoot, you are given a QR code or a link to provide your students to play the game.  Allow all your students to join and then click "continue" followed by "Start."
  
  
• The game will start, and they will be able to participate in the quiz.

Once in the game, you will get the Kahoot vibes with a timed questions, background music, and even a leaderboard.

Hopefully, you will find some uses for this Kahoot alternative.  Remember, you can see all the district-approved apps at this link.

If you would like me to come and help you, please feel free to schedule me to come and assist you.  I am always ready to come help.  

[Green Technology Training Center]

[Click here to go to the YouTube Channel]

For more helpful information and the archive of previous posts, look for items in the menu to the left.

Green Local Schools

Tech Integration Team

 

Getting Started with ParentSquare

Your one stop shop for everyting you need to start using your PS account.

Created by Scott Aten, November 26, 2024

As you all are aware of by now, we will be transitioning from Remind to ParentSquare.  We believe you will find this tool user friendly and provide you with more accurate parent contact information.  With any new tool there will be a little bit of a learning curve, but I have tried to break down the tasks into manageable parts that will make this transition smooth for you.

Introduction
ParentSquare has created a short 5 minute video that provides a "Navigation Basics Overview".  This is a great place to start and will get you familiar with the overall interface of Parent Square.

Quick Start Guide

The tasks listed below are common things you will do in ParentSquare.  This list can serve as a reference for you in the event you forget how to do something.

• Login to your ParentSquare account. (click "Sign In with Google") - if you are unable to sign in please complete a technology help desk ticket.
  
  
• Renaming Classes in ParentSquare - the names given to classes in ParentSquare come from ProgressBook, but you can change the display name making it easier to know which class is which in your lists.
  
  
• Creating posts. - useful for sending a message to your entire class.  Posts will show up in a parent's feed making it easy for them to find the info again when they need it.
  
  
• Create a direct message -  send messages to individual parents or groups of parents. 
  
  
• Add a co-teacher or aide to your class  - note it also talks about how to add room parents, but check with your building principal before you do it.  The directions work the same for adding another staff member.
  
  
• Create a group - You will already have your classes in ParentSquare, but groups give you the ability to create a subset of students.  Groups can also be helpful for after school groups or clubs.  Note we believe we can get athletic teams created automatically for coaches (more info to come on this).
  
  
• Training Resources for Teachers - ParentSquare has created a self-paced training module that provides opportunities for hands on practice if you feel you need additional support.  Note you will need to sign-in to Parent Square before you can view this article.

When to use a Direct Message Vs a Post?

Below is some guidance and best practice for teachers and group managers on when to use direct messages versus a post. 

Think of direct messages (DM) as as the message app on your phone.  It is meant for short conversational back-and-forth chats.  Think of posts as emails meant for informational messages that allow formatting options such as bold, underline, tables, bullets and more.  Both DMs and Posts allow private replies.

So how do you decide to use Posts vs DMs? Answer these questions and look at suggested use cases.

1. Is this an informational message for the entire class?  -- use a Post
   Example "I hope everyone had a restful week off! We’ll be going on our field trip this Wednesday! If you have not turned in your permission slip, please do so by tomorrow."
    
2. Is this an ask for the entire class? -- use a Post
   Example "We will be having a hot chocolate and holiday cookies party on Thursday. Please sign up or comment to let me know if you can donate an item."
   
   
3. Is this a conversational message to your class where you'd like to start an individual (bcc) or group conversation with everyone?  -- use a Direct Message
   Example "Hi, I would like to know how I can support your child best when it comes to learning math.  Any ideas or suggestions or things I should know that work best with your child?"
   
   
4. Is this a message that is not meant for the entire class but for individual delivery to each recipient?  -- use a Direct Message (recipients will not know that the message was sent to others.) - Example "If you are receiving this message your child is receiving an award at Friday's assembly" 
   
   
5. If this message is meant for just one person or a family? -- use a Direct Message
   Example "Charlie is a star of the week! This means that we get to highlight him this week and learn new things about him."
   
   
6. Do you think new families and users added to the class or group after you have sent the message would benefit from seeing the message? -- use a  Post and not a DM. With Posts, new families will have access to their student’s class post feed for the entire school year, even before they joined the class.
   
   

Customizing your account

Below are a few things you can do to your account.

•  Add a photo and other profile information to your account
  
  
• Set your notification settings (works the same way for parents too)
  
  
• Set your office hours Let people know the best times they can reach you via Direct Messaging.
  
  
• Access your class directory See parents and students who are connected to your class.
  
  

Hopefully the information above will get you started using ParentSquare as your communication tool with families.  Note that Canvas is still appropriate for communicating assignment and grade information to families.  At this time there is no ParentSquare connection to Canvas like there was for Remind, but we are hoping that is added soon.

If you would like me to come and help you please feel free to schedule me to come and assist you.  I am always ready to come help.  

[Green Technology Training Center]

[Click here to go to the YouTube Channel]

For more helpful information and the archive of previous posts, look for items in the menu to the left.

Green Local Schools

Tech Integration Team

 

Google Docs Document Tabs

Organize your lengthy Google Doc with Document Tabs!

Created by Scott Aten, November 1, 2024

Recently Google added a new feature to Google Docs called Document Tabs.  You may have noticed when you open a new Google Doc there is an icon in the left margin. 

If you give this little icon a click you will see you now have th option to create "document tabs" within the doucment itself.  Think of it like a notebook with many different pages.  The process will look something like this...

As you can see it is very easy to do and it essentially give you a new blank doc every time you create a new document tab.  There are a lot of practical uses in the classroom.  Here are a few ideas:

• Organize notes for a class.
• Create a class notebook where each student adds their content on a specific tab.
• Breaking down large document into more managable pieces.
• Presentation of data in its own area

You can also add some visual organization to the tabs by adding an emoji in front of the title.

The emoji can be added by clicking the three dots to the right of the tab title.  Here is a link to a Google Doc that I made that has Document Tabs added.  Feel free to add your ideas on how Document Tabs could be used in the classroom on the "Ideas" tab in this document for everyone to see.

If you would like me to come and help you please feel free to schedule me to come and assist you.  I am always ready to come help.  

[Green Technology Training Center]

[Click here to go to the YouTube Channel]

For more helpful information and the archive of previous posts, look for items in the menu to the left.

Green Local Schools

Tech Integration Team

Adding Co-Teachers in ClassKick

 

ClassKick

Adding a Co-Teacher to ClassKick is easy!

Created by Scott Aten, October 16, 2024

This will be a short update, but one that many of you will be happy to learn.  ClassKick now has the option for you to add a Co-Teacher to your class.  There are many applications for this that you will find helpful, so it is awesome that this feature is now a part of ClassKick.  The video below demonstrates how to set this up and how to use it.

If you would like me to come and help you please feel free to schedule me to come and assist you.  I am always ready to come help.  

[Green Technology Training Center]

[Click here to go to the YouTube Channel]

For more helpful information and the archive of previous posts, look for items in the menu to the left.

Green Local Schools

Tech Integration Team

Translate Any Document with Google Translate

 

Google Translate

Translate entire documents for students who need them

Created by Scott Aten, May 10, 2024

It seems like we have more and more students coming to us that English is not their native language.  Now with Google translate, it is possible to upload a document and have it translated into whatever language you need.  The great thing is that this includes PDF documents.  Following these simple steps will allow you to take an existing document and convert it into the language needed by your student.  Then once you have the document in your google drive, you can simply share it with them.

You are able to translate documents up to 10 MB in any of these formats: .docx (Word), pdf, pptx (PowerPoint), xlxs (Excel).  PDF documents must be less than 300 pages.

Here are the steps:

1. Go to Google Translate (note this is blocked for students)

2. At the top of the page, click "Documents"

3. Choose the languages to translate to and from.

4. Browse your computer or Google Drive

5. Select the file you wnat to translate

6. Click "Translate" and wait for the document to finish

7. Click "Download translation" to save it on your computer or in your Google Drive

It is that simple.

If you already have a document created in as a Google Doc. You can use the built-in translator tool found under the "Tools" menu.

This is a great little tool to keep in your pack pocket should you have ELL students in one of your classes in the future.

If you would like me to come and help you please feel free to schedule me to come and assist you.  I am always ready to come help.  

[Green Technology Training Center]

[Click here to go to the YouTube Channel]

For more helpful information and the archive of previous posts, look for items in the menu to the left.

Green Local Schools

Tech Integration Team