Learning Goals + Standards in Google Classroom

Learning Goals in Google Classroom

We had a new staff member join our team during the summer. She wasn't too familiar with Workspace tools, so I added her to the Classroom I created to orient people to Google Workspace. While I was poking around, I found something new (or at least new to me).  I don't get to look at Google Classroom too often anymore as a teacher, so some updates I learn about later and this is one of those. Now you can use Learning Goals in Google Classroom. There are national and state standards available for the US, but also standards for Australia, Brazil, Canada, Italy, Japan, Mexico, and the UK (broken down in England, North Ireland, Scotland, and Wales). This is a huge step forward for Classroom. I'm happy to see this addition to Classroom and I hope they will continue adding national curriculums to the interface. I know many Korean teachers would love to have the Korean national standards available.

 

Director of Technology: Reflection on Year 1

In the fast-paced environment of an international school, it is tempting to view technology through the lens of urgency—constant patches, reactive repairs, and the perpetual hunt for the "next big thing." However, true innovation requires a shift in perspective. At St. Johnsbury Academy Jeju, we are recalibrating our foundation, prioritizing stability, security, and support to ensure our technological ecosystem serves our students for the next decade.

Created with Gemini

We are moving away from reactive cycles toward a structured, multi-year strategic roadmap. This isn’t just about hardware; it is about budget predictability and ensuring that every device, from our student iPads to our refreshed teacher MacBook fleets, aligns with a sustainable growth model.

Our infrastructure is undergoing a similar evolution. By phasing the replacement of our wireless access points and repurposing equipment for dormitories, we maximize value without compromising connectivity. Furthermore, our proactive commitment to data security, exemplified by the integration of dedicated backup servers, eliminates single points of failure, ensuring that our classrooms remain resilient against the unexpected.

Managing this transition with a lean, efficient team requires discipline, but the goal remains clear: creating a seamless, reliable experience that empowers teaching and learning.

Technology should be the invisible scaffolding of an exceptional education, not a source of friction. As we build this foundation, we must ask ourselves: Are we investing in the sustainability of our tools, or are we simply maintaining the status quo? At SJA, I like to think, we are investing in sustainability that will power further innovation in teaching and learning.

Closing the Academic Year: A Clean Slate for Your Google Drive

Created with Gemini

As we approach the end of another academic year here at St. Johnsbury Academy Jeju, the physical hallways aren't the only spaces needing a refresh. While we often focus on packing up classrooms and finalizing grades, there is a digital equivalent that is just as vital: closing out your Google Drive.

Over the past ten months, our Drive accounts have inevitably become digital junk drawers. We’ve accumulated countless iterations of lesson plans, shared documents from collaborative projects, and those "temporary" files that somehow became permanent residents. Failing to organize these now is just borrowing trouble from your future self.

Think of the "Drive Purge" as an essential part of your pedagogical hygiene. Start by archiving your "2025-2026" folders. Move them into a structured sub-folder system, ensuring that your current workspace is clear and ready for the inevitable influx of summer professional development materials and next year’s curriculum planning.

Don't just delete—curate. Ask yourself: Did this resource support student learning? Is it worth migrating to next year’s master folder? If not, let it go.

By taking an hour this week to audit your permissions, clear out redundant shared files, and organize your core assets, you are doing more than just decluttering. You are setting the stage for a more focused, efficient start when August returns. A clean digital workspace clears the mental bandwidth required for the innovative teaching we strive for.

How are you prepping your digital environment for the summer break?

Gemini AI Avatar

Very quietly, Gemini was updated recently and one of the new features is buried a little bit. The AI Avatar is now something you can create with Gemini. You use a QR code and enable your camera and microphone. You are recorded moving your head and reciting some numbers. You wait a few minutes and then Gemini is able to create videos of you. You need to go videos and then More Uploads to create it. Once it is created, it will be in the More Uploads menu. This is on Flash-Lite, not even one of the advanced models. To say the least, I was shocked... And you should be as well! Everyone should be shocked. It took a couple of seconds of video of me moving my head and reading some numbers. That's it! And now I can use it to create videos of myself saying anything (anything that Gemini will allow).

Korea's Basic AI Law for Educators

 

Google Calendar Time Insights

#1 View in the left-side navigation

As some of you may know, I'm a fanatic about Google Calendar and have been for many years. I started really getting into using it back in 2010. At the time, I was working as an EdTech Coach full-time and it was an excellent way to organize my time. It also became a way to "justify" my job, because some segments of the school community were wondering why positions like mine exist. My calendar became a form of evidence that I could share to explain how my time was being used. As I moved to my next role as a Head of School, it was a form of accountability for the Board, faculty, and parents. During the next several jobs that I held, I continued to use Google Calendar to organize my time and also as a method of explaining my work to others. Which brings us to my current role as Director of Technology at St. Johnsbury Academy Jeju, where I am actually starting to use the color coding in calendar to track how and where my time is being used. If you haven't gotten this granular with Google Calendar, I am going to recommend that you do. The
visual quality of the data alone is helpful. As you can see in screenshot #1, this is what you see in Google Calendar on your left-side navigation. Using the "More insights" button will provide a new view, which is the "Time breakdown" panel. I find the "By color" option to be more useful for me, but you should

definitely experiment and find a system that works for you. One thing that I found was that I need to be careful with the different colors so that each one actually has a true meaning and allows me an opportunity to really document where my time is being used. For example, rather than specifically mentioning something like PowerSchool, I have the division of the school ES, MS, HS. When I do something, regardless of the program or tool used, I'm tracking which division I was doing it for, not that tool was used. This is a decision based on who I'm showing this data to later. Based on the population of each division, I want principals to be able to see how much of my time their division is getting. When it comes to my regular view in Google Calendar, I find the weekly view (screenshot #3) is more helpful to my job overall. Again, you should play around with different options to find the view that works best for your situation.

#3 Week view in Google Calendar

After using Google Calendar for over 15 years, I really can't imagine my work life without it. I have shared my calendar to my IT Department and Leadership Team, so they can all completely see it. The rest of the faculty and staff have access to see the "Tech Bytes" which are appointment slots for them to request direct support. As Gemini begins to rollout across the various Workspace tools, I'm excited what new possibilities will become available for organizing and documenting data about my schedule.

Build Your Own RPG with Gemini Gems

Everweave

This story begins with my love of Role Playing Games (RPGs) and I do love them. Growing up, I would purchase Dungeons & Dragons (D&D)materials all the time. I loved reading about the character classes and different races, about unique skills and abilities, about spells and monsters. It really captivated my imagination. Later as video games started developing, I enjoyed a variety of RPGs, but nothing really captured the feeling of world creation of old school table-top gaming. So when AI came along, I started wondering how RPGs would develop... And then I found Everweave. It is a great game and I highly recommend it, if you are into that sort of RPG (which I clearly am), but Everweave isn't cheap. Now I understand that building a game takes time and money and that developing an AI model is no easy feat and also requires money, so I'm not judging the Everweave folks. I get it, they need to make a return on their investment. I'm not here to bemoan the workings of our capitalist system. I paid; in fact, I paid twice. I purchased a chunk of 900 turns and then purchased a six month subscription with 1000 turns a month. I enjoy the game, but my wallet can only take so much abuse. Enter Gems.

After playing Everweave for a short time, it occurred to me that it is really just a slick AI model and that Gemini was offering the possibility to build my own version of the game. I went online and found a old, free version of the GURPS system. If you are unfamiliar, it is a generic gaming system that is meant to be adaptable to any sort of gaming world — fantasy, spy, space, etc. If you can think it, GURPS can help you make it into a RPG. It seemed like a good place to start. I created a Gem in Gemini.

RPG V1 prompt in Gemini Gems

I uploaded the PDF of the rules to Gems. Gave it title, a description, and then the prompt. Voila! A RPG was born. Now to be fair, Everweave is way more slick than mine, but mine is free and still fun. I can create as many new games and universes as I want by simply using the Gem and then renaming the new chat. After building this one, I was so happy with the results, I built three new characters all in different RPG universes. One was a typical fantasy adventure world where magic and monsters exist. Another is a modern day world where psionic powers exist. The third one is a pirate adventure in space. The options are really limitless... But, the GURPS rules are different from the old school D&D rules, so I continued to experiment.

RPG V2 prompt in Gemini Gems

I found some old, free D&D rules online to build from for the next iteration of the RPG. I used the D&D Basic Rules (2018) and the Dungeon Master D&D Basic Rules 0.1 as the core of the world creation, but I also added a photo of a map of a land called Caprona to give some context. This latest version is very true to the D&D rules, which is something I was really hoping to achieve. I'm going to begin trying to provide my DM with more guidance on how to play, but it is responsive to my instructions and questions about game play, which is amazing to see in action. I asked it about some calculations it did to arrive at a certain point in the game and it explained, in great detail, how it rolled the "dice" and I failed, but because my roll was close (I needed a 10 and he rolled a 9) he gave it to me because my characters background as a life-long criminal made the story odd to not be successful on this particular attempted roll. I found that fascinating. It really is "thinking" through the game play. Another time I recommended something and it said, "That is a great idea. Moving forward, I will adjust the game accordingly."

So get into Gemini Gems and build yourself an old school RPG game, you won't be disappointed with the results.

The Taming of the Spaces

 

All those Spaces in Gmail driving you crazy? Here is some help to tame the madness.

Reflecting on the Start

This image was created with Gemini.

It has been a whirlwind start. I know that is a cliche, but it is the truth. (There will be more cliches in this post, so if that bothers you — feel free to pass this post by without a read. Most of my blog is shouting into the void anyway, so your lack of engagement won't bother me.) Last week, we made it to the Chuseok holiday in Korea and it was the first time I felt like I could really catch my breathe. All transitions are difficult, even with the best laid transition plans in place, so the chaos isn't surprising or unexpected by me. This isn't my first rodeo as they say in Montana. But now that I'm having time to reflect, I want to look back at the successes and failures of the first few months as the Director of Technology at St. Johnsbury Academy Jeju.

Success #1: The team is coming together nicely. I need to commend my IT team. Jason, Kihyun, and Howon have really pulled together and stepped up to the challenges. It has been a pleasure to see. They seem happier, more confident, more ready to meet the problems we face daily. Teachers and students feel more comfortable asking for support. 

Success #2: Giving a facelift to some of the old and tired digital items. I have created a new digital subscriptions website where teachers can explore the digital tools that we have available. Previously it was a list of links on a Google Doc. Not very engaging and little explanation of the products. Teachers have limited time, so presenting some simple, quick explanations of what the tools actually are gives them the opportunity to decide if they want to invest time in learning about the tools. This led to another new website called Who-Should-I-Ask that explains the different roles of the IT and EdTech positions at SJA. Again, previously this was a Google Doc with an explanation of each person, but no photos or clear reason to look at it. Both are works in progress, but the change is an improvement.

Success #3: We made it to Chuseok! Things are working. Teachers are teaching, students are learning, and the admin team is making lasting changes for the better.

Failure #1: The paperwork involved in purchasing the digital tools is cumbersome. I didn't fully appreciate just how difficult the process was for Kihyun until really seeing it in action. Unfortunately, during summer, with the time difference and trying to squeeze in time to see family, the flow of the documents needed and the process wasn't completely clear to me. This led to confusion and frustration for both Kihyun and myself. But to be fair, this situation was mostly my fault. It was one part the system itself, and two parts my understanding of it. Once I was back on the ground in Jeju, I quickly started to see my errors and adjusted my approach. I was more careful about the quotes, invoices, and receipts that are all part of the documentation process. This definitely made things better, but the initially failure was mine.

Failure #2: There are always blindspots in any position, but PowerSchool is a definite one for me. I'm working on up-skilling my knowledge, but it is a huge hole. Luckily we have Jason King and Dave Griffith who both know the system, but they are continually having to "fix" things for me or help me understand the system better. I appreciate and respect their support, but I sincerely hope to reach a level where I will be able to know the answers with regard to PowerSchool.

I recall a job-a-like for tech directors and coaches hosted by Matt Harris for 21st Century Learning HK several years ago where he said we needed to lean on our skills, but be accountable to our deficits. Those words are just as wise and true today as they were when he said them back then. Thanks again for those words, Matt.

Director of Technology

It is time that I can announce my promotion at St. Johnsbury Academy Jeju to Director of Technology for the coming school year (2025-26). I have actually stepped into the role as of two weeks ago. The pervious Director of Technology had an emergency and needed to leave a little early, so I took over the end of the year processes. It is an exciting and busy time, but it has given me the opportunity to begin building the teamwork that I would like to see moving forward. The administration was offering me a new office in the Admin Building, but I have decided not to take it. Mr. Johnson (Head of School) and Mr. Jeong (Director of Business) have both supported this idea. The physical and mental distance it would create between myself and my team is counterproductive in my mind. Instead I will have a work station in the ES IT Office and in the MS/HS IT Office. I will move back and forth between the two areas. I have been currently doing this and the benefits have already been clear. The IT techs have gotten to know me better and I have gotten to know them. Genuine trust has started to be built and bonds beyond the simple employee and supervisor roles have formed. As a small team, trust and relationships are important. I want to continue these relationships in the next year and being in the trenches working with them is the best way for the bonds to continue to grow.

Google Drive Notifications in Chat

 

Some of my teachers started complaining about a new feature in Google. Now you can receive notifications about Google Drive in your chat and some folks think this is a very unwanted thing. If you are someone who simply can't deal with receiving notifications about Google Drive through chat, you can mute or uninstall them. Go to the chat window and look for the Google Drive chat. By using the three dots on the right side of it, you can select mute or uninstall. Enjoy!

Gulf of Mexico in Google Maps and Apple Maps

Google shows Gulf of Mexico (Gulf of America) 
if you are outside of the US.

So there has been a lot of talk about #47's name change to the Gulf of Mexico. Several of my friends back in the US have posted images on social media of how the change looks for them. I was curious and checked my Google Maps and Apple Maps to see and, as I figured would happen, the place in question is still called the Gulf of Mexico for me. The services are complying with a directive from the President, but it is impacting people who have an IP address in the US. For my Korean IP address, I still see the Gulf of Mexico.

Apple shows Gulf of Mexico if you are outside of the US.

Glitch in Practice Sets in Google Classroom

I was experimenting with the Practice Sets in Google Classroom. The new feature allows for an practice assignment where students are supported in learning material. The idea is great and my students have said that they enjoy the low stakes feeling of the interface. They have opportunities to attempt the answer multiple times, but still complete the assignment for full credit, even when they initially got a few answers incorrect. 

Recently I used the tool again to provide some practice about the rhetorical appeals (logos, ethos, and pathos). This time, however, when students submitted the work, some of them were marked as if they hadn't submitted. Because one of the students, who always does her work, told me, "Mr. Bray, I honestly turned it in." I took another look and noticed that is still showed that she hadn't submitted the assignment. I had her bring her computer to me and I watched as she submitted the work... And the interface still show her as not having submitted. Weird! 

I contacted Google with the little question mark on the bottom lefthand side of the screen. I've wrote to Google before in Classrooms about other glitches or requests for features in the past, but I have never received a response— until this time. One of the support people wrote to me and asked for some follow up information about what happened and links to the assignment. It was nice to hear from them, because I have been told by fellow Google Certified Trainers and Google Education employees that Google is listening to our feedback, but it was great to see it in action. Thanks, Google! I have shared a screenshot of what the glitch looked like in my teacher interface so people will be aware of the issue. I will update this post when/if I hear back from Google again.

Podcasting: Leveraging Student Choice & Voice

 

If you would like to know more about GarageBand on iPad or Mac OS, you can check my other blog posts.

GarageBand for Mac (OS) in 8 Slides

 As a follow up to my GarageBand for iPad in 12 Slides post, here is one for the Mac. Enjoy!

GarageBand for iPad in 12 Slides

Do you want to create your own music? Do you want to produce a podcast? If you answered yes two one or both of those questions, then this post is for you. Enjoy!

Future of Learning SEA Conference

 

Unintentionally Tricking the Youtube Algorithm

Google decided to kill off their podcasting and music platforms and merge them all with Youtube. To make this process easier for those of us with podcasts, they offered a way to transfer a podcast to Youtube using the RSS from the original podcasting host. This was great news to me, because I was actually trying to move at least some of my podcast episodes to Youtube. It was a pain, because I was basically having to remake each episode, so I created video versions of a few of the episodes I was more happy sharing, but it left many episodes not on Youtube due to simply not having enough time to deal with the process. I was very happy to see this simpler option. I created the podcast link on my Youtube channel and plugged in the RSS feed. It took a long time to transfer all those episodes from my hosting site on Podomatic over to Youtube, it is 164 episodes at the time. LOL. It actually took two days before all of the content was ready to be published on Youtube. I hit the button and went on about my day without really thinking about it. When I checked the next morning, I have receive a ton of traffic on my Youtube podcast. Like a whole lot, over 1500 views and 9.7 hours of watch time, which is more than my podcast had ever received before. I was quite surprised and definitely happy to see it. 

During my ELA class, one of my students was asking about the podcasting project we are currently working on. The student was asking me about the logo requirement and I showed him mine as an example. He went back to his computer and suddenly said, "Wow! Your logo is everywhere on Youtube!" I took a look at his screen and sure enough, my logo was all over his stream... And then it hit me, I had unintentionally tricked the algorithm with the massive upload and publishing of 164 episodes all at once. LOL. It just went everywhere. I'm enjoy the short term popularity. I know in a few days it will go back to being only a few views per episode.

My audience stats are interesting, because they are basically just Youtube in a nutshell. Men between 18-44 in the US, India, and the Philippines. 

Choice Board Generator with MagicSchool AI

 

MagicSchool AI has a great tool for creating choice boards that is super simple to use. You only need to input the grade level, the learning goal, and any additional details you want for your choice board. Bam! That simple. I created one for Grade 7 ELA about similes and metaphors and asked for it to provide multiple modalities. The output is the second photo. Even if you don't want to use the exact ideas given from the generator, it is a great way to start to get your ideas flowing. You can then use the Rubric Generator to help you come up with how to assess your choice board options. I'm not 100% satisfied with the output, but the output always helps me develop better final products for my students.

MagicSchool Rubric Generator

I came across MagicSchool quite by accident and was immediately intrigued due to the Rubric Generator. One thing I'm not great at is creating rubrics, so finding an easier and reliable method for making them is something I'm always on the hunt to find. I have used it for a couple of Project Based Learning assignments now and I'm happy with the outcomes. It is easy to use and can be exported to Google. You can select the grade level, add the standard, provided the title and description of the assignment, select a point scale, and add any additional information. After that you click generate rubric and — BAM! You have your rubric. Here is a sample one from my class about Short Answer Responses.