Random Seating Chart

Behold! What might be my best programming accomplishment yet: something that other people have found value in. I call it 'RANDOM SEATING CHART'. It, um, does exactly what it sounds like. I'm not terribly creative with names, apparently.

So you have a roster of your class somewhere, presumably in a spreadsheet form. If not, put it in a Google Sheet (each class should get its own tab). Title the column with the student names "Student" (NO SPACES AT THE END. That caused problems with someone who tried this). Then...that's it.

Here is the script in a Google Doc:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/11oRDRoSPXE1jx4baDMfE0wbsfNF46Tk-s3M4UibueMU/edit?usp=sharing

Here are instructions for how to install a script into a Google Sheet (for a different script, but you can figure it out. I have faith in you) and assign it to a clickable button:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1XqpwlkPN0r5JjXmTVsx9ctINa22-_x8bw_c4WDKt0kE/pub

Install the script and run it (I like to add a button with the script linked to it) and it'll randomize the students, then put them into a "seating chart" of whatever width and height you determine. The current version I'm running has it fill in the students vertically:

1 X X X
2 X X X
3 X X X
4 X X X
5 X X 
6 X X 

This is good for partner work, and you just determine how many groups you want, and it'll do the rest. Since the output is a new tab (format: "[Roster Tab Name] - Chart") in a spreadsheet, you can copy and paste to move students around if you need it. 

It also zebrastripes the output, making it easier to read and resizes each column to fit exactly the student's names.

Each time you run it you'll have to say how many rows you want (ideally, the number of groups), then the number of columns (and it will tell you how many you will need minimum to fit all students), then let you determine the size of the font output you want. You'll have to play around with it to figure out what's a good way to display it, whether its for you or for the students to see.

A good use of this is if you are calling on students. Make a 'seating chart' of the class just for yourself with it, then just work your way across and down the list. You're now random in who you are calling on, and you have the ability to skip over people that aren't there or you can't call on for any other reason. 

Equation Balancing Sheet

So I like the idea of a spreadsheet that students can use by themselves, without a teacher around, to practice a skill and check their answers. With that being said, I created an Equation Balancing Sheet in Google Sheets, so that students can practice balancing equations:
https://docs.google.com/a/isd622.org/spreadsheets/d/1hOZrpN9TlfmQPSg8W9p2ohpju6U7dW105mMtYxusttk/edit?usp=sharing

How it works:

1. The boxes in yellow are where potential coefficients will go. It will not accept a 0 or a 1 for a coefficient (data validation accomplishes this). 
2. When all of the coefficients for the equation have been entered, you select "yes" from the drop-down box. If the coefficients they entered match the coefficients I balanced myself (which are present in columns V-Z, though they are obviously hidden), the equation will turn green to indicate that they have it right. The equation will NOT turn green until they select the "check answers" box. The reason for the box is that I don't want the equation to 'magically' tell them they have it right the moment the correct numbers are entered (that might stop them from doing the counts themselves).
3. They also need to fill in what type of reaction they have on the right side (Synthesis, Decomposition, Single-Displacement, Double-Displacement, Combustion) from the drop down arrow. If their answer matches my answer, it turns green. Otherwise, it turns red. 

Note: this isn't good for a homework assignment for points for a student. Why not? Its super easy to hack. And by 'hack', I mean 'unhide the cells with the answers'. Its meant to be a way for the students to practice their skills and be able to get instant feedback if they are right or not. If they're cheating on this, well, they're really only cheating themselves.

Any feedback on this is welcome - its an idea that popped into my head the other day and I threw it together in short order. I'd especially love feedback from my zero readers on how to improve the appearance of it. 

Add or remove subscripts in Google Sheets

Hello fans (do you use singular or plural when you have zero fans?)! Wrote a little script to add or remove subscripts in a Google Sheet.

I found this useful because I made an interactive equation balancing sheet and I was typing in a lot of chemical formulas, but getting tired of the fact that I had to keep copying and pasting the unicode characters for subscripts.

Here's the code for it:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ajGXGrvnxXNLgslz9MCE-6nUBsIoilAUJSu-Fq0eN2M/edit?usp=sharing

Example: H2SO4 gets converted to H₂SO₄. I also made another script that will de-convert back to non-subscript. The advantage to this is that you can search what you made, which is difficult with the unicode subscripts. You'd deconvert everything back to no subscripts, search for what you want, and re-convert it back.

Caution: this might mess with formulas you have in your sheet. 

A note about my programming skillz: I have none. I used a kludg-y method to deal with the coefficients (so that they are not subscripted) and I'm not entirely thrilled with it. It won't subscriptify anything with a coefficient between 0-39, but beyond that (which I've never seen, to be honest) it might get funky. So...have fun with that. Anyone with a suggestion for how to improve my regular expression code will get a free drink from me (note: 100% of the drink will be water, and you will have to procure it from your local water supply yourself). 

Google Sites

I use a Google Site for my classroom webpage:
https://sites.google.com/site/carlsonhaldybiology/

I highly encourage people to use a Google Site as it is WAY easier to work with than something like Blackboard (in my experience) and a much more open approach. I don't like the idea of students having to sign in just to get to the course materials, and you can make a Google Site open to anyone.

I made a series of tutorial videos on how to do the most common things with a Google Site.
Google Sites How-To Videos

Google Forms

Looking to do anything with Google Forms? I recorded a set of YouTube tutorial videos on how to use them:
Google Forms Tutorial Videos

You name it, I covered it! I've probably made well over 200+ forms so far, so if you have questions, shoot me an email and I can probably help!

Root Words

I have many students who are thinking about a career in medicine. Any trip down the Path o' Medicine will require the learning of a great deal of jargon that goes with medicine.

For example, the word "hemocytometer" might shock someone not in the field, but anyone who has enough experience with the word roots will break it up into "hemo" (blood), "cyto" (cell), and "meter" (counter). Its a small device that helps you count blood cells.

So I have culled together as many root words, definitions, and examples as I can over the years and put them into a spreadsheet. I also had the idea to include a way to "search" the root words using Data Validation and VLOOKUP.

Here is the spreadsheet:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/18XDP6VwiEzMchuMDZKRTzSLQj6aBegZtpRjf8Hoq_kM/edit?usp=sharing
You will have to make a copy of it (it is view-only) first in order to use its full functionality.

Begin typing a partial word root into cell A2 ("cyto" is a good place to start) and it will quickly narrow down the ~650 word roots into those matching your criteria. Hit return, and it will do a double VLOOKUP and provide the definition and some examples.

Random Student Google Sheet Script

Sometimes its good to call on random students during class. 

Calling on students is easy. Making it truly random and fair to everyone ISN'T. 

I've tried various methods over the years (notecards, popsicle sticks, even playing cards once), but as it always happens, I can't always find them when I want them, I lose them, or I do a poor job shuffling and feel I'm not being random. 

In order to make it more fair, I wrote a script in Google Sheets to pull the list of students from my spreadsheet (one sheet per class) and randomly pull a student's name from the list. It will continue (without replacement) to randomly select the students in the class until all are used up. 

Instructions on how to add a script (along with the actual script) can be found here.

The script itself is here. 

Full disclosure: I am NOT a programmer and I have no background in programming. I learned everything I know through books and Googling stuff. If you have a suggestion to improve on my script, let me know! I'll update it and give you credit. I'm a programming n00b and I do this in my (limited) spare time.