SlidesYearbook Moonshot

One aspect of the prestigious Google Innovator status is to create a moonshot project. This is not as easy as it may seem. What change will the project create? If it only affects a small portion of society, then the change is not a moonshot.

I first applied to the Google Innovator Program last August for the #TOR16 Cohort. My project, the Techy Two by Ten, was not accepted. Why? Because the project only affected a small group of people - me and teachers like me. It did not change education. I was sent back to the drawing board.

Moonshots are not created nor achieved in isolation. Fortunately, Michelle Armstrong helped me see that what my students had already completed was the beginning of a moonshot. The Compton JHS Yearbook class had created a 100 page full-color yearbook in Google Slides for only $8.16. What we had created was remarkable, but our work was not done. And, even though I was not the yearbook elective teacher this year, I could share this Innovator Project with the world. Educators could create memories and students could become graphic designers. Google Slides could become a free graphic design platform.

With this in mind, I set my sights on the Google Innovator #Mex16 Cohort. I had no patience to wait for the next English speaking cohort, así que lo hice en español. Here are my moonshot ideas in both Spanish and English.

Impacto más grande: Google Fotos con privacidad escolar, Complementos en Presentaciones de Google, y Reconocimiento facial.

Moonshot: Google Photos with school privacy settings, Google Slides Add-ons, and Facial Recognition.

Why are yearbooks still needed if photos are shared daily on social media? Technology changes. I cannot open my zip disk from college, but I can open my mothers 1963 yearbook. In the future, I won't be able to open the photo CDs my father sends me, but I will be able to open the hardback family biography he just published. Even in the digital age, physical books have their place.

I applied for and attended the Google Innovator Academy that was held in Mexico City from Nov 30-Dec 2, 2016. A benefit of being a second language learner was that I listened more than I spoke. Five months later, SlidesYearbook is going strong and the moonshots are within reach.

While I will learn how to create Google Slides Add-ons, I have great hopes that others will join me on this quest. For each moonshot listed below, a temporary fix exists. Will you help me change how yearbooks are created and saved for future generations?

Challenge	Temporary Solution	Moonshots
Google Photos does not have school privacy settings	Google Drive Folder shared with students via Google Classroom Example folder Blog post about images Wikipedia: Common picture size chart	Privacy settings that share Google Photos with only the school. These settings would prevent downloading and have time (year) limits. Benefits: facial recognition and photo editing
Lack of Yearbook templates for use and inspiration	SlidesYearbook.com website to share templates. YouTube Channel with how-to videos	A website like SlidesCarnival for student created yearbook templates.
Google Slides does not have the ability to change images to specific sizes	Image size templates and the “Replace image” option. Folder of image sizes Slides of image sizes	Google Slides add-on
Lack of Measurement options in Google Slides	Insert grid or graphing paper as a temporary image to align images. Folder with grids and graphing paper Page Ruler Extension blog post Page Ruler extension	Google Slides add-on
Need for graphic design lessons	Learn from the best - study SlidesCarnival designs and complete Canva Design School.	Self-taught student graphic designers create online tutorials in both English, Spanish, and/or language of their choice. Online course for teachers and students

The best ideas are not created in isolation, hence the reason Google Innovator Academies with year-long mentors were established. Even with the help of the #Mex16 cohort and my mentor Patty Zamora, this moonshot will go further if more people work on this project. 

Edtech leader, trainers and educators are making #SlidesYearbook. Alice Keeler, Edtech author and presenter, shares the Create a Yearbook Using G Suite blog post with her Twitter followers. Edtech trainer Eric Curts posted the link in his What's New in Google - January 2017. Educator and trainer Mareena Kohtala shared #SlidesYearbook at a Technology Conference demo slam (and won). #TeamBCSD teacher and CSUB adjunct professor Eddie Gonzalez invited me to speak to his class of future teachers in February.

You are another person who can make this moonshot a reality. 

Please help me teach students graphic design as they create their own memory books. If you are a teacher, place this project in your students' hands and see where it takes them. Share their ideas, templates and videos! If you are a developer, help us make Google Slides a graphic design platform with add-ons. 

Moonshots may start with one idea, but they change the world when groups of people are inspired to work together. Moonshots are not meant to be taken alone.

 To learn more about SlidesYearbook, please visit my website and read the Yearbook Q& A Blog post.