Here is a Google "Presentation" that I put together last year on Idioms. My colleagues and I used this to teach one new idiom each day to our language arts classes.
Instead of the traditional powerpoint, I used Presentation to do this because it allowed my colleagues to add their own examples to it as well. The Google auto-save function is amazing and eliminated the need to add/edit this document and re-save to our team shared folder. We were all able to access it and often needed to do so at the very same time. There were times I had made a typo and as I am showing a slide to my class, my colleague is sharing it with her class and fixing my typo. TEAMWORK.
Last year was the first year I really started accepting, or more so ENCOURAGING, my students to submit their assignments to me electronically. When I discovered that one of my students had a personal Gmail address and slightly familiar with Google Docs, I realized the realm of possibilities using this app beyond my personal/colleague life and into my actual instruction. I taught my students how to create a Google Doc (which of course then changed to Google Drive and was temporarily confusing for some of them!) and "Share" it with me. I had a lot of pushback from parents last year as far as expecting my students to have their own email addresses so I only accepted documents to be "Shared" with me if parents had given their child permission to set up a Gmail address. The feature was WONDERFUL - fewer papers for me to lose! In addition, I started providing feedback to the kids using the "Comments" feature and began to allow them to submit work early so that I could give feedback before the actual deadline. There were only a handful of my kids who used the Google Docs feature, but I think that will skyrocket this next year as I now know that the students' Gmail addresses actually provide access to Google Drive and other Google Apps - so no personal Gmail required and few complaining parents!
I will forever be many steps behind you, but feel fortunate to have your experience and willingness to share your knowledge!
ReplyDeleteNice slide presentation, especially with the collegial interaction. Like Julie, I feel I'm many steps behind you, so it's nice to see your ideas!
ReplyDeleteThe way you presented and used your Google Presentation: Idioms is most likely the exact intent of the writers and programers. I become excited about projects like this one because it is something each team member is required to cover and opens the door for collaboration which only builds a stronger lessons for the students and eventually less prep time for the teachers. Well done! Do you mind if I copy it and share it with my team?
ReplyDeleteAmanda,
ReplyDeleteYou seem to be a leader to others! That is great, especially because you are able to evaluate the tools and know what they are good for! Your presentation looks great, and you know the benefits of sharing!