In order to address the goal of building a network of teachers committed to developing technology inclusion in the classroom I have created a google site that can be utilized to make connections and share materials. On this site we will be able to provide each other with background and contact information and details of the courses we teach. Best practice ideas and lesson plans can also be included to further the understanding of all members. This site can also be used to address the webconferencing goal. Creating a google document is the easiest way for busy colleagues to communicate and share information.
Beyond developing the basic template of the site I have not been able to progress much in my goals. The courses outlined previously have not begun yet (they actually begin in March). Until these courses begin I will be taking what little free time I have to research possible incorporation of webconferencing into my course. Since this is a new technology for me the learning curve is expected to be high. I plan on learning about the equipment first, researching applications other teachers have used, and begin searching for the most appropriate units to incorporate these ideas.
PB
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4 comments:
Phil,
I myself have used Google sites for personal use. I post pictures and videos of my dog (I did it more when we first got her) so relatives that live far away could see her. I know that you can control who can see the site, very useful for the classroom, but I cannot recall the posting settings. If you use this in class, do each of your students need a gmail or email account? I teach elementary school, so that wouldn't be feasible for me, I'm hoping the answer is no!
For your use with adults it wouldn't matter, and google makes everything so easy to use I would think this would be a great forum for colleague discussion.
We set up google accounts for every student but turned off the option of having a gmail account. We used their usernames and passwords that they already used to log into the network. It basically looks like another network to sign onto for the students. Since someone from the school is technically the host of the community we can set every option and access point so the students do not have the ability to use any sensitive tool.
PB
I really like your idea of using google to communicate ideas as many people rarely have time to prepare to teach a workshop, but can offer valuable resources. How does one create a google document?
You are going to need to create an account with google first. Once this is completed look for the "more" tab on the google page toolbar. One of the options is documents. When you have accessed this page it basically works like word. There are settings and options to work through in order to make it a working environment but I am fairly sure that google has tutorials on the documents site. If you want to get real fancy try the google sites generator. My school has adopted this as a best practice and I have to say that it is pretty cool.
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