Novice Googler!

There are so many things to learn about Google that I feel that I am still in the novice category.  But I am a novice with some experience and I am ready to learn more and to try more.  I am looking forward to taking what I have learned and using it in my classroom to further the education of my students.  It is my goal to make their educational experience better than ever.

I also hope to teach my daughter to use some the tools to add to her educational foundation.  She is learning some tools in school but her access to computers at school is very limited.  I wish there was a good way of bringing this technology to every classroom---k-12--- in Vermont.  There has to be a way to make sure our children are getting the skills they need to succeed, not only in school but also in life.  The learning begins so early but to have limited access puts too many of our children behind.  And our children cannot afford to be left behind.

I hope that the technology difficulties in my  classroom have been addressed this summer so I will be able to get off to a good start.  It will also be helpful if the netbooks that I have for my classroom are ready to run as soon as classes begin a week from yesterday.  I guess I need my own personal genie!

Blogging...Google Groups...Google Presentations...Google Forms...Pinterest...skype authors...and sooooo much more!  I am so excited to put some of these apps into practice this year and to learn even more in the future!

While working on my New England Voices Google site I had a chance to go onto you-tube to search for an appropriate video to post to the page.  I found a marvelous interview with Chris Bohjalian about his newest novel, The Sandcastle Girls that was shown on Armenian television.  It was exciting to know how to embed the video to the site.  Now my students can view the interview and then blog about what they heard.  Having Chris come in to speak to my classes is not an option so having access to these videos is so valuable.  I cannot wait to find more things to add to the site to make it a rich tool for my students.  I just may have my students create a page for their final project for the class---it will be a project where they will focus on one of 31 current New England authors.  I am getting excited just thinking about the possibilities!  

Day five of Google Tools for Schools and I am starting to understand how to use things.  I still have so much to learn but I am on the way to being so much more tech saavy than I have ever been before.  Today I created two Google Sites---well, I started creating them.  One is for my final portfolio for the class and the other is for my New England Voices class and will be part of my final project.
Between now and August 16th I will put my focus on getting these sites completed.  I want my site for New England Voices to be ready to unveil to my students the first week of class.  I hope it will be user friendly.  I am really just exploring what I can do.  I think I need to sign up to take this class again next summer so I can get even better at using all of the available tools!

Google Tools for Schools

Trying to take in all of this information in one week is overwhelming but I actually feel as if I am getting somewhere.  I am enjoying my work with Google Forms.  Today I created two forms for my New England Voices class.  I am already a step ahead in the game.  Both forms will also be part of my final project for the course.  What a great way to keep things better organized!  


I am the queen of disorganization and this tool will help me keep things organized and ready to go.  This will be  new for me.  In the past I have found myself creating and recreating documents because I could not find what I had done before.  Using Google Forms will help me keep things organized AND I will be able to easily analyze the data I collect.  I predict fewer headaches this year!

Old Dog Learning New Tricks

So, here I am sitting in a dimly lit room at a local elementary school with teachers from all around the county attempting to learn and perhaps master Google tools for use in my classroom.  To be honest, my head is swimming with new information and I am not sure I will be able to come up for breath in time. So many things to learn in order to be a 21st Century teacher.  
I have been teaching for 22 years and am very old school.  I am trying not to be that old dog who cannot not learn new tricks but I am set in my ways and I find this all very frustrating.  Yet I know I shall persevere.  I will create new and innovative units/lessons for my classes and I will enter the 21st Century.