I dove into the world of Google in education four years ago.
Our school has N Computing (pods), which means there is one CPU and 5 monitors
that think they are separate computers. Except when one student was working in
Word and his or her monitor froze, so did the others. I would have tears over
lost work and instilled in my 5th graders the power of saving
everything immediately. I sought to avoid this and decided to take a risk and
have my parents sign their students up for a Google account. Google saved
automatically, so if a pod froze students would not lose their work. Little did
I know how much Google would become a part of how I teach and drive me to
challenge myself and take risks from that one decision.
Google is not just about enhancing learning or being an
effective tool. Yes it allows us to create things and be efficient in our work.
It has opened doors to collaboration. The biggest piece of Google for me has been
building relationships with students. I remember the first time I happened to
be on a document the same time as a student. To him it was probably like a
ghost typer as I began to send him a message. His mother said he screamed so
loud she had to go flying upstairs to see what the commotion was. This started
a live conversation with the family while we were each in our own homes.
The one conversation has led to countless others with
students. Last year I took advantage of the comment tool, which empowered
students to think deeply about their work. Students are more apt to revise and
edit work with the comments. The student would then resolve the comment,
thinking he or she was done. This year I am asking that no comment gets
resolved, so we have a record of our conversation in the Google apps we are
working on.
Our school finally is a GAFE school, and I am in year four of
using Google tools. Glad I am not rogue anymore, as my eyes are fully open to
the possibility GAFE brings to a classroom. I spent 30 minutes in our computer
lab this week going over the basics of Google and already have many students
using Google Docs for their spelling homework. I created some things ahead of
time in Google classroom and students are having conversations not only with me
but with each other on there. I have students emailing me, taking responsibility
for their work and asking questions. I love the side comments in student work. It allows me to share stories with students or ask
them questions or help them dig deeper.
We have been at school a little over a week, and I can
already tell you something about each student. I have Google to partly thank
for that. It allows me to reach all students synchronously and asynchronously.
It helps us build a foundation for a better future. In teaching these students
how to use various Google tools and as Alice Keeler says, that Google exists, they are learning more about their world on their own. I
am just their guide. They are going to teach me way more about Google tools than I
can figure out on my own. I am so glad I decided to try out the Google drive a
few years ago. I know I have only scratched the surface of Google. Nonetheless, it has helped me be a learner with students and develop relationships
that last long past the 180 days I have with each of them.
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