Hey Google Why Was Day One Such a Challenge?

Placing the Google Home on the table reminded me of when a hush falls over the crowd during a championship sporting event. Eyes were wide, and there was a slight buzz in the air. Slowly I removed the box cover and shared the information booklets inside with students. I told them I know it would be hard not to plug it in and use it immediately, but we had to read the materials first.

The class and I went over the directions, aware that we had covered our bases. The Home App was downloaded, and we plugged in the Google Home. The colorful lights spun so everything was working, or so we thought. We figured out how to turn the mic on and off. We also discovered we need to unplug the Google Home after using it. What happened next was an unexpected lesson on how to deal with things with the technology does not work the way you expect when you plug it in.

I opened up the application on my phone to sync with the Google Home. I read every message that popped up to the class, though looking back on this I should have put my phone under the document camera for all students to see. We decided on privacy settings as a group, not opting to send data to Google. Then we had to come up with a physical location for the device.

The locations in the drop down menu did not fit where we were. Choices ranged from kitchen to bedroom to dining room. Students were questioning why classroom was not an option. I heard, “Hey Google, classroom is a location for a Google Home.” Trying to stifle my laugh I asked what a good choice would be since we could choose our own. Students settled on Secret Agent HQ.

I explained to students the Google Home and the iPhone had to be on the same wifi for the devices to talk to each other. This was done, and we waited for what felt like an eternity to them. Then the dreaded Uh-Oh something went wrong with connecting your devices message popped up. We decided to try again with the same result.

I could have gotten mad at the devices, but that would have not solved our problem. Students shared stories of themselves or adults who got angry at technology and recognized this does not offer a solution. I decided to model how I seek solutions when things do not work.

I use Google! I explained I was going to look up the error message to see what solutions were offered. If that did not work I would look into connectivity issues. While I was Googling students were tasked with writing two questions they could ask the Google Home.

After some time I was able to figure out a solution and got it working. It turns out the wifi being used was blocking devices from connecting to each other. We changed the settings and POOF! We had a Google Home that heard us! Testing it out, I asked why students do not always follow directions. They could not believe I would start with that and several assumed there would be no answer. However, the Google Home came back with a website and information about processing. The student who had asked earlier if it gives us the source now had her question answered.

Students gathered around the table and came up to each ask a question. I thought it was important for each child to have a chance to practice using Google Home during the initial trial. Students asked it to tell them a riddle or joke. Someone asked Google to make her a sandwich. That response got some laughs! One student inquired, “Why are butterflies symmetrical?” Another asked about the opening weekend revenue for a Spiderman movie and others asked sports related questions. Students did need a reminder to start with OK Google or Hey Google!

The first student to talk stumped the Google Home by asking for a yearly income price comparison of Disney and Universal. This led to a whole conversation about word choice. Should it have been Disney World? Universal Studios? Orlando? How specific do we need to be? Time will tell but it ties directly into teaching students about key words when searching on the World Wide Web.

Despite some of the road blocks that happened on day one, we are all curious to see where this journey takes us. This week we will start our Googler of the Day room job and collecting thoughts about if the Google Home should have classroom as an option on it location menu choices.

Please Read the Policy Before You Check the Box

If you had asked me a week ago if I would have ever heard 5^th graders tell me how excited they were about policy writing I would have laughed out loud. After this past week I have changed my thinking. Watching students engaged in writing a Responsible Use Policy (RUP) for a Google Home and develop guidelines as a group has shown me the true power of what it means to amplify student voice.

Last evening I sat down to begin what I expected to be an arduous task. Instead I finished in under an hour. I printed out a copy of each group’s work. I told the students who had worked diligently with a small task force on their version of a Google Home RUP that I would combine ideas into a draft version for the class.

I labeled each group’s draft work by number, and had no idea which students were attached to it. I typed what group 1 wrote on the class draft version and crossed it off my printed version. Then I got to group 2, and there was nothing more to type. Group 1 got it all. Going through the remaining four groups’ work I realized they all had similar thinking. This process repeated until I got through all eleven items students covered from our K-7 student friendly RUP version. A few times groups had some ideas that other groups did not, so I added those to the class draft version.

Today I shared my work with the class. Students were asked to open their group work while I posted the class version to the SmartBoard. Then we read through it, giving students a chance to ask question or share concerns. One student had questioned item #4 because she did not think it applied, yet a group figured out a way to make it work. When we looked at what the group said as a class, we decided to leave it because we should not be looking up web pages with pictures, words, or sounds that are not appropriate in school on the Google Home. We were responsible users!

When we got to item 9 that discussed citing sources a student asked if Google Home would tell us the website where it got its information from. I told her I did not know, and we would discover that together. All students agreed that our class Google Home RUP said what it needed to, and so we went on to crafting guidelines in a shared writing experience.

Students learned that a policy backs up guidelines, and that many specific actions can fit into one guideline. For example, Say and ask appropriate things to the Google Home covers how to talk to the Google Home, how to behave around it, and how to use it. We connected our work to current school guidelines and policies. Students realized the Keep hands, feet, and objects to yourself classroom guideline comes from the bullying and harassment policy for our district.

At the end of today we decided we were ready to put our words into action! Tomorrow the Google Home will be opened. Students are very excited about this and felt like they were part of a process. They recognize getting new tools does not mean we engage with them right away. Developing ideas for purpose and intention are critical.

I asked students to reflect on this process via Flipgrid. Their voices are powerful! Students shared they had “never done this before” and “liked working in small groups with a clear idea of what to do.” They all learned about “privacy.” Several are excited about “the Googler of the Day.” The big take away for many students was that creating a policy is exciting, there are devices that always listen, and they need to read policies before they check the box to agree to something.

If you would like a copy of the lesson we used feel free to message me. Also, I have left their Flipgrid open in case anyone from our global audience wants to respond (responses will be moderated so they might not appear immediately). I encourage you to model responsible use and citizenship for them too! 

Understanding Policy and Its Purpose in an Organization

Today’s Google Home discussion began with the word policy. Using Word Central, we learned what the definition of policy was and why we thought it was important to have them. Students shared their reasoning. I told them how every time I get something new my father tells me to read the book, policy, or manual.

When I started teaching he directed me to my district’s policy index, and I explained to students why it was important to know all the different policies we have. Guidelines are important and help us function and steer the organization forward. They are also fluid and need to be updated as things change.

Students figured out the Superintendent and School Committee is responsible for creating policies for our school. Students then opened up a forced copy of a document that contained two columns. They even commented as to why I would have them open a forced copy of the document they were looking at, recognizing I wanted them to have their own copy in their drive.

We did a notice and wonder activity next. Students noticed there were two columns that had identical information in them. One column was labeled Mansfield RUP and the other Google Home RUP. In each box was an item from the district RUP we analyzed yesterday. Students wondered why there were two columns and why the information was the same. Then someone shared that we were probably going to change the Google Home RUP column to fit the work we are doing with the device.

Students then met in small groups, going through the RUP line by line to decide how best to word it to support using the Google Home in our classroom. Walking around the room I heard similar conversations. When asked where the Google Home was by an administrator in the room, a child turned and said, “It is in a box still. We need to understand how to use the tools and learn about them before turning it on.” Another shared, “We are developing policies and guidelines too to help support our work with it.”

Next week we will create class RUP and guidelines for using the Google Home based off the work done in small groups. Students are collaborating, problem solving, thinking critically/creatively, and writing. 

Why Are They Allowed To Do That?

I was not sure what I was expecting from today’s lesson, but the conversations that occurred within the classroom walls were not only enriching but eye opening for the students and adults in our learning space. We reviewed our class discussion about the Google Home from yesterday. Then we revisited our class Padlet. I had asked parents the night before to add their thoughts. It was a great way to involve them in the conversation. One parent shared a news article with us that added to our tool box of ideas.

Students spent some time reflecting on their classmate’s and parent’s thinking about ways to use the Google Home in the classroom setting, creating generalizations and sharing them with the class. They noticed students said we could use it as a dice or timer, to play music, and help in math. Then I shared some of my ideas, as well as the thinking from the #ditchbook crew. We began to see how we could challenge the Google home with the questions we ask. I modeled how Webb’s Depth of Knowledge could be used to explore questioning techniques.

Then things took a turn. I brought up our school Responsible Use Policy and how we needed to see if the Google Home fit into our policy. We had created a K-7 RUP user friendly document of the policy for the district when we wrote the RUP. Teachers were asked to review with students in the fall, so we revisited this document. We looked at the first concept:

 I AM RESPONSIBLE FOR MY COMPUTER and E-MAIL ACCOUNTS. I will not give my password to anyone.  I will log off from my account when I am finished.  If I see another person’s inappropriate work on a computer screen, I will tell an adult.  I will wait to use the computer until an adult has removed the material.

Then I asked the burning question, how does this apply to the Google Home? A student shared we had to be responsible for using the Google Home. Students mentioned we should not change the email account that is attached to it. Another student shared the microphone and device should be off when we are not using it. Another student questioned this, and a third student told the class, “The Google Home is always listening.”

Then I heard it. The ONE QUESTION I had been waiting for. “Why are they allowed to do that?” So this led to a whole conversation about terms and conditions. Students were saying they do not agree to these things and the word illegal came up. So we talked about the check box they mark when they agree to the terms and conditions. This is all in the fine print, and students had no idea they (or whoever set up the account) were signing off on such things.

A student chimed in, “What happens when I say no?” So we gave the news that they cannot use the app or website. Students started discussing cameras, permissions, location settings, and the Big Three (Amazon, Google, and Apple) and what data they are collecting. One student said his father uses “putty” on the camera for privacy reasons.  

We then broke up into two groups (a parent led the conversation with the second group). The students engaged in conversation about the RUP and applied it to the Google Home. They had rich discussions about their use of the Google Home, sharing ideas for being responsible with language and speaking clearly because you do not want it to think you are saying something you are not. They talked about how to treat the device and protecting property of others while using it.

Tomorrow we are going to work together to create a version of the RUP that fits our classroom use of Google Home and if time allows some practical classroom guidelines. Students are learning how to write a policy, read and synthesize information, share ideas, and practice various media literacy skills during our reading block. I am forever grateful to our students and parents who are on this journey with me.  

Our Maiden Voyage into Google Home

I held up a brown box today and told students we were going to discuss what was inside. Eyes grew wide with curiosity as to what exactly was in the box. Carefully, I opened it and held up a Google Home. Audible gasps, cheers, and questions filled the air.

Sharing with the students the Google Home would stay in the box until we learned about it, students began to comment that I am always teaching them new technology with a purpose. They were directed to Google Classroom where a new Google Presentation awaited them. This would guide our journey into using Google Home.

Our initial task was to discover what Google Home can do. We watched a short video and made a list of observations of the power of Google Home.

Then we read a CNet article about commands that can be given to Google Home, adding to our extensive list of ideas that Google Home is capable of.  Students also learned that CNet is a great site to visit for all things technology.

We learned our Google Home is attached to a clean Google account with nothing on it and other important pieces of important information.

Students were then given some time to develop a list of ideas of how we could use Google Home in a classroom setting. They identified their top 3 ideas and posted them to our class padlet. Check out their thinking.

I was not surprised to see so many students want to use it for math, music, and definitions of words. However I also saw bigger ideas students were thinking about Google Home like using it as a tool to help them, make new discoveries, and communicate.

I cannot wait for tomorrow where we begin to take their ideas and determine best practices for using Gogle Home in our classroom! Stay tuned as we will discussing privacy, our responsible use policy, and guidelines for the Google Home!

A Life Lesson from Dilly Dilly

The other day I was walking by a table of students and heard, “You are such a dilly dilly.” When I thought about the connotation of the comment I realized the student was using it negatively in a way we might poke fun at our peers. I asked the students if they knew what dilly dilly meant or where it came from and no hand went up. Someone said they heard it on the TV and some heard it from parents or siblings, but no one knew what it meant. 

I went home that evening and did some research into the words because like most of you reading this I have seen them on adult beverage commercials. Turns out it is a real word. In class we discussed the power of our words and knowing what things mean as well as the idea of how advertisements can effect our actions.

If you look up the word dilly on Word Central, Merriam Webster’s student dictionary, no entries come up. Students began to question if this was even a word they should be using. We went to the mecca of dictionaries, searching the word in the Oxford Dictionary.  There were two definitions, which we discussed as class. Students were surprised at the first definition in which the word refers to an excellent example of something. Discovering the etymology of the word was a great place to start!

Students were using definition 2 from the dictionary that meant odd or foolish. Digging even further we discovered the reason the company used this phrase, confirming our reading with multiple sources. They believe it does not mean anything, rather a silly phrase. But to our students it has meaning based on how they have heard it being used in their environments.

This phrase has taken the NFL Sunday loving people by storm! However it is important to remember our students are watching and listening and might not be understanding what they are seeing or hearing. I encouraged our students to think about what is happening in advertisements and to look up the words they are using, especially if it is something the overheard and see people laughing about. They should know what they are saying.

When I shared with them which commercial the words came from jaws dropped. Many had no idea of the source. However, we delved into the real source and learned a lot a long the way. 

Ok Google: We Are Taking on Google Home in the Elementary Classroom

What can Google Home do for your classroom? This is the question my students and I will be seeking an answer to over the next few months.  I was originally against the idea of having a Google Home in the classroom, envisioning students running to it all day. Hearing a chorus of Ok Google while we were in the middle of a learning experience did not seem appealing.

However, thanks to the Ditchbook crew I was able to see the benefit to having a Google Home in the classroom. So I ordered one. This shift in my thinking took place over a Twitter DM this past week. Already I am modeling the processing and risk taking I want my students to embody.

The best part about this new addition is the process our class will go through to determine best practices for using a Google Home in the elementary classroom. How often have students asked questions that we know can be answered by Google. My rule is ask 2 and then Google before coming to seek my assistance. When I need help I look it up either through a Google search or watch a You Tube video. Students need to depend less on me and more on the tools around them and their own search skills.

When students go to Google something it takes a lot of time. Our computer pods take several minutes to boot up and we do not always have Chromebooks at our fingertips. I already hear students using the Google Assistant when they are using the Chromebooks we do have. This is their world. Learning how to talk with computers and understanding how they work are essential skills for students. It is a form of communication that is new to me but something our students have been doing for years.

Part of my decision making into the process of purchasing a Google Home was the efficiency in which students will get the answers to their questions. The bigger reason was that I truly believe Google Home will encourage students to seek answers and embrace the student centered model that already exists in our classroom.

I plan on capturing our journey, which will begin with developing a responsible use policy item for using this new tool and guidelines written by 5^th grade students. They will explore various uses of the Google Home. I hope to see the depths of knowledge being accessed and who knows, maybe one of these students will stump Google Home.

Thanks to Sarah FitzHenry and my pals at #ditchbook for the inspiration!