Google has come a long way and has a lot more to offer than I ever could imagine. It is pretty neat to think of how a search engine has changed since I was growing up. Back then it required a lot of time and patience, not to mention connecting through the phone line and taking out any chance of anyone getting a hold of you. Now we are to a point where sharing doesn't just mean e-mailing information. It simply means Google and Google docs.
Shown directly below is a pretest that I put together as a sample for what could be given to the students. It was made with the idea of learning more about each individual and knowing where they stand academically. This is one way of sharing information over the web.
Shown directly below is a pretest that I put together as a sample for what could be given to the students. It was made with the idea of learning more about each individual and knowing where they stand academically. This is one way of sharing information over the web.
After the individual fills out the form, the results are tracked into the facilitator's Google drive and creates it's own file. The person who owns the file can then choose to display the results into a summary, which creates a visual break down and supplies charts to compare the information. All of this is shown in the images below.
Another cool thing that can be done through the Google drive is a presentation that is in the form of a power point. With this, you can create it and also choose to enable editing by other individuals from a different site or location, and choose who can see the link.
The thing that really interested me was the ability and easy access of putting in a video into the presentation. You do not need to open a new tab or window and go to the You Tube site. You can simply go to "insert" and click on "video". From there, a You Tube search is brought up, and you search and select whatever it is you are looking for. It is really very simple once you get the hang of it, and the end results (sharing) of what can be done is pretty amazing.
On top of the topics and discussions in previous blogs, this tool is yet another great way to enhance learning. Not only is it great for interactions and sharing between the students and the teacher, but it is also a great resource for peer to peer interactions. As already mentioned, students can be from a complete different location and still be working on the same shared project together. It makes things so simple and convenient for everyone on the continuum of a project (teacher and student). I remember finding it the biggest hassle to have to do a group project and find a day that worked for everyone to meet. Knowing about this resource makes this worry go away. There is no need for face to face meetings, unless they really choose to. Each student can put in their own portion of work and allow for editing by other group members, and can even share with the teacher if he or she decides to check on the progress and make sure each student is putting in the effort. Again, like I have said before, I really wish there was this kind of advancement in technology for the earlier years of my schooling. Unless there was and I just didn't know about it!
On top of the topics and discussions in previous blogs, this tool is yet another great way to enhance learning. Not only is it great for interactions and sharing between the students and the teacher, but it is also a great resource for peer to peer interactions. As already mentioned, students can be from a complete different location and still be working on the same shared project together. It makes things so simple and convenient for everyone on the continuum of a project (teacher and student). I remember finding it the biggest hassle to have to do a group project and find a day that worked for everyone to meet. Knowing about this resource makes this worry go away. There is no need for face to face meetings, unless they really choose to. Each student can put in their own portion of work and allow for editing by other group members, and can even share with the teacher if he or she decides to check on the progress and make sure each student is putting in the effort. Again, like I have said before, I really wish there was this kind of advancement in technology for the earlier years of my schooling. Unless there was and I just didn't know about it!