tyca west 2008 getting wired google
DESCRIPTION
My presentation at TYCA-West 2008. Based more on community college teaching than secondary.TRANSCRIPT
Getting Wired w/
TYCA West ConferenceOctober 10, 2008
An alternative to traditional Course Management Systems
Getting Wired w/ [email protected]
Global changes have transformed our school systems into borderless pedagogical realms where zeitgiests like Google and Wikipedia have truly changed what it means to be a student in the 21st century. If we admit that when we first want to check out some new concept or idea that we: 1) Google it, and than a majority of the time we... 2) read the Wikipedia page first,
then it is time to stop criticizing our students for doing this as well. Instead, we need to acknowledge the practices and processes that our students now use, and build upon them. No longer can we define schooling as 1950s schoolhouses looming over Middle American neighborhoods. Students have embraced a tech-literacy that much of today's teacher population has overlooked, ignored, or has failed to embrace as wholeheartedly as our students.
Teaching literacy is no longer just about teaching two of the three "R"s Reading, wRiting, and aRithmetic,
it now includes a whole swarm of information and techno-literacies. In other words, educators in the 21st century need to be teaching information and techno-literacies to help better teach the various literacies associated with reading and writing. No longer can we expect our students to move from classroom to classroom to the tune of bells signalling shifts in discipline. We must follow the pedagogical processes outside the classroom and into the ever-growing curriculum surrounding our students daily lives of wireless connectivity, synchronous global information, social networking, and virtual workspaces.
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Google Apps (applications) • Gmail (www.gmail.com)• Talk (embedded in gmail)• Docs (docs.google.com)• Sites (sites.google.com)• Calendar (calendar.google.com)• Groups (groups.google.com)• Delicious (delicious.com)
Google Search • The most powerful search engine in the
world. • Can search websites, images, books,
scholarly articles, discussion groups, physical addresses, etc…
• Can break down search into different categories of materials (video, images, scholar, etc.)
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Gmail • Email account that includes almost 7+ gigabytes of storage
space where students need not ever lose emails.• Entire message searching, tag organizing, built in IM tool
(see Google Talk) DCA@gmail:• All AP English students have immediate access to each
other for group studies, projects, and tutoring. • I keep a database all of emails and email conversations to
better share information with students to increase their understanding and learning.
SR@gmail students (60% will use after end of class):• “I was a Gmail user prior to this class, for its ability to
transfer large files, such as audio.”• “Now that I have used it I like the format the site is in, and I
don’t get any spam at this account making it ideal to give to my family and friends.”
Getting Wired w/
Getting Wired w/ [email protected]
Google Talk• Online chat system that allows users with gmail
accounts to “chat” with one another. • Requires both parties to agree to the chat. • Can reply to an email in “chat” mode.
DCA@gmail:• During virtual office hours I answer the largest and
smallest of questions.• Students can talk to one another online and answer
questions themselves.• Student comment: “I use gTalk to help get a hold of
my classmates when I need help. It’s really beneficial when you need to exchange ideas for projects or homework. gTalk makes communicating with others easier and faster so it’s more convenient for me to reach people.”
SR@gmail:• My online class suddenly had “hallway chatter” like
a regular brick ‘n mortar class.
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Google Docs (& Spreadsheets)• An online program that is very much like Word & Excel.• Students who don’t have MS Office can use Docs for free.• 3+ gigabytes worth of free storage where students will NOT lose files
for school.• Has a “sharing” option where students can (simultaneously)
collaborate on files with me or his or her classmates. DCA@gmail:• I share documents with the students that they need for the course,
and I keep them all online so they can access them any time of the day or night.
SR@gmail students(30% will use after end of class):• “just the idea of having docs in your email is great”• “Easy to use and to add comments to others papers, best of all they
were already marked with our name.”
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Google Calendar• A powerful online calendar that seamlessly synchronizes with Outlook
calendars, iCalendar, Entourage, and Smartphones or PDAs.• The capability of sharing calendars with other Google account users so
all collaborators can edit, change, and view the calendar at anytime. • Include “evite” capability & reminders.
DCA@gmail:• I share the Freshman Comp calendar with all the students, and
anytime we make any additions or changes the students received those changes immediately.
• Student comment: “I like how you make us use the Google calendar because i have a different color calendar for all my events and it is a life saver.”
SR@gmail:• Instead of putting deadlines into course syllabi or websites, I just
including deadline #s and then posting them in a public calendar.
Google Sites• Formerly known as Google pages• Free online web site builder where instructors can build
simple web pages for courses they teach.• Easy to remember url (e.g. sites.google.com/site/googleid)• Ability to add widgets (e.g. create an Stats website and
have a statistical calculator embedded on the course website or an etymology search on an English site)
• Easily embed the course calendar on the site. • Viewers do not need to be logged into Google.• Go to sites.google.com to get started
*This is a newer app and can be finicky. Look for a tutorial video on it soon at dcamd.com/tech
[email protected] Wired w/
Getting Wired w/ [email protected]
Google Groups• A powerful discussion board through Google that allows students to
continue discussions outside of the classroom with other students in other sections of the same class. This can be set as a closed system where users must be invited to use it and/or even view the posts.
DCA@gmail:• I have a “live” Google Group that’s an extension of the classroom. We
have 200 students in 8 sections and they can all interact here. SR@gmail:• Google Groups is still a little clunky for students who are afraid of
technology. It does not default to a threaded discussion; however, the power of Google is that they are in perpetual beta with constant updates.
Google Tip• Getting the “Better Gmail” addon for the Firefox browser will force a
secure “https” session.
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Other Google Apps
LabsiGoogleReaderPresentationScholarNotebookPagesWeb AlertNews AlertOrkutPicassaMobileVideo/YouTube
Google Apps are in perpetual beta. You will see new apps pop up & change weekly.
While the primary tools are stable, they're continuously improved upon!
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fyi…delicious.com is not technically a Google App!• Have you ever saved favorites on your home computer? Have you
ever wished you wrote the web address down before leaving the house for the library?
• Delicious is an online bookmarking site that allows you to sync all your computer browser bookmarks to one free, online account. This account had strong tag options, and had as annotation field. Delicious is also "social" that allows for easy sharing with anyone as well as specific individuals.
DCA@gmail:• I have student researchers begin building their annotated
bibliographies while the site information is still fresh in their minds. SR@gmail students (80% will use after end of class):• “Tags, and the ability to search them, cross-reference them, and view
them as clouds.”• “I liked that all the information that I needed was in one place.”
• All information created by Devon Adams ([email protected])
Shelley Rodrigo ([email protected])
For more information: www.dcamd.com/tech
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