I have started to gather all of the materials I have used this last school year to put into a video.
After reading the two articles assigned for this week, I have came to the conclusion that Google Forums rock!
Before, I have only seen Google Forum's used for surveys or PD evaluations. I am not going to lie Google to me seems like it goes on forever. That goes for every Google product, so, I was very intimidated in using Google Forums. After tonights talk with Kendall and all you other rock star cohort members, I realized that Google Forums is nothing to be scared of. Yes, my first forum really stunk and I wasn't proud of it, but I was using the tool on my confidence comfort level. My bad you guys, my bad. But I am here tonight to speak after tonights session along with reading the two articles. I know right, is this me? Staying on top of work. I started to venture into making a new Google Forum because I was totally embarrassed about my first try at a forum. So, I checked out the templates and I got excited, I think there is something about colors and choices that makes me very excited! So check out the templates everyone! So first off, the article from "Drop that Textbook" (by the way how did I not see this website before?) Anyway, this article was very to the point. The title does say "9 Classroom Uses with Google Forum" This article straight and screenshotted (is that a word?) the process of how the 9 uses will be so great to use in the classroom. The one "use" in particular that caught my eye and interest was 1. Hustle through student responses to quizzes, assignments and surveys. Yes, I chose the first one, but I HAD NO IDEA QUIZZES WERE A THING ON GOOGLE FORUMS! Mind.Blown. Wow, I am more excited for when the school year comes back around so that I could quiz my students and have the magic google wizard grade the quizzes for me. Well this is just awesome. Myself and another teacher have 4 times the amount of students as everyone else in the school and grading is the fear of me since I am at a departmentalized school. Instant feedback is something my parents and students really appreciate, so this will help me help them! Kuddos! Then, as if a program that corrects is awesome already, Google forums can store my students grades! Oh my word, I am getting too excited. I kept thinking all year long, especially when I would be in IEP's I could have an easy way to keep my students progress with only my computer in front of me at the meeting. All the teachers would bring binders, and binders full of student work, whereas, I had a sheet of paper because I had no idea what I was doing my first year. But now, google forums can keep me organized! I am not sure if I will be able to use all 9 on a daily basis. But I am going to try and find the ones that will help me be a better educator. As for the other article, from Just In Time Teaching, their perspective of Google Forum's was very similar. However, they were very key on speaking on a flipped classroom perspective and how google forum is a great tool for flipping the classroom, and I would have to agree. It is a great tool for flipping. I feel that my students will really thrive in the tech world with google forums and I'm excited to start my school year with implementing Google Forums for my students! Kuddos again! Thats it for now! Serina Yes, the title of a home improvement show came to mind when I was giving this great blog post a name. But it is true, do we teachers flip or flop doing the flipping? What I have to keep reminding myself when integrating technology into the classroom is "it all comes in moderation..." That is certainly what I have discovered.
Yes, I need to learn in moderation on how to use certain tools, so that I can accurately teach my many 4th and 5th graders how to be proficient in the tech-y world we live in. And I will be honest here. I tried the flipping of my classroom. I figured "Hey, I teach one subject, how hard can that be...." Well, yes I teach one subject to only 4th and 5th grade. The 5th graders were more dependable on their "online" homework from me. I would blog and post videos and see their discussion on topics related to class. But, my goodness, 4th grade had such a horrible time getting assigned online homework. There was one assignment I gave in January that kids kept turing into me in May. I did not understand this, even though it was supposed to be a weekly one-time deal sort of assignment. But that is my experience in "flipping" and let me tell you, I flopped. (I did not flop as graciously as LeBron James either) From what I understand in flipping is the access to all students. Well, I found out that not all my students have access at home of internet, or a device. Parents come to me saying "how dare you assign online HW, my child already used up their screen time for today" Well, parents...I don't know what to tell you, because Little Johnny got a zero on that assignment. But if the world was a perfect place and I didn't teach in Oakland, then I would be so on board with flipped teaching. I think it is a great concept of teaching. I think the only con would be that it would take a lot of time on the teachers end to execute it correctly. But that is just the thing, no one in my entire school cares to execute technology except for me; and having co-workers standing by parents who are going to let their child get a zero because their screen time was up is a little ridonkulous. Yes, ridonkulous. I also feel like flipped teaching practices would be super beneficial in middle school and high school. I mean, my 5th graders were barely able to pull it through, but it turned out they enjoyed watching movies in class rather than at home. Well, folks I think watching a video on an amoeba filling up a microscope glass is quite exciting and should be shared with the whole family. But I get it, my school is in a change and change is hard for people. |