Google Apps for Education

My district has started a Google Apps for Education initiative this year, and I'd like to share some of our experiences thus far with you.

In my opinion, Google Apps for Education gives students easy access to "the basics":  Word processing, presentation creation, spread sheets, and even not so basic applications, such as form creation.  When combined with Chromebooks, a district can create a cost effective and efficient way to integrate these applications into the classroom.  While older generations may be reluctant to switch over (students seem to have no problems switching between MS Word and Google Docs), there are ways to frame professional development so that teachers not only see the benefits of these applications, but learn how to use them at the same time.

When creating PD opportunities around GAFE, (Google Apps for Education), I have found that it's important to highlight the pedagogical skills behind utilizing these apps.  For example, instead of simply having a workshop on Google Docs, one could host a workshop entitled, "Student Collaboration Using Google Docs" or "Giving Feedback using Google Docs".  These types of workshops not only instruct teachers on how to use these applications, but also highlight teaching pedagogy and how to apply the applications to the classroom.  When updating the tools we use, it is important to update the pedagogy that goes along with it.  When I provide workshops on Google applications, I always stress their most compelling feature.

Google Apps encourage collaboration.  That is their innate strength, a quality that comes up time and time again across teaching standards.  With these apps, students can work together, in real time, on different devices.  I once had my entire 4th grade class create a Google Slides presentation about technology.  Sure, there was a bit of a learning curve (Who clicked apply all to the background slides?!) but luckily most of these apps come with a built in revision history where one can go and see what changes have taken place, and go back to an earlier version if necessary.

Google Doc Add-Ons

Another advantage of using GAFE is that student work is not only saved automatically, but is accessible from anywhere with an internet connection.  Goodbye flashdrives and emailing documents to oneself.  GAFE also allows independent developers to create add-ons that can enhance its different applications.  Google Sheets (Where Google Form data is collected), has some great add-ons, such as Flubaroo and Super Quiz, that automatically sort and grade data collected in the sheet.

One of my favorite Google Apps is the new Google Classroom.  Using this app, I can send out assignments to students, and the Doc (or any file) they turn in all gets neatly collected in a folder that is synced to my Google Drive.  An ELA teacher, for example, can now take home essays digitally, and grade them with voice comments using the Kaizena add-on.  There are countless ways to use these applications in the classroom, and many teachers are jumping on board.  Let's take a look at some survey data regarding the use of GAFE in and out of the classroom.

What is your current or anticipated role in the school system?

Have you used Google Apps in your personal or professional life?

Have you used Google Apps for Education in a school setting?

If yes to either, how have you used them?

I've used the majority of the Google Apps in my freetime. I use Google Docs the most. I've used Docs and Slides in my classroom.

Gave students assessment and surveys using forms

I have used them to collaboratively develop lesson plans with colleagues, as well as a tool for collecting information through the use of surveys, like the ones we have created for this course.

docs, calendar, forms, all help me stay organized. Our school doesn't have reliable internet and kids don't have access at home so using to enhance learning is unfortunately very difficult.

I have a class website that I made using Google sites. My students create their own Google sites for my class and share the link with me. This is where they contain all of their work in my class which makes grading easy. Students use Google docs on a daily basis. They also use Slides in my class as well.

I used Google Docs a lot with my students for sharing documents, collaborating, and revising documents.

What have you used Google Forms for?

To create a survey	5	83.3%
To create an assessment for students	3	50%
Daily exit tickets	0	0%
For an event sign up	1	16.7%
My students make them to gather data	1	16.7%
Other	1	16.7%

Do you utilize Google Sheet Add-ons to analyze form data?

Yes	3	50%
No	3	50%

If yes, which do you use?

Flubaroo	1	16.7%
Superquiz	0	0%
Google Analytics	1	16.7%
Doctopus	1	16.7%
Goobric	0	0%
autoCrat	0	0%
Other	0	0%

As you can see, educators are jumping on board and coming up with many different ways to utilize these applications in and out of the classroom. From the classic word document, to creating websites, Google Apps for Education allows students of all abilities to create, collaborate, and practice essential skills for their present, and future.

Function over Form

When students enter my school, we are not asking them to power down. We are asking them to focus. We are not asking them to disconnect. We are asking them to connect with content that is there, in front of them, at that moment in time. We very well may use technology to achieve this purpose, but we will also use hands on models, lively discussions, and even books. We are asking our students to be empowered by knowledge, not by media and gossip, for six whole hours a day.

I believe there is a rather huge difference between using collaborative, web 2.0 tools, and Social Media in the classroom.  There is also a difference between schools using social networking to reach out to the community, and embedding it within the school for teaching and learning.  This post will be focusing on social media in regards to teaching and learning, not simply as a means to promote a school.

When I Googled, "The definition of Social Media", I received this answer:

Websites and applications that enable users to create and share content or to participate in social networking.

Within this very broad definition of social media, I believe there exists platforms that are ideal for school use, and those that belong outside of that realm. For example, I do not think Facebook belongs as a platforms that teachers should utilize for sending out of assignments, giving feedback, hosting a digital classroom, etc. Most students use Facebook as a place where they connect with friends, share silly pictures, and do whatever it is that adolescents do. Why would a school want to take away that space and try to turn it into something "educational"? How could a teacher expect a student to check out the class Facebook page, and not get distracted by the pokes and messages of their peers? In one of our past assignments, we've already discovered that while students believe they are great mutitaskers, multitasking is not actually a skill that aids students in any way. So why would we cling to a platform that is already a whirlwind of media chaos, completed with targeted ads and the latest story of how a celebrity lost 15 lbs with some miracle pill?

Luckily, other educators must have thought similarly to myself, because we have platforms such as Edmodo and Google Classroom where teachers can create safe, distraction limiting educational spaces to run digital classrooms. These platforms are far better designed than Facebook ever could be for educational purposes, and it keeps students in a regulated environment where teachers can reinforce good digital citizenship practices. If a student posts an inappropriate photo on Facebook, do teachers really have the authority to tell the student the photo is unacceptable? If using Edmodo, however, the teacher can set guidelines for profile photos and behavior.

I believe the current optimal solution for this Social Networking debate is having schools utilize Google Apps for Education. The Google Accounts given to the students are created by the school, so there is a level of safety when it comes to monitoring student activity. Because the account is owned by the school, the school can put acceptable use guidelines in place and thus teach students how to be good digital citizens. Google apps allow students to collaborate, especially tools like Blogger and YouTube, which are utilized outside of the educational world for many purposes.  Students can use Google Hangouts to connect with students from around the world.  Google even has its own Social Networking site, Google Plus, that schools could turn on for students if they wish to have students practice good netizenship. Google Apps for Education provides the perfect, authentic digital space where students can collaborate, communicate, innovate, investigate, and beyond. I believe teachers should seek out digital tools that have been carefully crafted for educational purposes, rather than try to make a popular platform fit their purposes.

At the end of the day, the platforms created for education will continue to improve themselves based on educator suggestions, because that is their audience. Try asking Facebook if they will provide an area where you can easily post assignments and give feedback for students. That simply is not its intended purpose, and I believe its intended purpose does further student education.  Let us continue to think critically about the tools we choose to utilize in our classrooms, and if those tools have the optimum functionality for furthering teaching and learning in our schools.

Helpful links:
Pros and Cons of Social Media in Education infograph
How to Create Social Media Guidelines for your School

Digital Literacy and Citizenship

Last week, I stood in front of a class of 4th grade students and told them, "Today we're going to talk about your very own digital footprint.  Now, what do you think a digital footprint even is?!"  The hypotheses I received we're both comical and enlightening.  "Is it when you scan your footprint into a computer, and a doctor can tell what's wrong with you?" one girl ventured.  "Is it when you put your feet on the computer screen?" another child chimed in.  Eventually, one student raised their hand and guessed, "Does it have to do with information?".  Bingo!  We were getting a little closer.

We spent the rest of the class discussing our digital footprints, and using a Common Sense Media lesson plan to trace the digital trails of Mizzle the Mouse and Electra the Elephant.  I updated the lesson plan slightly to make it a little more difficult for my older students (The lesson is geared towards K-2nd graders).  Students were to review Facebook profiles of the two characters (As opposed to the trail tiles created by Common Sense Media) to discover who had the bigger digital footprint.  By the end of class, we organized our thoughts into information that is appropriate, and inappropriate, to post on the internet.  Next class, I am going to give then a survey and tell them that their answers are going to be turned into a Social Networking profile that will be published on the internet.  None of the fields will be required.  It will be interesting to see just how much, and what kind of, information my students will provide.

I've been cognoscente of my own digital footprint since I made my first social networking profile on MySpace.  Although my parents never lectured me on online safety, I carried common sense real life rules onto the internet.  In real life, I was told never to speak to strangers.  Therefore, I never friended or accepted friend requests from people I did not know.  I didn't wear scandalous outfits in public, and therefore, I would not post one of myself in one on the internet.  I know I may have been the exception to the rule here, but my parents taught me to be a good real life citizen, and luckily, that carried over into the digital world.  Unfortunately, there are many pieces of digital safety now-a-days that may not be translated from common sense lessons (for example, your phone automatically geo-taging photos you take), making the need for digital literacy and citizenship in schools is greater than ever.

In more recent times, I am still pretty careful of what I post online.   I want my digital footprint to represent the best version of me:  Positive, intelligent, caring, etc.  When people Google my name, I want them to see my service learning trip to Nicaragua or these blog posts that promote the positive use of technology.  Like I teach my students, I follow the rule of considering if what I am posting is something that grandma would be proud of.

Digital citizenship needs to be an integrated part of school curriculum in grades K-12.  If students are playing with tablets and smartphones at this young age (and many are!), they need to understand what they are connecting to.  We are at a critical point in time where students are consuming media that their parents have never grown up with, and therefore, may not understand its nuances and possible dangers.  If we are going to use technology effectively in schools, we need to teach our students how to use it, and how to behave when connecting to the wider world on the internet.  As teachers, we are told that we are teaching "digital natives" that understand the world of technology.  This could not be further from the truth.  Our students, now more than ever, need specific instruction in how to both use technology effectively, and more importantly, how to keep safe and be constructive contributors to the digital world.

References

Follow the Digital Trail (K-2). (n.d.). Retrieved February 17, 2015, from 

           https://www.commonsensemedia.org/educators/lesson/follow-digital-trail-2-3

The Role of a Technology Integration Specialist

 Technology and its related tools (smartphones, computers, laptops, tablet, smart this and that, etc), are being developed so rapidly that it's not uncommon for a particular piece of technology to become obsolete within a year or so.  Sure, your iPod mini may still be functional, but who wants to use that when you have an iPhone that can play your music and so much more.  Now, how do we educate students who have come accustomed to holding a whole world of information in the palm of their hand?  I believe it is the job of the Technology Integration Specialist to work with teachers to create learning objectives that are not "Googleable".  After all, isn't that the whole point of technology in schools?  We should be using technology to help our students create media and use critical thinking skills to solve real world problems.  Now this is definitely a paradigm shift from the teacher being the holder of knowledge.  In this type of classroom, the teacher needs to give students the freedom to think, create, and come up with those important questions that they're use to simply answering.

In order to accomplish this, a TIS must be familiar with content standards, and work with teachers to integrate ISTE and/or state framework technology goals into the different content areas.  By conferencing with content area groups and speaking with teachers about how they teach their curriculum, the TIS can start to brainstorm ideas with teachers as to how technology could make learning goals more accessible to students.  Through these conversations, the TIS can also help teachers create lessons that shift the paradigm from teacher centered, to student centered.  Instead of the teacher giving a lecture on how to add fractions, have students break up into groups and create their own presentations.  Students can watch videos on the process and look at other teacher selected resources, then remix those ideas into their own lecture.  The TIS can be an integral part of this process.

I believe the TIS also plays an important role in helping teachers use technology for assessment.  While this is a crucial part of the lesson planning process, I wanted to separate this role out from that umbrella because of its importance.  There are an abundance of tools out there to help teachers assess students in both formal and informal ways.  There are games (Kahoot!) that will save student data and send it right to your Google Drive to review.  My students use to beg me to play these assessment games, and who can say no to a game that helps students learn and simultaneously gives incredible feedback to help teachers reflect on their teaching and student achievement.  These games like Kahoot and Socrative show students what they know, and like the MacArthur Foundation video stated, "They want to be measured-  The want to see how much they are improving".  Technology allows teachers to measure student progress at the click of a button- literally.  This allows teachers to take more snapshots of student progress, which in turn enables teachers to create learning opportunities that are more tailored to a particular group of students.

Ideally, the TIS is collaborating with teachers to help create this paradigm shift by integrating technology.  Some teachers, however, may just need the TIS to play the role of a coach that they can bounce ideas off of.  Others may want to plan with the TIS, but may not need them present to teach a lesson.  A few may just want you to fix their projector, and while you may do so with a smile to help form a trusting relationship, you should also kindly remind them that the next time it happens, it's best to send an email to the IT department.

For me, the argument around technology shouldn't be if students need to "power down" and stow their devices when coming to school, but rather, how can teachers and schools empower students to use technology in appropriate ways for learning.  It is the role of the Technology Integration Specialist to be a leader in answering that question.

References

Rethinking Learning: The 21st Century Learner | MacArthur Foundation. (n.d.). Retrieved February 15, 2015, from http://youtu.be/c0xa98cy-Rw