Rewind to last Monday, when I almost needed Christine or Miriam to hand me a brown paper bag to breathe into after learning we had to log 33 hours using Google. I would have never guessed how easy it would be to not only log the hours, but how much I would learn.
I wouldn't say I am a "techie", but I do enjoy anything that adds technology to the classroom in an easy way. Through this course I have found so many (relatively) simple ways to implement Google into my classroom. I was able to learn from my colleagues in countless ways.
To discovering some hidden Google features like Google Gravity. So fun. So sad that it is so fun.
There really are some great features of Google that I honestly did not know existed. I think I may switch over to using Chrome regularly and will definitely keep up my website and checking in on other pages to see what ideas I can steal to learn some new ideas.
In scanning the options we were asked to work on for our class, I wanted to try to find something:
a) great for students
b) new and interesting
c) something I had some experience in
d) all of the above
So it seemed that using Google Offers was it. I love shopping, but love a good deal even more. When Groupon, Living Social and Travel Zoo started emailing daily deals, I gave out my email address faster than you can blink. While buying deals for things I want truly need, I have enjoyed many new adventures, tried new foods, and gone to places I may not have checked out in the first place. Why not turn that into a learning experience for students? Have them discover new things in their communities and learn about saving money while doing it.
When beginning with Google Offers, it asked you some questions like where you hang out (Google Offers isn't available in the Rockland area yet) and what your interests are (everything from spa services to grocery deals to kids and family deals). To try and think in terms of what I would do with students I chose NYC as my hangout and interests such as Kids and Family Fun, Classes and Learning, Local Attractions, Retail, and Pet Services.
You'll then get a page like this:
You'll then get a customized list of daily deals for purchase.
I think there are some really cool things you could do with students using this-
* When an area close to home is available, challenge students over a course of a week or two, to see who can plan a weekends worth of activities for the lowest price. Allow students to vote on the best plans.
*Have students create a community brochure with exciting things to do for a good price.
* Have students break into groups and "visit" another city. Plan a weekend on a budget using the offers.
*Give students a "budget" and see what educational activities they could find. Have them write a persuasive essay/letter about the deal (to you or their parents).
*Have students pretend to be a business owner. What would make a good deal? Have students create their own.
Now like I said, I am all too familiar with these daily deals (my advice to you is simple: Don't get your groupon before you've had a cup of coffee). I see some pros and cons about Google Offers so far.
PROS
LOVE how you can customize your interests. Maybe our students do not need to see deals for unlimited alcoholic beverages or hair removal.
They have an app for android and iPhones where you can purchase and redeem right on your phone (no printing out coupons- go green!).
It looks very easy to create deals (from a business perspective).
You can share the deals on google+, facebook, or social media sites with a click of the mouse.
CONS
Only major cities have deals. On Groupon and Living Social there are already availabilities for Rockland, Westchester and North Jersey
Overall, I like the concept and i think it could be a fresh way to discuss communities and economics in the classroom.
I love Google Earth. I think it is one of the most fascinating things that Google has created. There are some amazing things you can do with your students using Google Earth. From simply "flying" to their homes all over East Ramapo, to showing them their school, this Google feature amazes children. Just think about what you can do with your students.
How about flying to the moon?
Or finish up your thematic unit on Egypt by flying to the pyramids?
Or see the earthquakes that occurred recently in Alaska?
The possibilities are endless. In looking at Google Earth this morning, I learned you can create tours, go to Mars, use a ruler to find distances and I am sure a million other things. I know I have just cracked the surface here.
Now I got to thinking about what Erin and Daphne said yesterday regarding big brother. How would you feel if someone was taking satellite pictures inside of your home? Probably not so great. So is it really that different outside of your home?
Here is my lovely condo complex in Montvale, New Jersey. We weren't home because our parking spots were empty, but I know which neighbors were home!! Creeepy...
I then got to thinking, "What craziness could have been caught with these Google satellite cameras???" One Google search and I was bombarded with images.
How about some sneaky kids creating a trip wire?
Or a fight between two vikings?
Or a giant dragon in Canada?
Or even some pranksters caught red-handed?
Now these pictures were just the tip of the iceberg and there is some extremely inappropriate content out there. Just as you aren't going to show your students a YouTube clip without previewing it, make sure you preview your Earth image or street view. Also try and make sure it is realistic, as even the almighty Google has some hiccups. Check out these directions:
I am curious to know if anyone has other ideas of how to use Google Earth in the classroom? What are your thoughts on these satellites taking pictures? Have you found any hilarious images?
I grew up as communicating over the computer was up and coming. I remember unplugging the house phone, connecting a modem, and signing on to America On-Line and hoping my free 50-hour trial was not up yet. I can literally still hear that sound of connecting and it taking nearly an hour to sign on. In high school, everyone went on to chat. You would curse the modem if it was busy or change the number from the local Pomona phone number to the local Spring Valley number. My husband and I make jokes that we actually didn't physically speak on the phone until a good 6 months into our relationship.
Then came college. Here we still had wired Internet, but AIM was huge. Oh boy, do I remember tricking out my buddy profile with the coolest Sex & the City quotes and colors. Spending hours checking everyone else's profiles and Away Messages. The good ol' days.
Then came thefacebook.com. Now, at Providence College, we did receive a hard copy of a Face-Book. You know, that book where everyone sends their high school senior photo with a silly blurb on their hopes and dreams? Man, I agonized over picking a photo for that. But thefacebook.com was different. It was a safe, fun way to connect with friends in college. You HAD to have a college email address to sign up! I am pretty sure at first you could only be friends with people in your own college. You could add the classes you were taking to find friends in it. It was pretty cool, but I remember many of my friends were uninterested or unsure of the point of using such social networking. Most people didn't even have digital cameras at the time, so half of the profile pictures were silly band photos or clip arts. I think mine was a Pulp Fiction character. Sad.
Facebook has changed so much since then. I still use it, although with the new timeline feature, I swiftly deleted any activity before 2005. I would say about 95% of people I know use it, from friends, to co-workers, to mother-in-law, to father, to Nana. Yes, I said it. I like that I can feel connected to many people I don't see or hear from on a regular basis. I like that I can share what I have been up to my summer vacation. You can update your status, check-in somewhere, upload a photo from the beach, try and make your friends jealous, etc. The events feature has been utilized by many of my friends from organizing a simple get together to a 30th birthday bash. It answers the "Well, who is going to be there?" question for you. I also like that privacy features continue to be upgraded. It is necessary. Quite the reason my husband is part of the 5% I know NOT on facebook. He is convinced we are all being monitored. Makes sense. But I am not ready to give up my news-feed and mobile uploads.
And then there was Google+. When I first heard about it, I assumed it would be like another myspace. Cool for a minute and then.... not. When training for the NYC Marathon last year, my mentor asked me and a few other runners to create an account so we could communicate through it. I did, but I just didn't get it. What's a circle, why do I need one? I kept thinking about the Meet the Parents "Circle of Trust". But from what I am seeing while exploring from this class is that the circles are actually pretty cool. I like having the option of creating different groups and limited what they can see/read/etc. I sure would like to place the aforementioned mother-in-law, father, Nana into one group on Facebook (kidding!). I also like how you can control your news-feed to just certain circles. I think the coolest thing is the hang-out feature. It is pretty crazy that you can hang with multiple people. Miriam Berger and I "hung-out" yesterday and she had a stroke of brilliance by saying we should hold CSE meetings in a hang-out! When parents can sign a virtual Medicaid form, I think we will be on to something!!
I think overall both sites have great features. Many of which are similar. Facebook is simply more established than Google+ as of now. Maybe Google+ just needs a movie with Justin Timberlake in it.
I have to admit that yesterday in class I was a bit intimidated by all things google. But in the time I have spent exploring, it doesn't seem that scary. I have been playing around on Google+ (and as a obsessive Facebooker will likely blog about this too), beginning my site, checking out google tools, etc.
One thing I keep coming back to is the Chrome Web Store. Who doesn't love a good app? I was one of the lucky teachers who got an iPad from the district office last year. I loved, loved the ability to use such a fun and exciting way to help my students. They only saw what they did on it as a game. Erin showed me some awesome apps and I used many of them on a daily basis. There were some "annoyances" that I found using the iPad in school: iTunes would not stay downloaded on the computer, many apps required me to connect to the iTunes store in order to use them, our 3g service was sketchy, etc.
Anyway, from what I am seeing on Chrome, these apps are available to use right on the computer using Chrome. I have been "adding" the apps like crazy. I immediately started adding food apps (I am hungry), and personal training apps (I should be running), but saw a whole section on Education (oh yea, that's why I am here). Back on track, I have found some really cool apps that I would absolutely use in school.
I want to focus on one in general called "ScootPad". It is an app for parents, teachers and students. As a teacher, you can add a class of students in grades 1, 2, or 3 and it creates a curriculum based on Common Core Standards. Teachers can add concepts from the ConceptBank in both math and reading. You can then track progress in an easy way. Students choose their own avatar, mood and then begin practice in reading and math. They earn coins for answers correct. There are some other cool features like a class wall, leaderboard and progress reports. The only negative thing I have noticed is that students have to be able to use the keyboard and mouse efficiently and be able to read the questions.
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