It has not just revolutionized the way we search on the Internet, but also made education more fun and relevant in today’s technology-dependent world. With Google Apps, teachers and students can set up their own account and use Gmail, Google’s instant messenger GTalk to chat with teachers and fellow students in real time, synchronize their calendars so that they’re able to keep up with educational events, lectures, tests and discussions, and use videos for real-time lessons or conference study sessions when they’re not able to get together in one room.
If teachers are apprehensive about providing students with their own email and chat ids, the administrator has the option of turning these off, as well as any other applications that they feel are not suitable. One particularly useful aspect of Google Apps is the document sharer Google Docs which lets you share documents. This is great for working on shared projects where each student has edit and/or read options depending on their status in the group.
Another good tool is Google Sites that allows you to create your own class site where you can upload all the latest information and news that can be read and accessed by students from within the application. Google Sites is also a great tool for developing your own wikis, mini knowledge databases that are filled with information and data relevant to your learning and education.
Google Apps is a great way to stay in touch even if your students are scattered over the country or across the world, as in a distance education class. They help keep track of assignments, lectures and discussions and encourage collaboration between students and teachers.
The best part of schools and other educational institutions using Google Apps is that there are new and innovative uses being thought of for this technology. Students are getting more and more creative and utilizing this tool to enhance the way they and their friends learn and develop on a personal level and as a group. And so we see how technology becomes a great asset in the hands of the right people who know how to harness its power and derive the maximum benefits from it.
By-line:
This article is written by Kat Sanders, who regularly blogs on the topic of top online engineering degree at her blog The Engineering A Better World Blog. She welcomes your comments and questions at her email address: katsanders25@gmail.com.
Using technology in the classroom is one of the best and easiest ways to engage students who have grown up in the information age. Most students in public schools these days have grown up with the internet and are far more technologically savvy than most of their teachers; it’s no wonder that infusing lessons with technology ultimately resonate more strongly than lessons using only textbooks and written assignments. What follows is a brief list of ways to enhance teaching and learning by using technology in the classroom.
Video Resources
With the popularity of YouTube, there are thousands upon thousands of video resources available for free that can enhance the educational experiences of students in classrooms. Take the time to locate the proper resources ahead of time and look for other sites that stream educational programming for students’ use. Allowing them to stream video in the context of a computer lab may resonate more deeply than simply watching in the classroom.
Get Students Connected
Another tool that can be used in collaboration with other teachers in your district is to use email or school websites to help connect students with one another. Perhaps you have a lesson that another teacher uses; have their students contact your students and they can create collaborative projects using the web or simply exchange ideas related to the unit of study. There are many way and applications for using internet communication in lessons.
Create Presentations
Students love the ability to show off their skills, whether it’s making a short film, slideshow, or Power Point. Allow them to find images, information, and let them create presentations to give in front of the class. Be sure to have them cite where they located images and information, then screen the presentations before they are given in front of a group.
Evaluate Sources
The internet is certainly full of information, and some sources are superior to others. Make a list of sites for students to evaluate and have them use their critical thinking skills to evaluate the credibility of the information. They can be taught how to do this with a simple checklist of things to look for. This can be a great activity for them to learn that they can’t always take everything on the web at face value.
Multimedia Group Projects
Students love being able to work together when they can showcase their work in front of a group. Similar to presentations, multimedia projects will use students’ knowledge of a variety of technological applications and contain several components. There should be a written element, a visual element, and an audio element to the final product at the very least. These projects can involve a wide variety of skills and will truly engage students in the task at hand.
By-line:
This post was contributed by Holly McCarthy, who writes on the subject of the best online schools. She invites your feedback at hollymccarthy12 at gmail dot com
Tony Wagner, author of Global Achievement Gap, has an informative keynote speech about the Global Achievement Gap. He discusses 7
survival skills for thriving in the workforce and thriving:
Critical thinking
Collaboration and the ability to lead by influence through networks
Teaching in the information age requires that teachers stay ahead of the curve when it comes to technology, or they risk being left out of the loop. Using the internet and staying informed via the information superhighway should by now be a part of your daily routine. Email has long since replaced the paper memo in your mailbox, and every classroom should have at least one computer, if not many more.
Students in this day and age are more than likely far more technologically advanced than their predecessors, and therefore, it is of the utmost importance that we use a medium than they are familiar with in order to convey information. Rather than utilizing social media as a means to an end, however, creating a class blog allows you to be in control of the flow of information and stay in touch with students without invading their space.
Highlight Major Points of Lessons
In the form of a daily recap, teachers can use blogs to record the day’s events so that students can revisit the lesson or topics covered in class. This is not to say that you must write out the entire lesson by any means. Write out key points and objectives so that students can refresh their memories or see what they missed if they were absent.
Extra Credit Opportunities
Get students involved outside of class by offering extra credit to those who participate in online discussions. Perhaps hidden information or a trivia question of the day is a good way to keep student traffic flowing toward your site. Opening up discussion forums on your blog and monitoring what students are saying is a great way to get feedback on your lessons and subject matter as well.
Provide Presentations and Notes
If you regularly use technology in your lessons, posting these files for download on your blog is an excellent resource for students. Allowing students to access and download notes and Power Point presentations gives them an edge when it comes to studying for your class. Additionally, doing this helps cut down on copies and class time used for arbitrarily copying down notes.
Open Up Communication
In addition to providing a forum where students can communicate with one another regarding your course, you are also opening up valuable lines of communication between them and yourself. It is a great way to keep conversations going regarding assignments, grades, and tutoring opportunities as well.
Connect Students with Resources
You can enrich your students’ experience with your subject matter by providing them with links to other sites that reinforce the information they are receiving in your class. Virtual field trips, interactive games, and informational and instructional videos are among the things you can link your blog to. Let your students take ownership of their education by finding out more about a topic on their own with a little guidance from your blog.
By-line:
This article is contributed by Kelly Kilpatrick, who regularly writes on Become a teacher in California. She invites your questions at her personal email address: kellykilpatrick24 at gmail dot com.
There are millions of websites… and the number grows daily. It can take time to sort great teaching sites from those that aren’t as helpful. Yet, there is a tool to make the job easy. It’s called social bookmarking. Watch this helpful YouTube video about the value of del.icio.us, one of the top social bookmarking sites. You may also want to read some of the earlier posts about social bookmarking for a list of things to consider when starting to use social bookmarks. Tell your colleagues about del.icio.us too. If they find great educational resources, they can share them and that will save you a lot of time, which means more time to teach … and more time to relax. That’s a winning combination.
The Partnership for 21st Century Skills has identified financial literacy as a 21st Century Content area. We as adults need to be financially savvy and we need to impart that money sense to our students and children.
Tonight one of my girlfriends, Wendy Sterndale, told me about an awesome book offer that Suze Orman, financial guru, has to offer women that I hope you’ll accept or share with the women you care about. She has written a book called Women & Money: Owning the Power to Control Your Destiny.
Although geared towards women, I’m sure anyone can benefit from the financial wisdom. It’s a five month program to help you create a healthy relationship to money, make more out of the money you have for yourself and your loved ones, and gain more financial freedom. If you open a SaveYourself account with TD Ameritrade, they’ll add $100 to your account. So you can start easily investing and recoup your investment in her book too!
I’m on a major campaign to learn more about finances so that I can make fabulous choices around money and teach these tools and strategies to my students. I hope you join me in making financial literacy part of your life and your teaching.
