This post was contributed by Edward Taylor, Theology teacher at Junipero Serra High School in San Mateo, CA.
I have been using Google tools in my teaching for the past couple of years. I have utilized everything from Google Drive, to Classroom and Sites. At first, my aim was to have fun. I like the idea of tech in the classroom and I looked forward to making use of the Chromebooks our school had provided for faculty and student use. It wasn’t long, however, before I realized that not only did I enjoy the use of tech, I also enjoyed the eco-friendly results I was noticing. I rarely find myself at the school bookstore asking for copies of documents. I can’t even begin to think of the total numbers of reams of paper I have saved by using Google tools. With Google Drive I have access to my files and documents anywhere I have an internet connection and when working in collaboration with a colleague, we can be miles apart and still be working on the same document in real time. This is also a feature I like when I have my students working in groups. Recently I discovered that a student who was home sick was actually working with his group on a project. Not only that, but with Google Classroom I can create an assignment on a Google Doc and then provide a copy to each of my students so they can complete and submit it, all within the confines of the Google platform. Accounting for the little hiccups along the way, I am pleased with the results my students and I have been having with our use of Google tools.
As teachers, we deal with assigning, grading, and organizing every day. The Google suite of tools can help teachers with all of these elements of teaching and learning. Myself and 2 colleagues will be presenting at the NCEA 2016 Convention and Expo. Consider attending our session “Five Ways Google Can Lighten Your Load: Using Google Tools”. We will demonstrate, and you will practice, using Google Classroom, Docs, Forms, Blogs, and Sites to make the professional and classroom experience a breeze. So bring your device (laptop is best), your questions, your own experiences, and your explorer’s hat. Our hope is that you will have as much fun learning to work with Google tools as we have had. We look forward to this “hands-on” session which will hopefully lead to a more eco-friendly and streamlined classroom experience for you and your students.
