Google Apps

Google Apps is a suite of collaboration and communication applications whose capabilities are numerous and varied. Through Google Apps teachers are provided with a more open, direct way of collaborating with other teachers in real-time. Everyone can access and work on a task at the same time without having to be in the same physical location. Joint research projects with faculty from other schools become more feasible and less time-consuming. It becomes easier to work in groups with administration. Google Apps move the focus from the individual to groups. This is the case for student activities as well. When assigning projects to a classroom full of students a teacher can keep track of the interaction between group members and monitor their progress. Students can also work individually on their group projects from their home computers. Members of student groups can contribute and stay informed as their project is planned, develops, and comes to fruition. There are many times that Google Apps could have helped me as a student, but they did not exist. Now that I am a student again I will have the opportunity to benefit from this new technology. And, in the not-so-distant future, it will assist me in my new role as a teacher.

Lesson Plan 1: Historical Novel

Students read an historical novel, based on a period in history, and arrive at its meaning and main ideas, discussing it "all class." Various Google tools are used for information gathering, working with partners, and final student projects. Students will study background information, read and discuss the novel, and work with partners collaboratively. Then students will write questions and the novel will be discussed in class, using the questions written by the students. The Google Apps that are used in this lesson plan include: Docs, Blogger, Form, Maps, and Earth. ISTE standards that are linked to this lesson plan are 1, 2, 3, and 4.

Lesson Plan 2: Telling Time & Google Calendar

This is a k-3 lesson plan and introduces the agenda format as a way other than the use of digital and analog clocks to teach students how to read and calculate time. This format allows students to see "blocks" of time and challenges them to find different ways to visualize and think about segments of time. This lesson uses Google Calendar. First the class reviews times on an analog clock. Then the passage of time is reviewed. The teacher introduces Agenda Format on Google Calendar. The class reviews how time works on Agenda and everyone makes their own agenda on Google Calendar. ISTE standards that are linked to this lesson plan are 1 and 4.