Google Educator Certification - Docs and Drive (Session 6)

We're now up to Lesson 8 of the Docs and Drive Level 2 training. This is a huge lesson, so it is probably best to cover it in a number of sessions.

Today we will look at the first section Sharing, Privacy, Printing, and Publishing.

We will continue to take notes on our collaborative document, and don't forget to share classroom ideas.

Google Educator Certification - Docs and Drive (Session 4)

Today we will be looking at Lesson 5 and Lesson 7 of the Docs and Drive Level 2 training. Lesson 5 deals with Slides, the presentation tool, and Lesson 7 looks at the Google Drawing tool. We'll leave lesson 6 until next week, as it deals with Forms, and I think it would be best to dedicate an entire session to this.

We will continue to take notes on our collaborative document, and don't forget to share classroom ideas.

Now that we will soon be on holidays, I'd suggest that you should take the time to complete your Google Basics Exam, and get your certificate. I heard some good advice from the Google Education Podcast - When completing your Google exams, using Google is not cheating.

Google Educator Certification - Docs and Drive (Session 5)

Today we will be looking at Lesson 6 of the Docs and Drive Level 2 training. This lesson deals with Google Forms. A Google form is an information collection tool. The information is collected in a Google sheet, which makes it a sinch to analyse.

We will continue to take notes on our collaborative document, and don't forget to share classroom ideas.

Locking down Facebook

Being an education professional mean maintaining a professional profile, and many education institutions believe that your public image impacts upon that professional profile. Social networking sites have become a big part of your public image, and, if you don't manage them properly then they could have a significant impact upon your professional profile.

This short video explains the current privacy setting on Facebook.

Google Educator Certification - Docs and Drive (Session 3)

Today with our Google session we will be looking at Lesson 4 of the Docs and Drive Level 2 training.

This lesson introduced Google Sheets, which is the Google Apps spreadsheet tool. Since the lesson assumes a little understanding of spreadsheets, first we might look at what spreadsheets are.

We will continue to take notes on our collaborative document, and don't forget to share classroom ideas.

Google Educator Certification - Docs and Drive (Session 2)

Today is day two on Level 2 training for the Google Educator Certification. Last week we got through lessons one and two, so today we will start with lesson 3.

Don't forget that we have our collaborative note taking document. There is also a collaborative document to share any classroom ideas that you think of during the sessions.

Google Educator Certification - Docs and Drive (Session 1)

Today we start on the Level 2 training for the Google Educator Certification. Each course is fairly long, and very comprehensive, so I am uncertain as to how long this will take. 

We are going to start with the Docs and Drive course. To assist in the training I have created a document for collaborative note taking. There is also a collaborative document to share any classroom ideas that you think of during the sessions.

Finally, following on from our two sessions on Google Basics you might want to take the Basics Exam. Upon completion your certificate will be emailed to your account. Therefore, you might want to log into your personal account to take the exam.

Edvertisement: Google Earth

Using in Class

Google Earth has an extensive array of classroom applications. It can be used for everything from exploring the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, and teaching geologic map interpretation, through mapping global energy consumption or glacial change, to mapping journeys from literature or exploring "All Quite on the Western Front".

Basically, if your subject involves the world, then there is probably a way that Google Earth can enhance your teaching, and the tour feature would be fantastic for multimodal presentations.

How to get started

Google Earth is a desktop application, which you will need to install on your computer. You will need to download it form this site.

Once you have installed the program you will need to know how to use it. The playlist below has six videos which introduce you to Google Earth.

Resources

Now, armed with your new understanding of Google Earth, it's time to look at applying it to your classroom. I think the best place to start is the Google Earth Section of the Science Education Resource Center website. Beyond that there are countless other websites and resources, below I have collated a sample of some of them, but if you really want to explore, just search for Google Earth Lessons.

• Google Earth Tour Builder
• Google Earth for Educators
• Google Earth for Educators: 50 Exciting Ideas for the Classroom
• Google Earth Lessons

Lesson: The Heroes' Dinner Party

Details

Subject: Religion and Ethics

Grade: 11

Tools: 

Focus Question: What would your hero do?

The Lesson

This was the final lesson preparing students to write an article on their chosen hero. The students had been researching their chosen hero, and were aware that they would be role playing as their hero during the lesson.

Prior to the lesson, I had created four chat rooms. using Neat Chat!. Neat Chat is a simple website where you can make temporary Chat-rooms. Each chat-room was to be a virtual 'dinner-table' where the heroes would converse.

I used tab.bz in Chrome to packed these rooms and email them to the students (although you could use any LMS, or site, or blog for this). I had also prepared questions to ask my dinner guests.

The students entered, were allocated a chat-room, and then the conversations started. I've included some extract from the conversations below.

Initially the guests explained why they have been invited to the heroes dinner.

On Australian Indigenous health

On removing national parks protection

On raising children

Follow Up

The following lesson the students were writing about their hero's life. Hopeful, with a deeper insight into who they were.

Lesson: Researching Sacred Stories

Details

Subject: Religion and Ethics
Grade: 11
Tools: Diigo
Focus Question: What are some examples of sacred stories?

The Lesson

The class is ready to prepare for their assessment. The students will be rewriting a sacred story into a modern day equivalent. The first step of that process is finding a story to rewrite, and that is the purpose of this lesson.

Previously we have used Diigo, so all the students have an account. If you haven't used Diigo, students can sign in using Facebook, Twitter, Google, or Yahoo accounts, or just create a stand alone Diigo account. Diigo also offers teacher accounts which assist in managing your class groups.

I created a Diigo group called Sacred Stories and provided the students with the URL. Once I approved their application the students then started book marking examples of sacred stories they found on the web.

Some of the sites bookmarked were a little off the mark. These sites were analysing sacred stories, or talking about the importance of sacred stories, rather than the stories themselves. To address this, I 'liked' all the stories that would be appropriate for the assignment.

Follow Up

The students now have to choose a story from all the 'liked' bookmarks to rewrite.

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Lesson: Creating Netiquette Rules

Details

Subject: Information Technology Systems
Grade: 11
Tools: YouTube, AnswerGarden, Google Docs, tricider
Focus Question: What is appropriate on-line?

The Lesson

The lesson started watching Beaker's Ballard on YouTube.

We then used AnswerGarden to garner students' experience about inappropriate behaviour on the web.

The concept of Netiquette was introduced by introduce by Will (he's a high school junior) via Youtube. This was expanded on by "The Core Rules of Netiquette" provided by Albion.

The class was then challenged to collaboratively summarise this into a "Netiquette 10 Commandments". Originally this was done using typewith.me, but now I would choose to create a Google Document.

Finally, the video "How to Follow Proper Netiquette Rules" showed the students how generalised 'commandments' can be distilled down to very specific rules. The students were then asked to create specific rules and post them to tricider.

Follow up

For homework students were asked to check over the rules that had been posted on tricider, and vote on them.

Lesson: Creating a Life Map

Details

Subject: Religion and Ethics
Grade: 11
Tools: Padlet *; Mapfaire
Focus Question: Where did the significant events in my life happen?

The Lesson

The concept of one's personal story being a sacred story was addressed in a previous lesson using the "Moments" Youtube Video by Everynone. This lesson was designed to get the students thinking about the significant events in their lives.

First we used corkboard.me*to brainstorm what kinds of things could be considered significant moments in a person's life.

I then showed them a life map I had created covering my life up to leaving school. I used this to introduce the students to the tool.

The students then logged onto Mapfaire using their Google accounts (each student at the College now has one). Once logged in they started adding locations on their map and writing notes about what happened at that place.

At the end of the lesson I encouraged them to ask their friends and families for details of more stories.

Follow Up

The beginning of the next lesson, students shared their maps in small groups. Each student was encouraged to share at least one story.

* corkboard.me has subsequently changed it's pricing therefore I'd recommend using Padlet instead