How effective were your actions in helping you meet your goals?
My actions so far have been fairly effective. I feel much more successful in compiling technology tools than actually implementing them though.
What have you learned so far that you can apply in your instructional practice?
I really see a lot of value in using Google Tools in my classroom. I love the fact that they are all free and very well designed.
What do you still have to learn? What new questions have arisen?
I find all of these tools, but there really is no way to use them all. Also, there are many tools that fit into the same categories, such as picture manipulation. So how do I decide which to use? There is always the fear that the site will close down like Drop.io.
How will you adjust your plan to fit your current needs?
I think I need to start organizing all of the resources I find so while I may not have an immediate use for it, I could keep it and use it sometime else.
I have to agree with you that Google is a great value. I think that it could change the way we do things in education, particulary as we see budget drop.
ReplyDeleteI love using Google too. It amazes me that it offers so much for free. I wish, however they would go one step further and make a Google for School-the same programs that somehow edited some of the material.
ReplyDelete@David - Google is definitely the way to go, and because they have such a successful business model (record profits/market share/during a recession), I think you should feel very comfortable there won't be any changes for a long while. For this reason I would encourage you to try out Google's Picassa for your photo manipulation needs as well as storage and sharing. If its other image manipulation needs you have, check out http://www.sumopaint.com/home/ - you don't need the pro version at all, unless you want to use it offline.
ReplyDelete@Virgil - on arrival at my current school, I shifted the entire software suite to the free web and free and open software. We saved enough money to make this year's 1:1 program a reality. The other advantages are that the students can transfer their schoolday tech habits to home without worrying about expensive acquisitions, as well as making the learners much more web literate.
@JeanMarie - read my post about the reasons not to adopt Google Apps for Schools - http://mewanderings.blogspot.com/2010/12/hello-google-cloud-but-no-to-google.html
I too am searching for a method for organizing these resources for later use. I see how obtaining resources at a rapid rate leads to an abundance of info without an immediate need in the classroom. Please share any ideas for this that you may come across.
ReplyDelete@Paul McKenzie You brought a good point. While many students may have Internet at home, there is no guarantee that they would have Microsoft Office. For schools still wanting to use Microsoft Office they do have a new Web Apps programs available online that are free and similar to Google Docs.
ReplyDelete