#4 Google Suite

I love Google Suite!  I used a lot of these options last year but I did not use Google Forms so that is what I went with.  I run the Reading Buddies program at Bel Air so I thought setting up a form for volunteers to register for the program would be helpful.  It would be easy to share with volunteers and I love how it puts the data into a spreadsheet for me.  One less thing that I would need to do!

I love the flexibility that Google sharing offers to everyone.  Just like one of the videos said.....you never come to school without your homework!  Same for teachers, I am always working on things at home, so all I need to do is log into Google and I have everything I need! No more emailing docs back and forth, flashdrives or forgetting things at school.

I am the extension/intervention teacher for 2nd grade so I am always sharing data with my team and our BAIT (Bel Air Intervention Team).  I can set up a doc or spreadsheet and update it for everyone to use.  I like the editing options, also.  At times I just want to share data without the options of editing and other times everyone needs to input their own data. We also share a lot of lessons around our PLC so this is a great way for us all to work together.

I see many benefits of using Google Drive with students.  The overall ease of it would be the biggest benefit.  You can check in on them without getting right in their space (which intimidates many).  You can comment on their work and no one else needs to see it.  I love the idea of adding a quick link to a video or helpful site.  The students would be able to take more ownership of their work.  You can also do it from anywhere.  You don't need to bring notebooks and papers home in order to correct them.

The only con that I see with Google Drive is that I need to keep it organized.  Naming and labeling items in a meaningful way would be important.  I will be using it for so many different aspects of my job that knowing how to find things will be key.  I do like being able to search for things so if I name them correctly, I should be able to locate them.

I also uploaded documents that I made years ago for a Literature Circle.  I have them saved on my home computer.  Having these more accessible will be helpful to me and I will be able to easily share them with others.
Literature Circles

#2 Engagement

I created a Pear Deck to use with during math.  I love the idea of adding the formative assessment questions!!  I used a power point presentation that I already had, added some multiple choice slides and now can quickly add 'quick questions' to assess how the students are doing on telling time.
In playing with it a bit more I would like to add slides that are interactive so I don't have to do it on the spot.  I had to watch videos on how to do that.

Telling Time Pear Deck

I can see how using Pear Deck presentations with students would boost their engagement in what we are doing.  They would certainly be held accountable, yet in a personal way.  They would all have to answer and I could tell who was having trouble with the concept.  If I am careful on picking multiple choices then I think I would also be able to identify the problems students are having.  I work with younger students so yes/no, true/false and multiple choice seem the easiest to use.  I think the slide tools could be interesting to gauge how they are feeling about their performance.

I also like how it is very easy to login with our Google accounts and easy to share.  This would be very useful for my whole team to use & share Pear Decks.

Activity 1: Communication

I think having a blog is excellent for communication & organization.

I can use a blog for communication with parents, grade level teams and just for myself.  They look professional and are easy to use. It would not take long to post our daily goals and objectives and any homework that is assigned. Students would be able to use my blog if they need more help at home. The more you can find online (videos or presentations) can act as flipped instruction.  I work with many students that need extra support.  I could use the blog to assist them in getting the instruction again or to see it in a different way.  Many parents also want to know how to help their children so parents could use it in the same way.

In addition to helping students, the blog can be used to show off some of the things we are doing in school.  It is an easy tool to showcase student work.  Who wouldn't love showing their parents or grandparents that their school work is online for all to see?
 It is an excellent way to organize all of the excellent things you can find online.  I always struggle to remember the 'good stuff' I find online.  It is quick and easy to add a link or embed a video to a blog.  Using labels is even another step to keeping the blog organized.