GoogleDocs

Check out the GoogleDocs Webinar!!! on June 25, 2009.

Thing 22 - Choose a Tool

Avatars

Avatars are a great way for students to 1.) share their personality and 2.) create a picture to represent themselves on the internet without using a real picture of themselves. There are many websites out there that can help your students create an avatar. I am not really looking at appropriateness or if these sites are blocked at school, so please do so before using these in your classroom.

Build Your Wild Self
Droppel Me
Face Your Manga
Mr. Picasso Head

I did have examples from each of these sites, but I am having technical difficulties getting them on this post, so check back and maybe I will have fixed my problem.

Thing 21 - Pageflakes

I have created a personal start page at Jessica's Pageflake. To be honest, I didn't really spend a lot of time on this "Thing" because I have my own personal start up page through Google. Their version is called iGoogle. It does the same thing as Pageflakes, but it is not sharable. I like it for my personal use, because once you log into google you are logged into all of the aspects of google. So, if I log into my iGoogle page, I can then go to Blogger, GoogleDocs, etc. without having to log on again. For classroom use, I think Pageflakes is better, because it is sharable. Students are not good at typing accurately, especially when it comes to typing urls. I can't tell you how many times I have had to type urls into the address bar for students in the computer lab because thye have tried a million times and still didn't type it right. Also, when I was discovering the other pageflakes offered, I absolutely loved the idea of using one for an assignment. Here is a link to the example.

Thing 20

I did know about Google Docs before this class, but I had just no really started to find uses for them recently. When I first learned about Google Docs, I didn't really see a need for them, but now I use them daily. Below is a list of ways I have used Google Docs:

- I keep my format for Sub Notes on Google Docs so I can always access it and so all I have to do is change the assignments each time.
- I created a form to collect information in order to export student information into our Math Assessment System.
- I created a form for the Professional Learning Evaluation that everyone does at the end of the class.
- Students with a Google Account were able (with no problems) to turn in their math term papers. Note: Those who emailed had a lot of problems.
- I use the spreadsheet to keep up with our staff's professional learning hours completed at the school.
- I use a spreadsheet with only two columns to list off all of my students vocabulary words. From there, I am able to upload them to various websites and then link those sites to our class wiki for students to study.
- I monitor my blood pressure as well on Google Docs.