Google Apps for Education

Ready for tremendous success for both students and teacher? Where should I start?

I'll start with me, as it has changed the way I approach my language course for 6th-8th grade.  Using three different resources--Everyday Editing and Mechanically Inclined by Jeff Anderson and The Grammar Plan Book by Constance Weaver--I plan to attack the grammar within writing, mainly directed at student blogging. Using Google in our domain lets me send students presentations of topics. This week it's the study and practice of serial commas. I made a presentation doc and shared it with the students so they could add their practice sentences and cited example sentences from literature. Now they can add to the presentation when it's convenient, it can be pulled up for discussion, and we can learn from each other. I like this, as it makes the students collaborators to the curriculum. I can also send them extra practice documents (old-fashioned worksheets in digital form) via email if they need supplemental practice.

For the students, Google Apps is a fantastic opportunity to use digital tools for communication. Writing blogs and emails helps them focus on writing standards. They've been developing webpages with Sites and writing blogs. Next, I'll ask them to comment on classmates' publications, which will hopefully reinforce what we've discussed for writing: encourage conversation (comments) from readers.

Today I received an email from a middle school student, requesting that I open up the restrictions on our email domain for a brief time so she could email photos from her phone to insert on her Google Site. Students motivated to work on a Saturday evening? I'm all for that! And note: she's already got her own digital tool to use. Google Apps costs nothing yet adds so much to the learning process.

Another exciting feature of Sites is the ease of use. Students can insert links, images and videos with hardly any help. Once they discover the simplicity, they madly support their topics with interesting outside sources. The impact they can add is tremendous. I'm letting them explore topics they enjoy--personalized learning opportunities create lifelong learners and if that's what they become, I've done my job.

Next up will be the collaborative elements of Google. Teams will be formed for project-based learning. When our global contests research begins, they'll be prepared for teamwork. Google Docs gives them forms/surveys for collecting data on the fly, and they can then graph the results.

Are you considering Google Apps for Education at your school? Don't wait any longer--the engagement factor and simplicity makes the learning curve seem negligible. It can act as an ongoing e-portfolio, so unlike papers thrust forgotten into folders or worse yet, into the trash can. Invest the time for the digital literacy your students need.