Get a Google Account

In order to create collaborative lesson plans through Google, each person needs a Google email account.  This is an easy, painless process that can be completed in about 5-10 minutes.  Please follow this link:
https://accounts.google.com/SignUp and let me know when you have an account.

Once all fourth grade teachers have an account opened, we will begin getting familiar with the Google Docs app that will allow for easy collaboration.  

So, your assignment is to simply create a Google email account using the above link.  Email me when you're done.

Does GP stand for Guinea Pigs or Great People?

Alrighty then!  You've signed up for a wonderful adventure to learn a new approach to collaboratively create and edit weekly lesson plans.  Just to clarify the title of this post, I believe GP stands for great people who are willing to be guinea pigs in order to learn something new.  So either way you view it, it's a positive!

This post is to share how this little adventure will work and how you'll be asked to play a part in trying something new here at MES.  Just follow the steps listed below to begin:

1.  I'll need everyone to become a blog follower upon receiving the link to this blog.  The previous posts were a result of meeting class requirements in a course that I have taken, so don't bother with reading anything older than this post.  Just save the link to the blog by clicking "Bookmarks" on the above toolbar and then clicking "Bookmark This Page." 
2.  This page will be used as a step by step tutorial that will lead you all through the process of creating a collaborative Google Doc that will make lessons plans easier to access and maintain on the Google server.  
3. As you know, this project is the completion on a course I've taken that will require that we have this process completed within a few weeks.  Please use this blog to communicate with one another and me while you are becoming familiar with the Google Docs app.  Post your frustrations, amazing discoveries and anything else that you feel like sharing.  So, let's begin by simply becoming a follower of this blog and completing this simple questionnaire:  Click Here

Cards Are Amazing

The various ways that cards can be used to teach math are endless!  There's also something about cards that kids love.  Actually, I love to play with cards myself.  As we know, highly engaged students retain a great deal more information than someone who is less attentive.  So, for these simple reasons, I'm sharing a great blog with many uses for cards:

http://letsplaymath.net/2006/12/29/the-game-that-is-worth-1000-worksheets/

My Personal Vision and Action Plan for Google Apps

 Personal Vision

 

1.  What is your personal vision for how Google’s web-based tools can help improve collaboration and communication within your particular school community?


My personal vision that will help improve collaboration and communication involves making faculty members aware of the Google Docs tool that can revolutionize their common lesson planning.  I believe that starting with something simple will help them see how easy it will be to make use of this tool.  Lesson plans are due on a weekly basis at my school, so this will not be something that they use once and then forget.  I believe the repeated use will increase the likelihood of making Google Docs their tool of choice for many future collaborations.



2.  Which Google applications are you most likely to implement, and why?

Google Docs will be the first tool that I share with our faculty.  I've chosen this app because I think the learning curve for my teachers will be quite manageable for a group of people who are overwhelmed with the daily demands of the job.  I believe they will quickly see that this tool will make their lives, planning and communicating easier than they ever realized was possible.  The time that they will save from presently copying, pasting, editing, and emailing portions of lesson plans each week will be incredible. 

3.  What lessons have you learned from reviewing how other administrators and schools are using Google Calendar, Docs, and Blogger?

I enjoyed seeing how others have made use of all the Google tools. I learned that there are a wide variety of uses that are presently being utilized across the country.  Communication is the key to successful school community relationships, and the Google tools make this possible in a variety of ways.  Blogging is incredibly simple and can be a powerful communication tool.  Forms gives us an easy way to survey our
stakeholders about various issues.  I would imagine that the Calendar is the most commonly utilized tool overall due to its ease of use and the ability to share numerous calendars in one.  These three things alone could easily raise the communication ability of a school to a very high level.


4.  How does your vision align with the “Visionary Leadership” standard as put forth in ISTE’s National Educational Technology Standards for Administrators?
It aligns quite nicely with the standard which calls for educational leaders to lead, inspire, engage, facilitate, and advocate technological integration.  My hope is that my teachers will be inspired to make use of even more Google apps when they realize that in the end this change will be a major improvement over what is presently being done. I will then be in a better position to facilitate more change and increase technological integration across the curriculum.

Action Plan

1.  What are your goals for integrating Google applications into your school or personal practice? (List at least 2.)

My goal is to train a volunteer grade level on the use of Google Docs in order to create weekly lesson plans.  This training will most likely take place during the month of January and plans will then be created using Google Docs for the remainder of the school year.   I would also like to begin blogging to share instructional practices that will lead to higher levels of student engagement.  This is an area that I feel we should give more consideration when creating plans and developing units of study.


2.  What steps will you need to take to implement your vision?

   Train volunteer grade level on the use of Google Docs.
   Assist in the creation of a lesson plan template.
   Monitor and assist with the collaborative weekly creation of plans.

3.  What key unanswered questions do you have about using Google applications?

    I'm curious about how long these applications will be free of charge.
 

4.  Among school staff, who will be able to help you implement your vision?

As always, the teachers will be the key players in making this vision a success.  Their buy-in will be the key to creating a change in practice that will be sustained over time.

Cookie Dough Delivery

Cookie dough has arrived!  You all know what a job it is to get the cookie dough out to parents at a school with over 1100 students.  Please pay careful attention to any Schoolcast messages about the delivery schedule.  We have nowhere to keep the dough refrigerated, so pickup is very important.

33 Days Before Christmas Break

It always amazes me how fast time moves between September and December.  It seems that I blink and Christmas break is just around the corner.  I'm pretty sure students perceive the passage of time quite differently.  I can vividly remember how time seemed to crawl towards Christmas when I was a child.  Ask a student if time has flown by since the start of school or crawled at a snail's pace, and I bet the snail wins!

It's equally amazing how much our youngest students grow during this time.  Kindergarteners who were afraid to leave their cars are now navigating the school like fearless seasoned veterans.  They make daily deliveries to the lunchroom and office, make it to the nurse and back, and some even lead the entire school in the Pledge.  Some have gone from reciting the ABCs to actually reading words for the first time in their lives.  I often see them sounding out words on bulletin board around this time of year.  The look of surprise on their faces when the word finally becomes clear is always priceless!