Group items tagged

Google has made it a point to create resources for educators and curate models of how educators have used their tools to help inspire teachers new to the apps. On this page, Google has created a list of models and ideas for using Google Maps in the classroom, including a getting started guide. Check this page for a few ideas and for ways to submit your models. 

This is an interesting discussion, albeit from 2010, about the pros and cons of Google Apps for Education. The author, Karl Fisch, is discussing the long-term effects of a Google Apps domain log-in (versus @gmail.com) and how it can prevent students from creating a sustainable digital footprint. Google Apps is a powerful tool in education and can open many doors for collaboration and content creation, but Fisch raises an important point about the apps and the very crucial email log-in that comes with installing them in your institution. Should we instead be asking students to create their own GMail log-ins and avoiding the Apps altogether?

This is a great resource concerning cloud computing in education. It is a 5 part series that addresses the benefits, risks, and costs of cloud computing in K-12 schools

This is the education marketplace for Google Apps for Education. These are optional apps that you can install to be a part of your Google Apps suite. The Apps marketplace offers a number of tools that teachers could integrate in their classroom management, including gradebooks, lesson planners, and assessment building tools. There are also apps that can streamline certain aspects of projects, such as EasyBib for creating citations, or creation of e-portfolios. Many of the Apps also have reviews from those who have implemented them so you can help sift the duds from the stars.

A Boise State student has prepared a great overview of using Google Apps in education. He breaks down the various Apps, how they can be used for administrators and teachers vs. students, and provides links to many helpful tutorials that cover each app. It's full of helpful information for the Google Apps beginner!

This is a blog dedicated to the use of Google Apps. The group is comprised of people who want to share their experiences with Google Apps in education.

Great article with numerous ways Google can help you become a better educator. The really beneficial thing about this resource is that it is divided into numerous categories: General, Collaboration, News, Search, Communication, Organization, Maps, Books & Literature, and Images.

This is a really informative resource page with numerous video testimonials and webinars from administrators and schools that have incorporated Google Apps. There are also videos discussing how Google Apps work.

Google-compiled listing of model Google Sites by educators. This is a great space to visit for inspiration and "new ways" of using the tool. Often times we use technology to replace a process or system without considering if that process or system is really the best way of doing things. Looking at models and searching for "out of the box" uses or hacks with tech tools can offer new insights into tech integration. I found the Reading Workshops to be an interesting use of Google Sites. Fifth grade students read a book and then created a Google Site to post their projects. Google Sites is collaborative and allows many teachers and students to contribute and edit the pages, much like a wiki.

This is a wonderful resource for sharing Google Apps lesson plans. All you have to do is type your subject and grade level interest in the search box and you have many lessons at your fingertips. You can easily incorporate Google Apps into your curriculum with these classroom-ready lesson plans. It also provides a link to the Google Apps Education Community site where you can find more Google Apps educational resources, including video tutorials, discussion forum, community map, and news.

Education blogger Tom Barrett has compiled some great ideas for using Google Maps in the math classroom. Based on the crowd-sourced map, teachers can view activities for students between grades one and 5 (elementary). While this is an elementary map of math activities, the idea could easily be scaled to higher level math classes. 

This site shows how the use of google apps + higher-level thinking skills in Bloom's Taxonomy = differentiation. It gives a long list of ways you can use G A in areas such as math.