REFLECTION #2

WHAT:
This week in class we learned about some of the great things that Google has to offer. They were iGoogle, Google Calendar and Google Docs. They have many great features, but one of the best ones is that they are free if you have access to the internet.

SO WHAT:
One of the first things that I thought would be the most benefit to me in using these tools, is that they are available anywhere that you have access to a computer. Unless you have a laptop, it is hard to do work at home and then try to bring it to school and use the computer lab. You can transport the information on a flash drive but you take the chance of losing the information, or not having what you need saved on it. Google Doc especially is nice because not only is what you are working on there and saved, but being able to work with others on the same document is very nice. It could save me time with group projects because you don't necessarily have to meet as a group face to face. This is particularly appealing for me right now, because I am not at UVU except for when I have class, and because of my family and other commitments, it is hard for me to be at the school more than I am. This could make group projects very difficult for me, but with Google Doc I don't have to worry about that as much. It really helps to reduce some stress.

I love the Google Calendar feature as well. I could see how my husband and I could easily coordinate our schedule. It is difficult for us to be on the same page some times because we are coming and going and we have different things that we are involved with right now. The family calendar, with my schedule, my husbands schedule, and our three kids schedule, is very full. If he and I used Google Calendar we could both be up to date all of the time, and we wouldn't have to be at home to check things, but could just jump on the computer and look it up. I love that idea. I'm still unsure about using Google calendar for other things, like family reunions. I guess the one disadvantage is that everyone that you need to coordiante with would have to have a Google account or Gmail account. Some people are unwilling to change. Like me, I would never had switched from Yahoo, had I not been required in this course, which is sad because I would have really missed out on some great features.

NOW WHAT:
I definatelty think that using these tools from Google will help as a teacher in the future. Having the same home page through iGoogle, both at home and in the classroom, could save time. Teachers are always short on time. They have so much to do in the day and so many students and parents to think of. Not only that, but they have their own lives and familys and schedules as well. The calendar will be a great tool as well, for keeping things organized. As a teacher, I would use these tools to keep myself on schedule. If my colleagues were willing, we could use Google Calendar to keep our team organized and to keep our schedules in line as much as we needed to. I think these are great features that could benefit me as a teacher if I implemented them.

Choosing to use the other two features is great and could give some benefits, but I think you could get by without them if you needed to. I don't think that is so with Google Doc. I feel like it would really make a team of teachers better if they chose to use and share with this program. Being able to access other information and ideas from teachers in my department and school will save time and stress. It will allow me to be a better teacher, and it will allow all of the teachers on my team and in my school to be better because we will be working together. Also, it will be so fun to teach students how to use this feature. As a teacher of a lower grade, like 2nd grade, I might not require them to do a group project with Google Doc, but I would like them to use it and see how it works. This way, when they get into the upper grades and are required to do a project, they would already have seen it. Plus, I'm 34 now and I got all excited when my document was edited right there in front of me. It was fun, and I know that 7 and 8 year olds would think that was AWESOME!

VIDEO:
I enjoyed the video clip I am what I learn. I think that the young lady who made the video is talented, and that she not only told us that film was her passion, but showed us that passion as well, in her video. I liked how she first talked about what her passion was, and that she wanted to do something with her life. It was after that, when she told about the hard things that she was going through. She is not letting those hardships define who she is. I think she is a great example to other students who also might have difficult circumstances, that they can still have a dream and a desire to do something with their lives. The video would be a great motivator for students. I wonder if you can show things like this in the classroom, or maybe you have to get permission from the principal. I don't know what the rules are on that, but it would be great to be able to show a clip in class that would motivate students to be better, and to do their best instead of making excuses to why they can't.