My school has an iPad cart and two computer labs. Using computer applications effectively can be a challenge for both students and staff. For students, many are not computer literate. A lot of students actually take a basic computer class at the school, but these classes are not readily available. They only run in the mornings, so the time may conflict with another course. The class is only open to students with Foundations of English 3 or higher, so students in Foundations 1 and 2 cannot take the class. Some students, who are quite advanced in years, simply may not be interested in using technology. It is important for all students who are interested to be able to use technology and for teachers to be able to use technology with them.

The challenges teachers face is having access to the limited resources available, but the principal is very supportive of technology and is providing more devices. Recently, teachers who do not have their own iPad, were offered one for individual use instead of just signing one out from the iPad cart. Also, when teachers are working with students who have limited computer skills, integrating technology into their lessons can be quite intimidating. It is not a seamless transition and a lot of time is spent trouble-shooting.

Because of these reasons, I have decided to create some resources that will hopefully make using the Google Drive suite as easy as possible for teachers and their students. First, I plan on making a brief general introduction of Google Drive for the teachers. By introducing them to Google Drive, I hope to get them excited about these programs by highlighting their benefits. That way, teachers will be more likely to use Google Drive instead of relying on the traditional Microsoft Office Suite. This will allow for users of the iPads and the computer labs to use the same programs, making it easier on the teachers and the students. They don’t need to learn different programs for different devices.

Here is a link to my presentation. I would love to receive some feedback! Leave a comment at the end of my blog post or in Google Drive. Thanks!

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1gA47zqUsLUg4sJmUL_jlLR2pZGB6qDDIjSYtFvOMC-0/edit#slide=id.p

The next part of my plan is to create a series of resources (I think I am going to use screencasts, but I need to do some experimenting first) that show how to use each program in Google Drive. For this course, I will do one for Google Docs, and based on my feedback, I will then create resources for the other programs. Although there are already several excellent resources available that demonstrate how to use Google Drive, they are not made with my specific audience of learners in mind. These students need both written and verbal instructions that are delivered at a very basic level and slow pace. Most of the resources are created by people and for people who already have some comfort with technology.

I chose Google Drive for several reasons. As mentioned earlier, it can be used on any device. It is very similar to Microsoft Office, so users who are familiar with these programs have a fairly easy transition to Google Drive. (You can even open a Word Document in Google Docs.) It is easy to give feedback. Saving is done for you and you don’t need to worry about saving it to a network or memory stick. As you make changes, you can look at previous versions of the document. There are 300 templates. There are other add-ons you can use to further enhance the programs. More than one person can work on the same document at the same time. You can share your documents instead of attaching them to an email (or forgetting to attach them!) By sharing, you can always make sure you have the right version. Here is video to help explain this:

 

Here is some praise for Google Drive (the links also have some good resources for the suite of programs).

“Google Drive is one of the fundamental tools in our digital toolkits as teachers and educators. Whether you want to compose a document, create a presentation, design a sheet, or share a beautiful drawing you made, Google Drive provides you with the tools to do that on any device and anywhere you are with an internet connection.”

-Med Kharbach, Educational Technology and Mobile Learning

Google Apps is beginning to revolutionize education.

With its highly collaborative, online/offline format — and its attractive price tag (free!) — many schools, businesses and other organizations are ditching their expensive, clunky software for this powerful suite of tools.

The way that Google Apps is interactive and easy to share is powerful. My students can share ideas in real time with other students around the world, an option that never existed before.

-Matt Miller, Ditch That Textbook

From building a self-grading quiz (yep, it can do that) to simply reducing the amount of paper used in your classroom, there are plenty of reasons to start considering using Google Drive for your classroom needs. Personally, I’d recommend using it as a useful tool for project-based learning where students can collaborate in real-time, hold chats, and even finalize a project from different locations. The Android and iOS apps let students (and teachers) do this from virtually anywhere. In fact, you can literally do it anywhere considering there is an ‘offline mode’ for Google Drive so you don’t even need a web connection to keep your online collaboration document or project humming along.

-Jeff Dunn, Edudemic

References

Dunn, Jeff (17 September 2013). 12 Effective Ways To Use Google Drive In Education. Retrieved March 20, 2014, from http://www. edudemic.com/12-effective-ways-use-google-drive-education.

Kharbach, Med (26 January 2014). The Comprehensive Google Drive Guide for Teachers and Students. Educational Technology and Mobile Learning. Web. 20 Mar. 2014. <http:/www.educatorstechnology.com/2014/01/the-comprehensive-google-drive-guide.html>.

Miller, Matt (3 February 2014). 20 Collaborative Google Apps Activities for Schools. Ditch That Textbook. Retrieved March 20, 2014, from http://ditchthattextbook.com/2014/02/03/20-collaborative-google-apps-activities-for-schools.

Google Docs in Plain English. (2007, September 10). Retrieved March 20, 2014, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eRqUE6IHTEA