Google in the Classroom

With Google+ creating a lot of buzz all over the place, I have found a lot of tweets and blogs focusing how to use Google apps in the classroom. Below I have gleaned my favorite points from a PowerPoint presentation on Lucy Gray’s blog (http://elemenous.typepad.com/weblog/).

Google Docs – With teachers: use it to collaborate with teachers on lesson and unit planning, share notes from PD meetings, share archives of lesson plans. With students: use it to provide feedback, engage them in reading response journals.
Google spreadsheet – track student progress and share with parents, sign-up sheets, digital flashcards.
Google forms – formative assessments, student interest surveys, teacher/students observation and evaluation forms, keeping track of discipline referrals, collect information from parents
Google Calendar – sharing calendars, checking out equipment, unit planning and pacing, teaching time management
Gmail – translate emails to and from parents, global pen pals for the students
Google Groups – guided reading and placement groups, parent support groups
Google Talk – guest lecturer, hold office hours over chat
Google Sites – classroom and school websites, committee and project websites, student ePortfolios, student projects and reports, curriculum sharing
Google Video – bringing approved clips into the classroom, showcase classroom projects

Google Apps are very user-friendly programs that can really help to coordinate with teachers, students, and parents. Apps like Google Docs, Google Forms, Gmail, Google Groups, and Google Talk are great for sharing and communicating. Functions like reading response journals on Google Docs, digital flashcards on Google Spreadsheet, assessments and surveys on Google Forms, guest lecturers through Google Talk and project and class websites through Google Sites helps students organize their information and further their learning through the use of technology. These are definitely resources that I will keep in mind to make my teaching accessible and open to students, parents, and other teachers.