Activity 3.2 Gmail

My Gmail address is rhickey360@gmail.com

Below is a screenshot of my first "gmail" sent to my classmate Rick Young.

Here is a link to the pdf version of the screen shot: gmail screenshot

Reflection: How can teachers use gmail? There are several components which could be helpful to teachers. First of all, the large storage availability would be useful. Secondly, Gmail Mobile would allow teachers to readily access their email accounts via their phones easily. Mail Fetcher would make getting mail from multiple sources much easier. Lastly, the parental control functions of Gmail could allow teachers to control what their students access if Gmail were used in classrooms.

Activity 3.3 Google Calendar

Below is a screenshot of my Google calendar.

Here is a link to the pdf version of the screenshot: Google calendar

Reflection: Google calendar could be highly beneficial to teachers. They could set up calendars for their classes which show assignment due dates, test and quiz dates, topics, school activities and events, holidays, and parent conferences. I am impressed with how easy it was to set up a Google calendar. Several years ago I set up a shared Groupwise calendar for my career tech colleagues to use, but I think the Google calendar is considerably easier to edit, and I like the idea of allowing it to be shared with parents and students.

Activity 3.4 Blogger

Below is a screenshot of my Blog.

Here is a link to the pdf version of the Blog screenshot: Blog Shot

Here is a link to my blog: http://www.rhickey1.blogspot.com

Reflection: Blogs clearly allow for a great deal of collaboration, and in education these days, that is essential. Blogs are easy ways for teachers, students, and parents to share work, notes, and pictures. Blogs can be designed for specific classes. Blogs allow users to create web pages without having to learn web page design.

Activity 3.5 Google Sites - wiki

Below are screenshots of my wiki.

Here is a link to the pdf version of the wiki screenshot: wiki shot

Here is a link to my MEDT 7462 Wiki : https://sites.google.com/site/rhickey360/

Reflection: Google sites/ wikis can be extremely useful to teachers. Wikis allow for tremendous collaboration which can highly benefit users as they collectively produce written documents . In addition, wikis can be used by teachers as an organizational tool for their classes. Teachers can design wikis to be used as study guides. They can post examples, articles, and illustrations. Basically, wikis allow for collections of various media to be posted to the web and shared among users of the wiki. Lastly, wikis allow users to ask and respond to questions in an online environment. Clearly, wikis can be one of the most useful tools we have discussed this semester .

Activity 3.6 Google Reader - Aggregators

Below is a screenshot of my Google Reader page

Here is a link to the pdf of my Google Reader screenshot: Google Reader

Reflection: Google reader allows users to combine sites and blogs into one convenient page. This page can be shared. Teachers can create reading lists, share common interests, and integrate the page with other sites.

Activity 3.7 Google Docs

Below is a screenshot of a Google Doc that Rick Young and I shared. Teri McGraw was also invited to collaborate on the activity.

Here is a link to the pdf version of the Google Doc screenshot: Google Doc

Rick Young invited me to share his Google Document. I posted my comments and reflection , and then I shared the document with Teri.

Reflection/Response

Rick, Thanks for inviting me to share in the production of a Google Doc. This 2.0 tool seems like a great way to have teachers and students create, store, and share documents. What a great way to facilitate collaboration! Apparently, Google Docs allows users to create new documents as well as upload existing ones--including presentations. In the past, if I needed to access files, I would email them to one of my email addresses (if work related, my Catoosa County mail server) and then pull them up from where ever I needed them. Google Docs will help me out with this, plus I can share easily!!  I just worked with 16 of my colleagues on a project in which we collaborated information about our implementation of an ePortfolio project.....if we would have only used Google Docs...
So with this tool, we can decide with whom we share, store online, access anywhere, peer edit, and determine/evaluate who has contributed by looking at the revisions history.   I like it!!

Activity 3.8 ASSURE Lesson Plan - Behavioral Objective

Topic = Career Interest

CCAE-CCAE I-10. Students will create a file of educational and occupational requirements of possible careers using career assessment results.
a. Complete a career interest inventory.
b. Use the results of inventory to explore possible careers.
c. Narrow the list of possible careers.
d. Complete a career information program (i.e. GCIS, GACollege 411, WorkKeys).

www.gadoe.org Career Essentials I Curriculum Guide

ASSURE Lesson Plan Objective

Audience: Students enrolled in Career Essentials 1 (9th graders)

Behavior: Students will complete an online personality assessment to identify areas of potential areas of careers/occupations for which they are best suited.

Condition: Students will use the following online Jung Typology Test (http://www.humanmetrics.com/cgi-win/JTypes2.asp) , computers, and the Internet

Degree: Students will have 5 minutes to answer a series of self-reflective/self-assessment personality questions.

Objective statement: Given access to the online Jung Typology Test, Career Essential 1 students will complete the personality assessment and then identify their personality type and 5 areas of potential employment for which they are suited according to their assessment results with 100% accuracy .

Activity 3.9 Online Presentation Tools

*Note- I created the beginning of the presentation below. I then shared with Rick Young who was going to add his part and then share with an additional person. At this point, I'm not sure where the finished product is; however, I can repost once I receive it. To meet the module deadline, I am posting what I have.

Here is a screenshot of my presentation posted on www.slideshare.net.

Here is a link to the online version at Slideshare.net: MEDT 7462

Below are images of my contribution to the presentation:

Here is a link to the pdf version of the slides: online presentation tools

Activity 3.10 Social Bookmarking

Here is a screen shot of my Delicious. com bookmakring site

Here is a link to my Delicious site: www.delicious.com/swirvinervin2000

Here is a screen shot of my classmate Rick Young's site. He is a member of my bookmarking network.

Here is a link to the pdf version of my Delicious.com screenshot: 7462_delicious_rah

Reflection: I can clearly see tremendous benefits for using social bookmarking sites such as Delicious for teachers. Teachers could research sites, link them, tag them, and give personal descriptions for each. They then could share those sites with their students. Another possible benefit for teachers would be to share with other teachers allowing all members of the shared network an excellent source for quickly accessible information. These teachers could then share their pages with students. Teachers who are sharing as members of the network could focus on areas of their specialty. Perhaps an even more beneficial aspect of this tool is that students could create and share their links as they take an increasingly larger role in their own educations. Social bookmarking is one of the more beneficial tools we have seen so far in this class.

Activity 3.11 Google SketchUp

Below is a screenshot of my first attempt at using Google SketchUp to create a three dimensional drawing:

Here is a link to the pdf version of my Google SketchUp art: "Sailboat through a prism on a dreary day"

Reflection: Well, how do I feel about the tool? What do I think of my drawing? Perhaps I will just pretend it is art (somewhere between cubism and surrealism or something like that!!) I absolutely failed at trying to use the SketchUp. I didn't "get it!" After messing with it for quite some time and making no progress, I decided to post my "art" and move on!
So do I see any potential benefits of the tool for students? Absolutely. The tool would allow students the opportunity to work in beginning level design. They could learn perspective. They can download samples and modify them. They can create their own 3D models. They can import images into their design and then export their finished product. I can see all sorts of possible applications for the tool. Certainly math classes, architecture, and even history classes are just a few. I did download come awesome models for Google, but I was quite so good at creating my own! My concern about the tool is that unlike many of the others we have worked with in this class, this one may have quite a learning curve for both teachers and students.

Activity 3.12 Picasa

Picasa screenshot: "What I would rather be doing!"

Link to pdf version of the screenshot: 7462_picasa_rah

Reflection: I am sure this tool could be useful for teachers who want their students to create online photo collections. The software, once installed, searches a computer for pictures and then automatically sorts those pictures by dates. Would I use the tool with my students? No. I have already taken it off my computer. I suppose the email regarding Buzz and the class action lawsuit I found in my Gmail account has me in an anti-Google mood!! Apparently Google lost. Anyway, Picasa wanted to make Google my default search engine. Then it took over my photos and became the default photo viewer. The worst thing about Picasa is that it saved changes to my original photos while I was messing around with adding text to them, etc. I know I should have paid more attention to what I was doing as I installed and then began to use the tool, but I didn't. At any rate, I have undone the damage...I hope. I will reconsider Picasa another day.

Activity 3.13 Google Translate

PDF version of Google Translate screenshot: 7462_translate_rah

Reflection: Now this a a tool I will use! I have had a number of ESOL and ELL students over the years...students from Bosnia, Russia, Mexico, and lots of other places where English was not the primary language. This tool could have been tremendously useful as I worked with those students. I'm not sure how accurate the translation is. I am going to have my friend the Spanish teacher check this out. I'm sure it's good stuff. This was so easy to use. Many years ago, I looked for an online translation tool to help me with some of my first Bosnian students. The only thing I found was a translation for "My God! There's an axe in my head." The Bosnians went wild as I wrote the translated phrase on the board. I can just imagine how much fun I could have been having all these years if Google Translate had been around!!

3.14 Using Google Earth

Link to my trip from home to Atlanta, Georgia: Ron's Trip to Atlanta

Reflection: Google Earth is definitely very high on the cool list of web tools. I find my students looking around on Google Earth all the time. They love to show me where they live. Clearly, there the tool can be used in many classrooms quite easily. Students in history classes could use the tool to see where actual "history" has and is occurring. Geography students can use the tool as they explore our world and learn where things are. Math students could use the tool to calculate distance. Students in English classes could incorporate this virtual travel into some of their expository writing. Personally, I loved the flight simulator tool included. Over the past few years, I have used Google Earth more and more just to plan travel. I'm not so sure how I feel about having pictures of MY house online for the world to see and finding my address is just too easy...nonetheless, Google Earth is one seriously awesome tool for teachers (and everybody else ) to use. I hope to have some time soon to explore more about using it with my students.

3.15 Custom Google Searches

Screenshots of my Custom Google Search Page

Link to PDF versions of my search page: Ron's Google Search

Reflection: One of the biggest battles teachers seem to face, in my opinion, is teaching students how to navigate the web and determine good information from bad. If we allow students access to most search engines, they will get a very mixed bag of results. Teaching them how to decide what is reliable information is proving difficult...there are a lot of adults out there who can't figure out the difference... At any rate, Google Custom Search solves part of the problem. Teachers can limit the sources students use as they engage in searches. This is an excellent tool. Just the other day, one of my colleagues asked me if I thought limiting research for students completing their research papers to domains ending in .edu was a good idea. I told her that I sympathized with her and share her concerns about students often citing junk in their work. Custom search tools like this one is certainly a way to reduce the "junk" to which students are exposed.

3.16 Collecting Data With Google Docs

Screenshot of my Google Docs Survey

Link to the Survey: IWB Survey

Screenshot of Data Results Page - These results are actually practice as I sent the survey link to both my home and to my school email addresses.

Link to pdf version of the results page: 7462_googlesurvey_rah

Reflection: How can Google Data Collection be useful to teachers? This survey is actually one I am using as part of my data collection regarding the implementation of interactive whiteboard technology at Lakeview Fort Oglethorpe as I work to develop a professional learning tool (wiki) to help with the implementation of Mimio devices into our classrooms. There are many ways teachers could easily use Google Docs Surveys to collect data and information. They could use the tool to collect information from their colleagues. They could collect survey information for both students and parents. There are so many possibilities with this tool. Students could respond to everything from how they are doing on their course projects, their collaboration efforts, their opinions on books and texts, to simply how they feel about a specific class or lesson. Basically, this is a great and FREE way to collect data. The results are stored in our Gmail accounts and easily accessible from anywhere. The results can be exported. Google Docs Surveys is one of the most potentially useful tools we have seen this semester.

Assure Web 2.0 Tool - Quizlet - Topic: EMPLOYMENT PERFORMANCE

Students will learn what to expect on a new job, what an employer expects regarding job performance and work habits/attitudes, and what an employee's rights are on the job.
Work-Related Skills - Students will explore what is expected in beginning a new job and learn facts and information that will help them develop positive work ethics.
a. Summarize expectations of what is expected of a new employee.
b. Explain how companies are organized and what its written and unwritten rules and policies are.
c. Identify ways to work effectively with a supervisor.
d. List and describe employer expectations for employees regarding job performance, work habits, and attitudes.
e. Explain the purpose of performance evaluation on the job

www.gadoe.org Career Essentials I Curriculum Guide

ASSURE Lesson Plan Objective
Audience: Students enrolled in Career Essentials 1 (9th-11th graders)
Behavior: Students will learn ten vocabulary words related to employment performance.
Condition: Students will learn the terms by using Quizlet flashcards and games , computers, and the Internet (www.quizlet.com)
Degree: Students will have 5 minutes to learn 10 terms and take a ten question test.
Objective statement: Given access to the online Quizlet flash cards, Career Essential 1 students will learn 10 employment related terms and definitions with 90% accuracy .

ANALYZE LEARNERS:
Grade - 9-11, ages 13-18, racially diverse
Identified as at-risk / special populations
All regular education students
Learning styles - mixed
Prior knowledge - Students have been participating in workplace related instruction since the beginning of the semester so some of the terms covered in this lesson have been briefly introduced in previous instruction.

STATE OBJECTIVES:
Given access to the online Quizlet flash cards, Career Essential 1 students will learn 10 employment related terms and definitions with 90% accuracy .

SELECT INSTRUCTIONAL METHODS, MEDIA, AND MEDIA
Students will use classroom computers to access the Internet and the website www.quizliet.com. Students will use quizlet flashcards and games to learn the terms and their definitions.

UTILIZE MEDIA AND MATERIALS
Teacher will set up a Quizlet account prior to the activity. Teacher will create the flashcards for student use. Immediately prior to students engaging in the activity, the teacher will instruct/demonstrate students on proper login procedure to the site and how to access the terms.

REQUIRE LEARNER PARCIPATION:
Students will have 5 minutes using the site to learn the 10 terms. They may select to use the site's flashcard system or the games to learn the terms. After 3 minutes of online activity, students will be reminded to take the test, print, and turn in their scores.

EVALUATE AND REVISE
Actually, I gave this lesson plan a "trial run" the other day with a couple of students, and I realized that if I were actually going to use this with a full class, I either needed to reduce the number of terms or allow for more time using the site - which is more than likely what I would do.

Using Quizlet at LFO High School Video -Takin' Care of Business