First "Google Apps for Education" workshop.

As we collaborated on one document, trying to get the feel for google docs, one person wrote, "Wow google is amazing".  I read this thinking, "Yes, but so much, where do I start?" Not long after, someone changed the post to read "Wow google is a maze."

There is sooo much to know about google, so much I didn't know, even more that I didn't think it was capable of, and so much more I still don't know.

So today, I would like to share and reflect on some of the things I have learnt.

1. What's wrong with education cannot be fixed with technology.” Steve Jobs. Technology magnifies what is already happening in your classroom. So really, if your teaching is not up to standard, it will magnify your mistakes. On the other hand, if you are providing your students some amazing learning opportunities, then these can be magnified using technology. Technology is not there to replace the teacher, instead to support the learning.

2. "Why should primary students work collaboratively on a google document?" I got asked this question, and was completely thrown of balance, how do I respond? Often students are working together on one document, powerpoint or movie using one computer, with one person dominating all the input. However, working on google docs, wevideo, or google slides, students can work collaboratively and everyone can add. No one left out! Brilliant!!

3. Want tests that are marked by a computer, but created by you? Use google forms. You select the questions and responses, google can mark, graph and analyse the results. Something I would love to learn more about. Perhaps we can do speed test in this format, it times students and marks instantly. Would save sooooo much time.

I'm looking forward to tomorrow session.