Friday, December 20, 2013

Around the World With Google



Over the past three years, I've had the opportunity to travel around the world and connect with teachers that are implementing Google Apps into their classrooms. I've had the privilege of planning the speaker schedule at the Google in Education Summits Produced by the Ed Tech Team and it’s taken me to may different corners of the earth to meet some of the most amazing, talented and creative teachers.

I’d love to share some of the amazing ways that teachers are implementing Google Apps all around the world. I recently sent a Google Form to my network and asked them about a project that they have recently done with students. Take some time to learn from this Global group of teachers.






Meet Jane MacKenzie-Hoskyn from Cape Town, South Africa!
School: Parklands College

Google Apps Project
Zoom to the d'Orsay

Description of the Project
In addition to a demonstration, students are given both verbal and digital instructions, together with a rubric, on how to access and 'walk' through the virtual Musee d'Orsay to enter the Impressionism Gallery. The instructions are made available through a Virtual Learning Environment. To develop VISUAL LITERACY, in pairs, they EXPLORE, COLLABORATE and IDENTIFY Impressionist works, discuss the characteristics and the techniques, SHARE their ideas and observations, before answering some questions and doing a VISUAL ANALYSIS in a Google form. The form is shared to all the students so that they can see each other's answers. The teacher then discusses their responses before the formal lessons on Impressionism commence. This is an engaging activity that serves as an introduction to Impressionism before the commencement of formal lessons.

If you want to learn more about Jane MacKenzie-Hoskyn’s project, visit these links.
http://one2onejourney.blogspot.com/2013/05/zoom-to-orsay-visit-to-virtual-art.html

Apps used in this project
Gmail, Drive - Forms, Google Art Project



Meet Matt Wells from Sydney , Australia!
School: All Saints Catholic Boys College, Liverpool

Google Apps Project
Using Forms and Scripts to Automate My Day

Description of the Project
In my daily work I am making use of scripts such as Autocrat, Formmule, Doctopus and Flubaroo to automate my own work and the work of others. I am also actively promoting the use of these tools to others. I recently presented to our school support staff of a method of delivering telephone messages to staff using a From and Formmule.

When I implemented the Google Ninja program at All Saints Catholic Boys College, I redesigned the quizzes to be powered by Formmule so that students would receive instant feedback when they completed the quiz.

If you want to learn more about Matt Wells’s project, visit these links.

Presentations:
https://sites.google.com/site/mbw761/flubaroo
https://sites.google.com/site/mbw761/formmule
https://sites.google.com/site/mbw761/doctopus

ASCBC Ninjas
https://sites.google.com/a/syd.catholic.edu.au/ascbc-ninjas/

Apps used in this project
Gmail, Drive - Docs, Drive - Forms, Drive - Spreadsheet, Google Sites



Meet Wes Warner from Brisbane, Queensland, Australia!
School: Genesis Christian College

Google Apps Project
Awards data collection

Description of the Project
We are going paperless to collect student data eg: What events have they participated in, what church and community events have they been involved in. We are using forms now to collect and publish this data term by term.

I am wanting to use a script like autocrat that will automate the entire process.

If you want to learn more about Wes Warner’s project, visit these links.
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1991uPS7UPet7NZ1zyYaIz1_jVhBA-kdLpF9KV9jant8/viewform

Apps used in this project 

Gmail, Drive - Forms


Meet Shaun Kirkwood from Singapore , Singapore!
School: Singapore American School

Google Apps Project
Parent Teacher Conference Scheduling

Description of the Project
We use the Autocrat Script and Google sites in combination to create hyperlinked documents for parents and teachers to use to sign up for conferences. This is in place of a wiki which used to cost us $6000 a year, and didn't allow simultaneous editing, editing without an account, and required hours and hours of back end work. Now that we have our website set up, we simply run the script, then documents are created, and since the spreadsheet is already published on the site, the parents always have the most current link. It's a thing of beauty!

Apps used in this project Drive - Docs, Drive - Spreadsheet, Google Sites



Meet Kern Kelley from Newport, Maine , United States!
School: Regional School Unit #19

Google Apps Project
Digital Portfolios

Description of the Project
We use Google Apps to collect, manage and publish digital portfolios from Pre K to graduating seniors. It's help students not only see how learning does not happen in 9 month chunks, but as a continuum throughout their academic career and beyond.

If you want to learn more about Kern Kelley’s project, visit this link.
http://thetechcurve.blogspot.com/2013/01/digital-portfolio-system.html

Apps used in this project 
Gmail, Drive - Docs, Drive- Presentations, Drive - Forms, Drive - Spreadsheet, Drive - Drawings, Google Sites, YouTube, Blogger, Google Voice, Calendar, Google+, Google Search, Google Maps, Picasa, Google Books, Bookmarks, Hangouts



Meet Dorothy Burt from Auckland , New Zealand!
School: Pt England School

Google Apps Project
Why do we pay Taxes?

Description of the Project
I was invited to take a group of ten year old children to speak to the senior managers of the Inland Revenue Department about how they learn in the digital age. This meant flying children to our capital city, Wellington - some of whom had never been on a plane before. This cohort of children represent two groups who the government traditionally struggles to connect with in terms of the taxation system; young people and Maori/Pacifika people.
How do you prepare young children for this? Especially when I am not their class teacher and they would need to conduct this Inquiry independently. I set up an Inquiry with them "Why do we need to pay taxes". We found a shared Google Doc and email and chat VERY helpful during the learning process. The children used Google tools and explored online, interviewed family and teachers, and other resources. They published their findings on their blogs and we used a Google Site to collate their independent findings. We sent this URL to the IRD in advance of our visit.
https://sites.google.com/a/ptengland.school.nz/ird/
PS. The experience on the day in Wellington went amazingly from both perspectives - the children and the IRD folk.


If you want to learn more about Dorothy Burt’s project, visit these links.
https://sites.google.com/a/ptengland.school.nz/ird/

https://picasaweb.google.com/115739482497647806762/2013AmbassadorKidsInAction?authkey=Gv1sRgCMfew97OzoGM_gE

This photo shows the kids with the bosses of NZ's tax system

Apps used in this project
Gmail, Drive - Docs, Drive - Forms, Drive - Spreadsheet, Google Sites, YouTube, Blogger, Google Search, Google Maps, Picasa, Hyperstudio


Meet Rab Paterson from Saitama, Japan!
School: International Christian University

Google Apps Project
Educational Multimedia Projects

Description of the Project
I have the students chose a research topic and group them according to topics chosen. Then they research their topics using Google Search, Books and Scholar, collect data using Google Forms, write their papers and peer review them using Google Docs, make presentation slideshows using Google Presentations, narrate them using Quicktime X and / or iMovie and upload these video presentations to Youtube and at the end the groups design and build a Google Site that stylistically matches their group theme and this site hosts all the papers, slideshows, narrated video presentations and all the other digital bits and pieces the students created in their projects. Finally they write up their reactions to this project on their blogs at Blogger.com including what they feel they learned from this.

If you want to learn more about Rab Paterson’s project, visit this link.

https://sites.google.com/site/hiptomusic/ - for an example of a final group project website hosting papers, slideshows, presentations, narrated screencast presentation and intro video.

Apps used in this project
Gmail, Drive - Docs, Drive- Presentations, Drive - Forms, Google Sites, YouTube, Blogger, Google Search, Scholar and Books from Google, QuicktimeX and iMovie from Apple


Meet Lise Galuga from Ottawa, Ontario , Canada!
School: Ministry of Education, Ontario

Google Apps Project
Connecting Kids

Description of the Project
Ontario is Canada’s most populated province spanning an area of nearly one million square kilometers. Although our country is officially bilingual, only 4% of Ontario’s population speak French as their mother tongue. This reality means that our French-language schools, especially those in outlying areas, have few students and, by extension, few teachers. Some schools may only have three or four students in the same grade. When working in such isolated environments, teamwork is key and requires the support of online collaborative platforms. Google Apps are becoming the universal standard toolkit for connecting our classrooms. To maximize the effectiveness of these tools, I leverage the collective expertise of the GCT community which allows me to optimize cooperation among our teachers and students, allowing them to cultivate success in their communities.

If you want to learn more about Lise Galuga’s project, visit these links.
www.galuga.ca

Apps used in this project
Gmail, Drive - Docs, Drive- Presentations, Drive - Forms, Drive - Spreadsheet, Drive - Drawings, Google Sites, YouTube, Google Voice, Calendar, Google+



Meet Jason Jurotich from St. Louis , Mexico!
School: EBC

Google Apps Project
Exams

Description of the Project
I use Google Spreadsheets/Forms for the monthly exams of the students and Google Docs for their writing assignments. The real time collaboration to correct their work and functions within Spreadsheets to automatically grade their exams has been wonderful.

If you want to learn more about Jason Jurotich’s project, visit this link.
http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLfCL9tw4dakOuZR2qVS60jGriTZ_FH5R_

Apps used in this project

Gmail, Drive - Docs, Drive - Forms, Drive - Spreadsheet, YouTube


Meet Abena Bailey from Putrajaya, Malaysia!
School: NISP

Google Apps Project
Cultural Crossovers

Description of the Project
We use GAFE to connect with classrooms. One example comprises of our learners making requests for media from our partner school in a Google spreadsheet on a given topic e.g. cultural events. Our partners respond by putting their names beside the requests and then fulfilling them by recording media in their local context. We reciprocate in the same way. Once we have received the media, it is incorporated into a presentation which compares us to our partner school and all findings are collated on a website which we browse and feed back on.
This is a great handshake project for learners to get to know about each other before we continue with more ambitious collaboration through the year.

If you want to learn more about Abena Bailey’s project, visit these links.
http://goo.gl/GKtcu9

Apps used in this project
Gmail, Drive - Spreadsheet, Google Sites, YouTube

Meet Dianna Pratt from Singapore , Singapore!
School: Singapore American School

Google Apps Project
Migrant Workers Outreach Program Computer Classes

Description of the Project
Migrant Workers Outreach Program, known as MWOP, is a HS service club. The mission of the club is to help the Migrant Worker Adult population in Singapore to enhance their computer and english skills. The workers come from all over the region from India to the Philippians. The club has been in place for over 10 years and recently changed the curriculum to include Google Apps. The curriculum is about Productivity and Communications. For example, students make resume's with Docs, set up a budget with Spreadsheets, use advanced search techniques to find useful resources in their own languages, and learn about creating a site for a business to name a few of the learning. HS students have created the curriculum and they teach the classes and they are amazing. I am just their sponsor and do what they say.

If you want to learn more about Dianna Pratt’s project, visit this link.

Here is the FB page the students have made: https://www.facebook.com/pages/SAS-Migrant-Workers-Outreach-Program/205588786122886

Apps used in this project
Gmail, Drive - Docs, Drive- Presentations, Drive - Forms, Drive - Spreadsheet, Google Sites, YouTube, Blogger, Google Search, Google Maps



Meet Tracy Poelzer from Kamloops, BC, Canada!
School: School District #73 Kamloops/Thompson

Google Apps Project
Four Shot Video Project

Description of the Project
Inspired by Jim Sill's YouTube workshops and his description of 4 shot videos, I put together this project for use with both staff and students. Everyone I have done the project with loves it! Participants work in teams to create short, 4 shot videos that tell a story and have a "surprise" at the end. Participants draft a storyboard on paper and have it approved by the instructor prior to getting a device/camera to use to do their recording. Using YouTube video editor, they edit their video clips and add a music track, making it into a polished finished product. All videos are marked "unlisted" in YouTube privacy settings. Participants share the link to their finished video through a Google form embedded onto a page of the project site, and the finished playlist is embedded into the final page of the project site.

If you want to learn more about Tracy Poelzer’s project, visit these links.
https://sites.google.com/site/4shotvideos/ (Template that anyone can copy and modify/adapt)
http://fourshot.weebly.com (original project site with student playlist)

Apps used in this project
Drive - Forms, Google Sites, YouTube



Meet Jessica Hale from Kuala Lumpur , Malaysia!
School: Oasis International Schools

Google Apps Project
Diversity and Web Connections

Description of the Project
As part of the High School 'tech bootcamp' for our 1 to 1 laptop program, we facilitated a session entitled 'Diversity and Web Connections' to help the students visually understand how small the world can get when they are connected digitally. First, we provided a link to a document with explanations, instructions, etc. On the document, there was a link to one google map for entire high school (250+ students). Each student linked to the map and placed a pin on someone in another country. We were then able to facilitate a discussion on how these connections affect them socially and educationally.
If you want to learn more about Hale, Jessica’s project, visit these links.

Link to Session Document: https://docs.google.com/document/d/11oYwIrYUm9ArYKbHS8s1MwfgSLsSjoSnDhmpUPBwz0w/edit?usp=sharing

Link to Google Map: https://maps.google.com/maps/ms?msid=209322096228454097568.0004aa255cfec21aa6551&msa=0&ll=39.095963,128.320313&spn=143.350882,310.078125

Apps used in this project
Drive - Docs, Google Maps


Meet Linda Lindsay from Makawao, HI , USA!
School: Seabury Hall

Google Apps Project
Student International Hangout

Description of the Project
We joined Jennifer Scheffer's first Student International Hangout http://jennscheffer.wordpress.com/2013/08/08/a-student-run-international-google-hangout/ Though there were technical problems, our students liked the idea of an open forum. They came away with ideas for hosting their own international hangout.

If you want to learn more about Linda Lindsay’s project, visit these links.

I am working on a blog post about our school's participation in the hangout.It will appear in the next day or two at www.mauilibrarian2.com

Apps used in this project

Google+


Meet Holly Hoskins from Dubai , UAE!
School: American School of Dubai

Google Apps Project
Web Design

Description of the Project
Students in Web Design host their websites using Google Drive. This has allowed them to publish websites they create using both HTML and CSS from scratch and Dreamweaver without having to pay for or register a domain.

If you want to learn more about Holly Hoskins’s project, visit these links.

https://googledrive.com/host/0Bzq-o_PGWQY4NV9RYXk1NUVvM2M/
https://googledrive.com/host/0BxQcupleclllbTRFMU82Q2pKZkk/index.html
https://googledrive.com/host/0BwE6vvn3IZQwZGlBT191SHNWTk0/

Apps used in this project
Gmail, Drive - Docs, Drive - Forms, Google Search






Meet Jennie Magiera from Chicago, IL United States!
School: Chicago Public Schools / Academy for Urban School Leadership

Google Apps Project
Layering Google Apps for Student Success

Description of the Project
Our students are leveraging Chromebooks and Google Apps on the iPad to become authors, artists, curators and community leaders. They are creating original content through YouTube, collaborating through Google Drive and curating their world through Google Art Project and other powerful Google Tools. Students are rocking performance tasks by creating interactive Google Maps or developing media-rich Google Presentations. All the while, student achievement is measured daily through formative Google Forms assessments, which are graded and analyzed through a suite of Google Scripts.

Apps used in this project
Drive - Docs, Drive- Presentations, Drive - Forms, Drive - Spreadsheet, Drive - Drawings, Google Sites, YouTube, Blogger, Calendar, Google+, Google Search, Google Maps, Google Earth, Google Scripts

It is so amazing to see this global network of teachers working to transform how students create and collaborate for learning.  To hear more about how teachers are using Google Apps all around the world follow the hashtag #gafesummit.



Don't miss the Google in Education Summit coming to a region near you in 2013-2014.

Additional US and Global Summits at www.gafesummit.com