WEEK 2- Activity #4: Going Google - Apps for Education

Though I am completely baffled by technology, it has been amazing to see the District's Goals line up across all the summer learning.  Because I was in a professional development activity a few weeks ago on RtI (Really Terrific Instruction, not just Response to Intervention), I was introduced to a few Google Apps.  I downloaded a reader for students to experiment with listening to computerized tests read aloud, though my husband told me that there is talk that the app may be going away?  Anyone know? Though all they did was load apps on our Google Chrome and nothing more, they then forced us to use Google Docs.

#1 Anyhow, within the classroom, the use of Google Docs that I foresee could be the syllabus, which I made.  If I do it online with all the links to my online resources from there, my students, who general have executive functioning disorders in which they cannot organize or reference information, can access all the tools from their email.

#2 Another use of Google Docs could be when students enter and we do DAILY ORAL LANGUAGE.  They could all edit the same document, write a continuous story, or like one class discussed, compile and categorize a list of questions.

#3 Setting Powerpoint presentations online would be a way to help students who are absent on days of presentations or project "how-to"s.  I did not like the weird formatting, but it is a start.  If the Powerpoints made were then attached to the syllabus all year, it would make it easy for my students to find.

#4 Equally useful is the calendar.  Because my students and their parents may appreciate multiple reminders about due dates, I might communicate any outside class assignment due dates, or rather, the school calendar, with them... my question would be if I can send them automatic reminders (without their permission) like I do myself and my husband.   The problem is that I never went to G-mail before, and then when we had our I-Phones we no longer needed it... now with school I will have a reason to enter again, and if I put AAAAALL information there (at the end of my morphing syllabus), it will force my students to enter Google more often, as well.

.