* How would you use cloud computing with this particular example?
The document that I created in google docs is just a simple word document of things to remember once the school year starts. It seems that I have all of these great ideas in the summer time and at the beginning and end of the year, but when school starts and I get really busy, I forget about what I wanted to do or change.
I would love for other teachers in this class to add to this document of things that are good to remember once the school year starts and we are crazy busy, and we feel like we don't have any more time for anything. What is most important? What will save time in the long run? How can we work smarter, when there are no more hours in a day to work longer? Starting my 4th year teaching, I have figured out a lot of things, but there are still some things that I forget or still haven't learned.
* Would cloud computing be a useful tool in your classroom? What are the pros and cons?
I have commented on Teri N's blog how it is super helpful for teachers to share and collaborate, and for staff in a building to communicate with each other, but I have not talked about how students can use it to promote learning. It would be good for group projects and papers for everyone to collaborate. I can remember in school, someone would usually get the job of typing up the final draft and having to put the whole thing together and edit it all themselves, and sharing documents allows everyone to take a part. There is also a lot of potential for note sharing among students, and it could provide a central study center for students to go to fill out study guides, get help, or have their questions answered. A con could be that it might replace the need for groups of students to get together and physically and mentally work together to solve a problem or complete a task.
I like your list so far, but it wouldn't let me comment. :/ The media specialists use Google Docs and email to communicate with each other--we're kind of in the same boat as the language teachers, since it's tough to meet as PLCs within our subject area. Cloud computing has made collaboration easier for us. It'll be interesting to see how teachers use these tools with students this year, since they'll have their own Gmail accounts!
ReplyDeleteWhat a good idea! Everyone knows two (or more ;-p) heads are better than one. With everyone being able to put in their two (or more ;-p) cents into one document without making copies and emailing back and forth and all that mess, maybe people will be more willing to share and able to keep track of, and use, it.
ReplyDeleteOrganization can be a huge problem. I think I am organized on my computer, then spend lots of time looking for where I filed something! Edgewood staff are great at sharing within our courses, but sharing cross-curricular would be wonderful! You are right about needing to work smarter, not longer - for us and our students.
ReplyDeleteTrue on all counts, but I still think it's better to have a common version during a project that they can all work on, even if we know that in the end it will probably be unbalanced when it comes to who puts it all together. If we, as teachers, are also shared on the document, can we see who did most of the writing? That might help us fill out project evaluations.
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