GOOGLE APPS and Such

tarcone · 07-23-2016, 02:04 PM

Our school is going 1:1 next year with everyone getting a Google Chromebook.

I am in the process of completing my google level one certification. But it is a lot of info to remember in a short time.

I wanted to start a thread in hopes of people with experience using all the really cool google apps to post uses, tricks, shortcuts, etc.

Im excited by this development and cant wairt to get started using these apps.

I did use Classroom and slides last year. So I have a base knowledge of these. But I want to go paperless this upcoming school year. All help appreciated,

JonInMiddleGA · 07-23-2016, 03:52 PM

Having gone some of this (as a parent) with my kid, I'll offer a tip that at least _I_ believe is important.

Him, and his peers, got so accustomed to things being available on the local server while on school grounds that frequently they'd get home & realize "crap, I didn't save a copy of THAT".

My just graduated senior's advice for you about fully paperless -- which he said he felt guilty giving out of loyalty to other students -- was "don't do it". "That was license to never pay attention in class, since so much material ended up being on either the server or via Dropbox". The girls used the most paperless classes as shopping time, the guys played games. He urged mixing things up, at least often enough to keep student's on their toes.

The other thing we saw a lot -- and that created some issues for students -- was they got so accustomed to cloud/local server saves that an internet outage would cost them access to work both at school & at home. Not good when an assignment is due.

Not intended to discourage you, I think the transition to a largely digital school space is a good one in terms of preparing them for a lot of the future workforce, but it's definitely ripe to be gamed by creative students and creates some really bad habits.

tarcone · 07-23-2016, 10:42 PM

Thanks. That is interesting insight and much appreciated. Its good to hear from people that have gone through it.

As far as the internet being down thing. And Im not an expert. But I know our tech guy said you could save assignments and if the kid didnt have internet access at home, they were still able to work on it and then it would be there and be able to be turned in when they got internet access.

I believe our district is around 50% of students without internet access at home.

JonInMiddleGA · 07-23-2016, 11:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tarcone

As far as the internet being down thing. And Im not an expert. But I know our tech guy said you could save assignments and if the kid didnt have internet access at home, they were still able to work on it and then it would be there and be able to be turned in when they got internet access.

Okay, that was what I originally started to mention but my kid's input broke my train of thought.

What drove me nuts with him was getting accustomed to saving to the cloud or the local server at school. Take for example a joint project in science. They'd dump the doc on a server on campus for that purpose, for ease of collaboration. Aaaaand then they'd get home, something would need to be done & since they didn't have the habit of saving local -- my son rarely thinks to save anything relying instead on autosaves -- boom, can't work on it.

Drove. Me. Nuts. "How can you not be smart enough to SAVE?!?!?!?!?!"
Him: "I dunno, just never had the habit"
Me: "$%@^#@%^#^@ "

So make sure they understand that "saved" means different abilities to access depending upon where/how they save. Bad habits make me wonder if my otherwise bright kid will EVER get that shit squared away.

tarcone · 07-24-2016, 08:58 AM

Great point. Its amazing how a generation can make such a huge difference. I had a real problem at the beginning worrying if my stuff was saved or not. Now it seems to have swung completely in the opposite direction.

Thats good too know as well.

Izulde · 07-26-2016, 01:33 PM

If your school/district has access to a system like Canvas, use it for assignments - makes submission and grading so much easier, especially if you use TurnItIn plagiarism checker as part of the deal. I set it so that students can see their TurnItIn score when they submit, and reupload a revision if they catch it before the submission deadline. Since that time, I've only had to bust one student, so it's working.

07-23-2016, 03:52 PM	#2
JonInMiddleGA Hall Of Famer Join Date: Nov 2000 Location: Behind Enemy Lines in Athens, GA	Having gone some of this (as a parent) with my kid, I'll offer a tip that at least _I_ believe is important. Him, and his peers, got so accustomed to things being available on the local server while on school grounds that frequently they'd get home & realize "crap, I didn't save a copy of THAT". My just graduated senior's advice for you about fully paperless -- which he said he felt guilty giving out of loyalty to other students -- was "don't do it". "That was license to never pay attention in class, since so much material ended up being on either the server or via Dropbox". The girls used the most paperless classes as shopping time, the guys played games. He urged mixing things up, at least often enough to keep student's on their toes. The other thing we saw a lot -- and that created some issues for students -- was they got so accustomed to cloud/local server saves that an internet outage would cost them access to work both at school & at home. Not good when an assignment is due. Not intended to discourage you, I think the transition to a largely digital school space is a good one in terms of preparing them for a lot of the future workforce, but it's definitely ripe to be gamed by creative students and creates some really bad habits. __________________ "I lit another cigarette. Unless I specifically inform you to the contrary, I am always lighting another cigarette." - from a novel by Martin Amis

07-23-2016, 10:42 PM	#3
tarcone Coordinator Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Pacific	Thanks. That is interesting insight and much appreciated. Its good to hear from people that have gone through it. As far as the internet being down thing. And Im not an expert. But I know our tech guy said you could save assignments and if the kid didnt have internet access at home, they were still able to work on it and then it would be there and be able to be turned in when they got internet access. I believe our district is around 50% of students without internet access at home. __________________ Excuses are for wusses- Spencer Lee Punting is Winning- Tory Taylor The word is Fight! Fight! Fight! For Iowa FOFC 30 Dollar Challenge Champion-OOTP '15

07-24-2016, 08:58 AM	#5
tarcone Coordinator Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Pacific	Great point. Its amazing how a generation can make such a huge difference. I had a real problem at the beginning worrying if my stuff was saved or not. Now it seems to have swung completely in the opposite direction. Thats good too know as well. __________________ Excuses are for wusses- Spencer Lee Punting is Winning- Tory Taylor The word is Fight! Fight! Fight! For Iowa FOFC 30 Dollar Challenge Champion-OOTP '15

07-26-2016, 01:33 PM	#6
Izulde Head Coach Join Date: Sep 2004	If your school/district has access to a system like Canvas, use it for assignments - makes submission and grading so much easier, especially if you use TurnItIn plagiarism checker as part of the deal. I set it so that students can see their TurnItIn score when they submit, and reupload a revision if they catch it before the submission deadline. Since that time, I've only had to bust one student, so it's working. __________________ 2006 Golden Scribe Nominee 2006 Golden Scribe Winner Best Non-Sport Dynasty: May Our Reign Be Green and Golden (CK Dynasty) Rookie Writer of the Year Dynasty of the Year: May Our Reign Be Green and Golden (CK Dynasty)

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