LMS Overview: Google Classroom vs. Edmodo

In the ever changing world of technology, Wilson needs to adopt a learning management system (LMS) that can keep up. Although there are many great LMS softwares out there, Wilson would benefit the most from the adoption of Google Classroom, a free online platform intended solely for academic use. 

As a district, we already employ an educational gmail account for each child. This means it will work seamlessly into the integration of Google Classroom. Students will be able to receive, complete, and turn in assignments using applications, like Google Docs, Sheets, and Presentation, they are already familiar with and use on a regular basis. They will not have to remember a new log in or class code because it will be the same username and password they use to log in to school computers and their school email. 

With Google Classroom, remembering, completing, and turning in assignments becomes a synch. Complementary features such as calendar and assignment tags help students keep track of due dates for each class, project, and assignment. The tags allow students to filter their display screen so it only shows assignments for a particular tag. For instance, if Student A has eight assignments due with three different tags, she can choose to display only the assignments from one tag and hide the others. Teachers create the tags when they make a new assignment as well as the due dates and assignment types. When students submit their assignments, teachers can edit, comment, grade and return the assignments all online. Google Classroom also allows teachers to copy the grades to Google Sheets or download as a CSV; this means that teachers do not have to hunt for their grades, Google Classroom gathers them all in one designated area. All of these features lead to a more productive, less confusing classroom atmosphere. 

As the world becomes more digital, much of the written language our students encounter comes through technology (Bharti, 2014). The more exposure students have to digital writing and creating, in a controlled setting with a teacher to guide them, the better equipped they will be to handle the demands of the world in which they live. In fact, educators agree that students who write using technology show an increase in their ability to remain on task, complete assignments in full, develop critical thinking skills and imagination, and increase their vocabulary knowledge (Bharti, 2014). I have seen this with my own students; they are brainstorming, collaborating, editing, creating, writing longer and more complex pieces, and truly enjoying writing. 

Student and teacher communication increases when technology is involved. Students who normally wouldn’t participate in class now have an avenue to communicate in a safe place. Google Classroom allows students to post on a thread associated with an assignment for the entire class to see or post privately where only the teacher can see it. This feature takes away the anxiety associated with raising your hand during class. If the question is applicable to the entire class, the teacher can update the assignment instructions or post to the public classroom thread in order to inform the other students. 

Along with the plethora of student and teacher capabilities, Google Classroom comes equipped with a guardian summary feature. Guardians can be invited by teachers to link to their child’s Google Classroom account. They do not have access to the class itself but can choose to get daily or weekly summary reports of due dates, completed assignments, upcoming assignments, and more. It even shows them what their child is missing. When guardians accept the invite, it also allows the teacher to email them directly from Google Classroom. 

Google Classroom is user friendly and has very little start up time for teachers. It is a valuable tool Wilson should be implementing and using on a regular basis. 

References

Bharti, P. (2014, July 31). How to enhance your students’ communication skills? does technology help?. EdTech Review. Retrieved from http://edtechreview.in/trends-insights/insights/1358-how-to-enhance-your-students-communication-skills-does-technology-help

Mayer, A. (2016, Sept 1). The definitive guide to google classroom “parent view” aka guardian summaries. FriEdTechnology. Retrieved from http://friedtechnology.blogspot.com/2016/09/the-definitive-guide-to-google.html

Bloomz, Google Classroom, and Wunderlist: Oh My!

Hello All!
Today's post is all about technology and efficiency! I have created three video tutorials to help you be more efficient in your classroom using technology! Enjoy and let me know if you have any questions.

Google Earth is Awesome!

With all the technology out there, how do you know what the best ones are for your classroom? Research and personal trial; that’s what it comes down to in the end. However, I’m a teacher and know how hard it can be to find the time to research the background and statistics on a piece of technology you would like to use in your classroom. So, I did it for you; at least when it comes to Google Earth. 

What is Google Earth?

Google Earth is a free, downloadable software that uses satellite images to recreate a digitally explorable earth. It can zoom in, out, pan, spin, time hop, and so much more. With the ability to add layers to the earth, it brings deeper understanding to the places students are exploring. With all of these different features, there’s no reason Google Earth couldn’t be useful in your classroom! 

What the Research Says

Research says that bringing any technology, including Google Earth, into the classroom helps engage students more effectively than regular methods. It increases student motivation and self-esteem, when they can show what they know in a different way than multiple choice or short answer tests.  According to one U.S. Department of Education study (n.d.), “…students were able to handle more complex assignments and do more with higher-order skills because of the supports and capabilities provided by technology (para. 10).” 

Another study done by Britt and LaFontaine in 2009 looked at the difference between geography lessons using Google Earth versus traditional mapping. It showed that students easily understood the content and were confident in answering questions related to what they learned (Thankachan & Franklin, 2013). “Among the studies of presentation graphics that exist to date, the majority emphasize that presentation graphics increase the interest level of the classroom experience (Cuviello, 2010, pg. 3).”

The Pros and Cons of Google Earth

Pros

• It’s FREE!
• Dynamic in nature: You can deviate in your lesson plan quickly and easily if a student asks about a cite, which relates to your content, that is not in your pathway.
• Easy to use
• Visual
• Popular: this means that there are a lot of pre-made lesson plans you can download and change to fit your classrooms exact needs.
• KML or KMZ files: this means you can easily save, download, and share your Google Earth lesson plans over the internet and through email.
• Interactive
• Motivation and learning is increased

Cons

• Must be downloaded, cannot be used just over the internet
• Presenter is tied to their computer during presentations: there isn’t a way to use a clicker as of yet.
• Lessons can be tricky to build

What Can You Do With Google Earth?

There are too many great things you can do with Google Earth to list them all here BUT I want to give you at least one example of how to use Google Earth in the four main educational disciplines. 

Science: Let’s talk volcanoes! Students can use Google Earth to locate volcanoes through a scavenger hunt set up designed by their teacher or fellow classmates (Beta, 2011). Each student can follow the scavenger hunt to research different locations veiled in volcanoes. The Global Volcanism Program has already done some amazing work to build placemarks for numerous volcanoes around the world. Students can use the Timeslider to see the impact that recently erupted volcanoes had on the surrounding environment, look at the weather tool to see how the weather changed before and after eruptions, and so much more.

Social Studies: I teach 6th grade so let’s focus on Ancient Greece. Students can explore ancient city-state sites such as Athens, Sparta, Corinth, etc and see the ancient ruins that still speckle the landscape of modern Greece today. They can also transverse the Aegean Sea to Troy and glimpse a replica of the Trojan horse. Using the Panoramic view, they can stand at the top of Mt. Olympus and survey the land. Google Earth also has an altitude measure. Students can use this measure to locate Corinth and see the 2,000 foot high precipice it’s located atop. 

Math: An entire website is designed around the concept of using Google Earth in math. Real World Math (n.d.) designs lessons that target specific math concepts and places them in a real world setting. Students solve problems dealing with proportions, area estimation, volume, etc. One lesson looks at the Pyramids of Giza and asks students to estimate the volume of solids. 

English: Some people might look at this and think, “How on earth can you use Google Earth in an English class?”. Just wait and see! Many of the books we read have detailed settings that help bring the reader’s world alive. How cool would it be to actually see the places you’re reading about? For example, if students are reading Into the Wild, it might be fun to search Denali National Park and spend some time exploring the different terrains and vast wilderness, use Panoramic photo to walk around a location, etc. You can also use the Path tool to plot the main characters journey throughout the book. 

How To Create a Lesson (Virtual Field Trip)

This world is filled with excellent technologies that are at our fingertips. As an educator, it is your job to search them out and use them to their greatest ability. I hope this overview of Google Earth will inspire you to try it in your own classroom!

References

Beta, B. (2011, Jan 19). How teachers are using google earth in the classroom. The Next Web. Retrieved from http://thenextweb.com/google/2011/01/20/how-teachers-are-using-google-earth-in-the-classroom/

Cuviello, M. (2013). Evaluating google earth in the classroom. Retrieved from www.usma.edu/cfe/literature/cuviello_10.pdf

Global Volcanism Program (2013). Global Volcanism Program. Smithsonian Institution: National Museum of Natural History. Retrieved from http://volcano.si.edu/

U.S. Department of Education. (n.d.). Effects of technology on classrooms and students. U.S. Department of Education Archived Information. Retrieved from https://www2.ed.gov/pubs/EdReformStudies/EdTech/effectsstudents.html

Thankachan, B. & Franklin, T. (2013). Impact of google earth on student learning. International Journal of Humanities and Social Science, Vol. 3 No. 21. Retrieved from http://getliner.com/webpdf/web/viewer.html?file=607e1b0746743412fdfc710bc79e4f179fffd6c3.pdf

Real World Math (n.d.) Concept lessons. Realworldmath.org. Retrieved from http://www.realworldmath.org/concept-lessons.html

Here We Go...

I have never been much for blogging. I think sharing your personal life on the internet is risky and who really wants to read about my life? No one. BUT... I was challenged by one of my master's classes to create professional goals and carry them through. So... here we go.

This week, I have spent a lot of time looking through blogs on the internet, social media, Pinterest, etc. It has been quite informing and overwhelming at the same time. I tried something new with my students on Thursday and it went well. There were, of course, many hiccups along the way and things that I want to differently the next time, but, all in all, it was quite successful!

Let's Recap: This is the name of the new technology I incorporated into my classroom. It allows students to answer teacher created questions by recording their answers and submitting them via the platform. Most of my students thoroughly enjoyed the experience and I received some excellent answers.

Pros:
-It was fun to watch them get embarrassed at first as they watched themselves answer the question.
-Their answers were complete and thorough.
-They were engaged academically.
-It allowed grading to be done quickly and easily.

Cons:
-It was a lot of work to begin with. I'm hoping the next time I do it, it will be easier.
- It was hard to hear sometimes because everyone was recording at the same time
-Students were sometimes more interested in being in the background of their classmates videos than focusing on their own recordings.

Changes:
-Next time, I would like to prep my students more about exactly what I expect. Again, this was my first time using the software as well. Now that we've been through this once, I can better assess what my expectations really need to be.
- I would like to set a time limit so they know they only have a certain number of minutes to complete the assignment. I hope this will limit the amount of distractions and goofing off.

If you want to know more about Let's Recap or want to try it out yourself, visit letsrecap.com!

There are so many great resources out there and I can't wait to utilize more of them in my teaching on a regular basis. If you are going to make a concerted effort, the best thing to do is share it with the world. So, this is my plan...

The Plan 

(I'm sure this will change the more I do this but for right now this sounds like what I can handle)

1. Subscribe to Educational Technology Blogs
2. Commit to trying a new technology platform or idea in the classroom at least once a month.
3. Blog about the Pros/ Cons/ Changes that I had and would make based on my classroom experience.
4. Share a technology with my colleagues, in a staff meeting, at least once a month. (I've shown my principal some of the cool technology things I've done in my classroom already so she has dubbed me the classroom tech person)
5. Ask colleagues to share great technological resources they've found so I can implement them into my own classroom, as well.
6. Participate (not just follow) in twitter conversations with hashtags of #edtech, #ELA, #socialstudies, #6thgrade and more as I find them.

This blog and twitter will be my avenue for sharing what I learn and discover along the way!

Twitter: @kilee_kilee

If you follow me, you will see that I've already started on these goals! 👍🏼😊 💁🏻 I can already tell I'm going to thoroughly enjoy discovering everything @CarrieGelson has to offer!
 She is a Canadian Elementary teacher and book blogger. If you want to explore with me, check out her twitter or peruse her blog at your leisure. Enjoy!