Weekly Report & Reflection #7

Hello everyone!
I hope you are having a good week, mine just flew! Last night I went out for Halloween as a pumpkin and tonight I will be going out as the queen of spades. It should be a fun night!

Google. (CC) 2014

This week, we learn about the ever so fascinating Google docs. This is the best online tool I have used so far.  Google docs allows you to create online documents, presentations, spread sheets, etc that can be viewed from any computer, as long as you remember your password ;). Now, it gets better! Not only can you view this document, but you have the opportunity to share the document with fellow group mates (for a group project) where they can also access the document from any computer at any time, even at the same time as you. This is a great tool for group projects in education at any level. Collaboratively, students can work together on a project, and do not have to be together. For example, in a placement that I did this semester, a high school data management teacher put together a project with the physics teacher where students from each of the classes were to work together on a physics experiment. The students in the physics class would do an experiment and post their results that they found on a Google doc. Then, the students from the data management class would then analyze the results on the Google docs and create a Google spreadsheet of information. The students would use Google docs to collaborate their information, and finally make a Google slides presentation. Such a neat idea and really engaged students in collaboration of work.

Google forms is another key tool that can be used for various activities. At first I was unsure what Google forms was, so I did some research. Google forms can be used for birthday invitations, survey polls, student quizzes etc, and can be connected to a Google spreadsheet where the data collected from the forms, can be inputted immediately on Google spreadsheet. For example, if a high school was voting for a new school president, every student can go on their Google docs and vote on a shared Google form. Then the information will go to a spread sheet and tally the votes from the students in the school. How neat!

Another way Google forms can be used is for invitations. You can send any online invitations (Birthday, weddings, etc.) and people can reply. In the work place environment, you can send out an invitation for a conference or a work party, to know who can attend and who can not instead of asking each person individually.

I would definitely add this tool to my PLE as a collaborative and socializing tool. It is a fantastic tool that goes beyond the traditional group work and makes it easier for everyone to come together. This is a tool that I have not only started using in this class but, for my other classes as well and introduced my friends to it.


Here is my Feedly feed of interest for the week. It is an article on a web tool called thinklink and how it can be connected to online collage tools to make interactive collages.
http://www.freetech4teachers.com/2014/10/5-tools-to-combine-with-thinglink-for.html#.VFOhAlulYVghttp://www.freetech4teachers.com/2014/10/5-tools-to-combine-with-thinglink-for.html#.VFOhAlulYVg

Thanks for reading!
Missemilyp