Design Experiment 1

Google Apps for Education

I have not had the privilege of interacting with this technology as a whole to see just what all it can do but I did however watch a few YouTube videos. I must say I am intrigued. I am not an avid Google fan but they are proving to be good competitors with some tools and having no competition with others. That being said, I would have liked to see what their version of “Hangouts” for education is as well as just how different their collaboration is on their documents. I am also curious to how “simple” it is to create a website using their “sites” app.

Google Apps

Blogger

I see this app having endless possibilities. The way I would most likely utilize it would be during Balanced Literacy stations for Work on Writing. Students (2^nd grade) would be able to write about their experiences from the Summer, the stories they have read, or create short stories. I could also see this being utilized as a place to write a summary for history/social studies or science. Any subject could utilize a blog.

This is the app I use for my blog for this class. I cannot say that it is the most user friendly. It can be a little confusing so walking the students through the app/site a plethora of times is a must. Possibly having a laminated reminder posted of how to get where they need to be would most likely be a great idea (and a patience saver).

Google Earth

I debated on this one for a while but I think the students would enjoy it. The 3D effect is fun to them and allowing them to see just where they are in relation to what we are studying I believe would make the subject a little more concrete in their minds. I would utilize this app in a whole group setting. If I had the funds and technology provided I would allow the students to experiment with it in small group settings as well. My focus would be on geography of course for 2^nd grade. Students are to learn about maps and globes. Being able to see their town and zero in on their school to create a map of their own would assist them in their skills. I would also utilize this tool locate major landforms. I would utilize the street view and allowing students to see the monuments “up close” as they are.

Google Translate

The last app I chose was Google Translate. I recently went on an interview where one of the questions asked was “What would you do to assist our ESL students.” My response was,  “Anything that is asked of me because this is their education.” The interview was for a kindergarten position and I was informed that there were no specifics required just yet for them. So, I brought up Google Translate. Google Translate can utilize your camera to assist with a translation such as a note from home. It can utilize your microphone so that if you speak into it it translates for you. It also allows you to “write” on your phone and translates for you. I would utilize this app in every subject for every child necessary if it means furthering their education and breaking a simple barrier like communication to get them where they need to be to succeed.