Google Apps

Google Apps would help me be a more efficient educator in a few ways.  One it would help me with organization with the integration of Google calendars.  I find myself carrying around 2 or 3 different day planners each school year because I am writing information everywhere.  The calendar app will allow me to just carry around my laptop or phone and keep track of everything going on in and out of the classroom.  Another way the apps would help is through the Google site tool.  I have wanted to create a class website but found that some sites and tools are very difficult to navigate.  The Google site that I created had endless possibilities.  I loved how I could easily access my Google Drive and upload documents or forms to the site.  It was easy to create the sub-pages for different classes and topics.  I see myself using this tool in the very near future.  Finally the Google Apps would help me be more efficient as an educator by using the Google Docs tool.  Google Doc is like having Office available everywhere and with any platform.  I use PC at work and Mac at home and Google Docs allows me to work freely from either one.  This helps in starting a task at home or work and finishing where needed.

Google Apps could help with collaboration between students, parents, and myself by helping me to keep them informed through the Google site.  I can provide useful links for parent to access students’ assignments, grades or to contact me.  Parents would be able to see if students have homework or not, or if they have big exam coming up.  It also provides me with the push needed to keep the site current for parents.  Putting in the work on the site will help with future conversations about students’ grades or expectations of the classroom.

I knew that Google had many resources but the favorite tool I learned about this week was the Google site.  I was able to create the site in an about an hour including calendar and uploading files.  Any tool that I can use that also saves time is a huge bonus.