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Herding Cats with Google Apps

Ann Kumm & Adam Hembree

WATESOL 2014 Annual Fall Convention

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A Modern Course Management Approach

October 18, 2014

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LEARNING MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS

University Systems: Blackboard, Course Sites, Angel, Canvas

Blogs: Wikispaces, Blogger

Personal/Class Websites

Paper-Based Scheduling (Traditional?)

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Does your language program lack a standardized system?

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RATIONALE

Why should we use Google Drive in our classrooms?

  • have a limited amount of time to plan in advance
  • need/want to alter lessons
  • have no program-wide learning management system
  • want students to be able to easily access course materials (smart phones/PCs/laptops/tablets)
  • want to prepare students for university
  • want our students to collaborate (with us and classmates)
  • want to promote autonomy

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BENEFITS

  • Develops student autonomy/responsibility
  • Accommodates multiple intelligences
  • Hassle-free approach to planning
  • Unified and clean platform for teachers
  • Modern yet distinct from social media

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WHAT IS GOOGLE DRIVE?

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GOOGLE APPS

Accessible apps from Drive:

Docs → MS Word

Slides → MS PowerPoint

Sheets → MS Excel

Forms → MS Access

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And many others...

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ONE-STOP SHOP

  • ONE LINK! (CLICK HERE for example)
  • One calendar, endless linking possibilities to supplements, assignments, etc.
  • Class announcements and updates incorporated
  • Class expectations are clearly outlined

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PLANNING AS YOU GO

  • “Work in progress”
  • Real-time viewing
  • Copy, paste, create, relocate, and delete materials in seconds to accommodate students (and teachers)

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COLLABORATION

Teacher-Student

Student-Student

SHARING OPTIONS

“View”

“View with comments”

“Edit”

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See revision history

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1. Teacher Comment

2. Student Response

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GOOGLE GROUPS

Features:

  • Personal and professional with Google IDs
  • Mobile device-compatible
  • Customizable fonts to color-code and organize
  • Clear, semi-intuitive functions

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ONLINE ASSIGNMENTS

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Alternative → Google Forms

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LIMITATIONS

The only thing you have to worry about is your browser

  • Compatible with up-to-date Internet Explorer, Firefox, & Safari.

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NOTE: you must have a Google account to share/edit docs

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BRAINSTORMING

Google Apps by skill:

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Grammar → Diagnostic quizzes (quiz and responses)

Reading → Discussion questions

Writing → Collaboration through the writing process

Vocabulary → Student-generated vocabulary lists

Listening → Links to theme-related videos

Speaking → Shared notes for class discussions, debate, etc.

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In what other ways can we incorporate Google Apps into our classrooms?

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LINKS TO RESOURCES & SLIDES

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http://linguisticmusingsbyann.blogspot.com/

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