As we have learned during this
course, including technology in our daily classroom routines could make our
jobs a bit simpler. In this week’s readings, I was happy to read about
technology as an organizational tool, and I agree with Bauer when he says
staying organized is “essential” in the classroom (2014, p. 169). If we do not
keep track of the various aspects of our jobs, it is very easy to fall behind
on our responsibilities. There are different ways a teacher can stay organized,
including using folders or planners, but digital task management systems are
gaining popularity, for they allow teachers to store many aspects of the job in
one location, such as the Cloud (2014, p. 169).
In the Welcome meetings at my new school today, I discovered that the
school is transitioning to become a Google Apps for Education (GAFE) school. I
was initially intrigued by the OneNote program during this week’s studies, but
I think Google is a resource that will provide similar opportunities for my
colleagues and me. Within this program, I will be able to store all my teacher
documents, including permission slips, take-home letters, music libraries, and
instrument inventories. Using Google Classrooms, I may require the students to
complete a weekly homework assignment that involves audio or visual recordings
of a portion of their practice sessions. They could also complete music history
projects with Google Maps and the presentation app. Other apps within Google,
such as Google Forms, will help me stay organized while maintaining a paperless
environment. Through this app, parents can fill out order forms or contact
information forms, and students can complete concert reflections. Communication
with parents, colleagues, and community members is crucial for the success of a
music program, and digital task management systems, like Google apps, could
make communication quicker and easier (Bauer, 2014, p. 171). This system will
allow me to create regular newsletters (digital or hard copy) to share
important or exciting music news with the public. Any information created
through Google can easily be put on a classroom blog or a classroom website,
allowing the public to access it at any time.
Google apps will be a great resource
because it allows consistency in programs among teachers and students, which
will allow for ease in instruction and an increase in understanding between
both parties. I am excited about the opportunities that Google provides for my
classroom, and I am anxious to see it implemented at our school!
Bauer,
W.I. (2014). Music Learning Today:
Digital Pedagogy for Creating, Performing,
and
Responding to Music. New
York, NY: Oxford University Press.
Hi Stephanie,
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with you and Bauer about organization is essential in the classroom. It should also state that organization for teaching is essential not only in the classroom, but in preparation for the classroom as well. There is more and more being asked of teachers outside of the classroom every year. One of the ways we stay organized as a music department is through the use of Google Apps. My school district made the switch to Google Apps about five years ago. It has really helped us work together without having to actually be together. We can all work on a document at the same time from different places when making district wide permission slips and other things like that.
Another great thing is you can have students work on projects within Google Apps and they can share it with you. Everything is found right there on the computer so you do not have to go flipping through piles of paper. One feature I am absolutely in love with is any document you email or is emailed to you is stored in the drive. This is great because I do not have to sifting through my email to find a document, I can just go into my drive and there it is. It has come in very handy when I thought I have lost a document.
It can have its drawbacks if you are accustomed to using other programs like Microsoft Word. Some of the features do not line up between the two programs. Sometimes when I work on a document on my home computer and I use Word, I will have to reformat the document if I want to put it into Google Docs. Many times I will not reformat the document and email it to others instead. It will still be stored within their own drive so they can access and reformat if they want to.
I hope you have a great school year and have fun using the Google Apps!
Jodie
Hello Stephanie!
ReplyDeleteI had the same thought when it came to OneNote. I immediately was taken back by all of the features and resources. As I continued to work with it, I realized that Google Classroom and other Google Apps provide the same features and is readily available to our students, especially at schools such as ours that are going the "Google" route. All of my 3rd-5th grade students already have a Google account, so creating a Google Classroom would only be a matter of having them join my classroom. I have used Google Classroom only for a small enrichment class, but it worked amazingly well! I saw those students once a week, but I would post questions or links to videos throughout the week and could see that my students were watching and responding even when not in class. I hope to integrate this assistive technology even more this year, probably beginning with my recorder unit. I hope to be able to post PDFs of their recorder music into a Google Classroom and then have them submit audio recordings for evaluations. I hope you have a great year and good luck with your new technology knowledge!
Stephanie