In this unit, you’ll learn to:
- Apply the organizational benefits of Gmail in your classroom
- Explain how to use the Translation feature in Gmail to communicate with a diverse audience
- Identify the benefits of real-time communication with students
- Explain how to use instant messaging in Hangouts from any device
- Identify how Google Groups can be used in your classroom
- Identify the value of having a class website
- Create a customized Google Site for your classroom
Before we get there, let's start with Gmail. I've been a fan since it was in Beta, and invites were required to create an account. I love that if I want to tie multiple accounts together (one for free coupons, one for games, one for school, one for family) I can check them all very easily, and if I forget a password, it's also very easy to reset it. Despite being that easy to use, I've never had my accounts hacked. Some of that is due to my own diligence and internet savvy. Some of that is because they haven't had batches of data hacked and freely shared for all the world to see. Like Sony. Or banks.
What I've known for awhile but have never played with is that I can create my own folders for mail to go into, and then label the emails so when I search for it later, I can find it without rereading every email. What I didn't know is that I could color code things to make finding it even easier. I've recently re-discovered the All Mail tab, where mail I think I've deleted has gone. But I have to tell it to delete it twice. Once takes it out of the normal folder...and usually out of sight, out of mind. But let's say you didn't mean to delete it, so you go to check your trash...and it's not there. And you check trash, because you deleted it...and if it's within 30 days, you should find it there. But day 31? 100? Because Gmail gives its users so much space, it isn't in a rush to delete your information. Before you give up hope that the coupon you meant to use before it expires is gone, and you won't be saving on a holiday clearance sale, check your All Mail folder. It's probably in there, and you may even find missing socks.
The next tasty treat in this unit is Google Hangouts. Because every platform must have messaging capability! This isn't just a messenger though. Normally, in a messenger, you have a separate window for each person you are talking to. In a Hangout, you can have up to 150 people in one room. It combines the utility of a forum, with the instant gratification of a messenger, and the personalization of Google/Chrome! And if the purpose of the conversation is over, the hangout and associated conversations can be deleted. DIGCIT TIP: Only when all members of the Hangout delete the conversation will it truly be deleted. Think before you type! Even if it is deleted, you can't truly know if someone has taken a screenshot, so don't be careless. It could be a great tool for a classroom, a PLC, PD groups, or school clubs. The strongest feature for a classroom is that it can be impossible to hear everything every student is saying in class, especially in group work. But you can be a part of every Hangout and never miss an insight, question, or teachable moment! It's similar to a Twitter Chat, only the hashtag is private.
If you aren't looking for the immediacy of a Hangout, but still need to get information to a group, or a group needs to share on a regular basis, sure you could just make an email group and make attachments and pray you don't exceed file limits...or you could create a Google Group! Some schools that use GAFE also use Schoology for posting class events, assignments, and having limited conversations. Google Groups is the same thing, in that a Group can have a purpose, a forum, share dates and information with members - maybe parents don't need to be involved in the classroom Hangout, but you want to remind them of the fieldtrip coming up - Add them to the Group! Students are running a school store or webstore, and need to share responsibility in answering customer questions? Group! Have more than 100 people you need to email in a shot? Group! You can set the group to share access by the link, and the email list will update itself, so no one has to be the address book moderator - and that can be a headache and very time consuming.
And finally, the Google Site. We ask students to create audio-visual projects all the time, or paper and story one after another. In a digital age, with emphasis on portfolio growth, a Site is one way a student can keep track of all of their work, for every class. Create a home page for the student, add a new page for each class, and even a new page for each project, modifying the layout as necessary. Or a class can make a page together, or a group instead of bulky tri-fold posters. There are really many reasons to make a Site, and the more you do it, the more you can find a reason to. With 1:1 initiatives popping up in many schools, Sites can give students the agency they need to own their learning, and really display what teachers are looking for.
And because you're just dying to hear me describe it on a school-issued headset that makes me sound like an alien, here is my Screencast of using Google Sites:
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