Group Leadership Project

Christina and I did our tutorial about how to use Google Docs in the classroom, either for student work or to help teachers.  Since we were encouraging the use of Google Docs, the logical choice was to do our presentation using Google Docs.  In order to talk over the project and use some visual aids, we also used Voicethread in order to record instructions and draw attention to specific items on the different pages.

While Christina and I were developing our project, I learned that I really dislike doing projects that have step-by-step instructions.  I think that I do that step-by-step process anyway, but I think when a project is done in that way it isn't always conducive to changes that may help along the way.  I don't mind having a starting point, but I felt like we were bound by what we'd decided at the beginning.  I'm sure I'm in the minority about tracking the progress of a project like this, but I like to have to freedom to try something, then say, "Scratch that; this isn't going to work" and begin with something else.  

That being said, I learned I really liked using Voicethread.  I started by completing my portion of the project using VT on my computer, then I learned that there was an application for the iPad, and I completed the rest of it on the iPad.  The iPad app was brilliant!  It made circling and writing on the presentation so much easier (by using a stylus) and the sound was much better!  I plan on using VT on my iPad much more.  My students are getting iPads for the classroom next year, and VT is definitely one of the programs I'm asking my administrators to put on them!

I will definitely be doing more presentations like this for my classes!  Our project really focused more on how teachers can use Google Docs for organization and collaboration, etc., but I think I'd like to do presentations like this for a class website.  It would be a great way to have students watch/listen to lectures, and using VT to write and draw on the presentation would allow me to bring attention to specific parts of the lecture.  For example, if I were composing a lesson on DNA, I could be sure to highlight/circle new vocabulary terms and perhaps break them down to help students remember them.  


Julie and Christina's Google Docs Tutorial