T4 - Jordan School District

CONTEXT

• WHO: Participants and their roles - JSD District specialists and consultants
  
• WHY: Situation that calls for the learning - From the LNRA Technology Assessment using the clickers on September 25, 2007
  
• WHEN: Time frame - Teacher Specialist Meeting, 1 session, 1 hour
  
• WHERE: ASB auditorium, Specialists Meeting, Nov 28,

CONTENT

• WHAT: Using Google Docs for Collaboration
  
• WHAT FOR: The advancement of 21st century skills using technology – Assuming shared responsibility for collaborative work

PROCESS

• PRE-INSTRUCTION:
  
  Email invitation to watch Podcast at T4 on how to create a gmail account and accomplish that learning task.
  
  Teacher specialists to bring computers to meetings.

• INDUCTIVE: Activate personal prior knowledge, motivation
  
  Show video by Common Craft: "Google Docs in Plain English" - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eRqUE6IHTEA
  
  Have teams discuss how they currently share and collaborate on documents.
  
  Discuss with your team how using Google Docs is different from your traditional mode of sharing documents.
  
  

• INPUT:
  
  Demonstrate how to create a new document and how to share a document. Have a member of each team create a document and then share it with the rest of the team. Have each team member practice collaborating on the document.
  
  

• IMPLEMENTATION: Opportunities for practice
  
  After creating a gmail account and exploring the google interface, the teacher specialists will create a google document and/or spreadsheet, and discuss how to use google docs with curriculum teams and with students in the classroom.
  
  

• INTEGRATION: Transfer, application, synthesis
  
  Each team will create a document and/or spreadsheet to use together in their work over the course of the next month.
  
  
• ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS:
  
  How does your team currently work on collaborative documents?
  
  What are some frustrations you may have with the way you currently work on collaborative documents?
  
  How could Google Docs be an effective tool to use with your team?
  
  How do you see Google Docs used with students in curricular areas?
  
  What do you see as possible pitfalls in using Google Docs?

FOLLOWUP

In the next specialist meeting, question and review how this process worked for teams. Elicit ideas for them presenting this to teachers as they work with them in schools. Continue with tips and tricks using google docs.

Google Docs Tour  

Google Tools for Educators

Teach Collaborative Revision with Google Docs

Additional Google Tools

Google for Educators: The Best Features for Busy Teachers

Drape'sTakes Blog on "Why Every Teacher Should Have a Google Account"