We are Going Google Are you?

Yesterday, my colleague and I introduced Google Drive to the faculty of our middle school.  I know it will be a difficult hill to climb to get our teachers out of their comfort zone to use something that is so unfamiliar.  However, I started the introduction with 2 ideas.

The first idea was that using Google Drive is to their current structures as digital music is to 8 Track tapes.  The current model, probably common in many places includes logging into the network through a client (in our case it is Novell), then using network shares to access and store files with limited ability to share with colleagues across the district.  Going Google allows our teachers much more flexibility. (more about that below)

The second idea was that our teachers need some assistance and we will be there for them each step of the way.  I used the following video as a way to get them in a good mood:

I know that change is difficult, and is usually avoided. I wrote about that in 3 separate posts:  the Pessimist, the distracted, and the procrastinator.  I know deep down that teachers will embrace going Google, once they realize its potential.  I decided that I would speak to some of those potentials here:

1.  Going Google allows teachers access to their work anytime, from any device.  Whether they are a traveling teacher who teaches in 3 separate rooms, or the teacher like many people in the world that uses 4 different devices to access information such as a phone, tablet, laptop and desktop, going Google will help everyone access work from any device.

2.  Use of the "Drive" and a smartphone as a scanner to display work on their smartboards.  Every teacher in our district has a smartboard in their classroom.  They all want scanners.  Scanners can now be replaced with the technology they already have.  All they need to do is snap a picture of the document, and send it to their "Drive" and then display it on their smartboard.

3.  Collaboration has never been easier than with Google.  Sharing a Google doc with multiple colleagues as they work on a common assessment or curriculum plan is one click away.  They can even limit the collaboration to comments only.

4.   Auto Save.  No more "File Save as", "Ctrl-S" and certainly no more...."oh no! the computer crashed and I forgot to save"

5.  Google for Education gives them unlimited storage.  Wow...unlimited storage?  Yes, Unlimited storage.

6.  Google Classroom is a tremendous resource for teachers.  I just introduced it to our 4th grade teachers and posted a short blog on it here and here. 

There are many more reasons that going Google is the way of the future.  The more they use it, the more they are going to love it.  I am going to my first Google Summit the weekend of March 14, 15 in NJ.  I cannot wait to learn more and share it with my colleagues.


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