Going Google Part 2:

I recently wrote about "Going Google".  Here is a section of the post:

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.

2.  Use of the "Drive" and a smartphone as a scanner to display work on their smartboards. 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.

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. 


However, there is a huge challenge to "Going Google".  Teachers will fear the unknown and the loss of something they know and use everyday.  We are all creatures of habit and fear change because it makes us uncomfortable.  Knowing and planning for the unknown can help ease this transition.


A teacher at the middle school asked to be introduced to Google Classroom once she heard about it from her colleagues.  Her request came and I set her students up.  Less than a week later she stopped me in the hallway to tell me how amazing it is.  She has already used Google Classroom as a means to assess understanding by setting up a Quiz and using Flubaroo to quickly grade the assignment.  She was also amazed that she can track her students' progress in real time as all the work is shared between her and her students.

I am confident that when teachers see the power of "Going Google", they will never miss the "good old days" of the past.

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