GoogleForums

In our second Educational Technology class we were introduced to the world of GoogleDocs.  As there are a variety of applications, we used the “Jigsaw” approach and the class was split into separate groups of about 3-5 people with the purpose of each group mastering one of the programs.  We are to become familiar with the tools and processes of our program and then introduce the application to our classmates.

I chose the GoogleForums group partly because I will be able to use it in a variety of ways as a Social Studies educator.  GoogleForums can be used to create tests, polls, quizzes, etc.  Our group decided to create a personality quiz to find some of the goofier things out about our classmates in Cohort B.  This is my first experience with the GoogleDocs suite of applications and I decided that since I am knowledgeable about other presentation applications learning about a new type was what would interest me the most.  GoogleForums was confusing at first but our resident expert, Krysta, helped us maneuver through the application and I quickly started to understand how it worked.

https://docs.google.com/a/willamette.edu/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dFJ0YmFPVkFFQkg4YklraGlKaUZ4cUE6MQ&pli=1

            What is great about the Google suit of applications is the fact that multiple members of a group can work on the same document from different computers, in different geographic locations, at the same time.  This opens up a whole new world of possibilities when it comes to collaboration and efficiency.  It would have come in handy when working on group projects during my undergraduate years.  The memory of emailing attachments haunts me to this day. 

With that in mind, once Krysta gave us a brief tutorial of GoogleForums our group created a survey with all members simultaneously adding and deleting our own questions.  A nice feature of GooleForums is the scroll menu, which allows users to create a different type of question just by selecting from the items on the menu.  Our group got very creative in that manner and we tried to incorporate every type of question in the survey.  Another interesting feature is that users can ensure responses by making certain questions “required” to finish the survey. 

            Finally, the best thing about the GoogleForums application is that after a survey is created users are returned to a spreadsheet with a timestamp on it showing all of the responses to the information/questions. Having all the answers appear in one location makes it very easy to create graphs.  I think GoogleForums will be useful in the classroom because it allows educators to easily and quickly enhance student participation by incorporating quizzes and polls. Furthermore, it will enhance students’ educational experience because they are able to answer questions and interact from home, receiving all the class data instantaneously.  I can’t wait to learn about all of the other applications and see how I can utilize them in my classroom.

Blogging and Education

I think that utilizing class blogs to compliment and enhance other classroom activities creates endless possibilities in the teaching field. When I was a high school student I had no idea what a blog was or how to use one.  However, the students I will have in my classes have been immersed in technology all of their life. Blogs can be used as a resource to reach modern students and encourage participation. For instance, I could create a blog to share information like the class syllabus, calender, assignments, documents, links, due dates, etc.  Blogs also facilitate communication between students, parents, classmates and teachers.  I could use a blog to post tasks, updates, items we worked on in class (like power point presentations) enabling parents to see what their student has been working on and learning.  Lastly I think that blogs can help students interact with one another. Often, the same students raise their hands to answer or ask questions and others stay quiet. If my students could "gather" at the blog site and post comments, ideas, thoughts, etc. on a discussion board, it would offer a less threatening method of participation. It would also be good practice for college as posting on a discussion board happens in a lot of college classes.  Blogging is an exciting technological tool that I hope to utilize in my classrooms!

Who is Cody Kelley?

Hello all and willkommen to my blog!  I was born in Redding, CA on September 3, 1988.   I grew up on a cattle ranch in Northern California (now there are weddings on the ranch which makes for some interesting home visits http://www.lazykranchwedding.com/index.htm) until I left for college. I am a recent graduate from Oregon State University.  I hope to teach Social Studies in high school or middle school.  Some of my hobbies include reading, fishing, hunting, watching sports, traveling, and hanging out with my pals.  I am enjoying my MAT experience so far and am excited for what the future may hold!