GOOGLE

I'm really enjoying my computer class. This week we learned about some applications within GMail. I have had a GMail account for almost three years but the only thing I ever did with it was e-mail. I've always had a fear of just playing around with the computer and exploring and learning how things work because I was afraid that I might accidentally download a virus or change my husbands settings or completely crash the thing. Any time I would ask my husband to help me learn something new on the computer he would start to show me, get frustrated and tell me to just move and let him do it. I am no longer afraid. I have caught, what Doc Waters would say " the spirit of discovery". It is so much fun to sit down and play around, and familiarize my self with the new tools I've been given.

This week we learned Google calenders, Google docs and iGoogle. I love Google calenders. I have created a few different ones such as one just for my school assignments, one for the family to use for family events, and another for extended family with every ones birthdays and anniversary's. I'm still playing around with it I want to see if there is away that everyone that is invited to view the family birthday calender can add their own info if it's not already there.

Google calender will be a great asses when I start teaching. I can create a calender for my students listing all of the home work assignments for the year, up coming events such as parent teacher conferences and when money is due for book orders. I can also list field trips and school functions. If a student is absent the child and their parents can just look at the calender and be able to see what they missed. If I need parent helpers on a specific date and time, parents can see that and let me know if they are available to help. I also love the way the program will e-mail me reminders of what I have going on that day. Some times I forget to look at my paper planner but I check my e-mail any time the computer shows me that I've got mail.

Another feature I really like is Google docs. As soon as my husband got home on Wednesday night I showed him how we could upload all of our files from Word Perfect into Google docs. He was really excited and called his dad to let him know about it. It really made me feel good to show my husband something on the computer that he didn't already know about. Our first assignment was to work with our team to create a welcome letter. Right off the bat I saw how valuable this was going to be. We tried to meet together in person but not every one could but through sharing our document we could all add our own personal touches with out trying to coordinate on the phone or in person. One day I was working on my groups document and Jeremy was also working on it at the same time we could see what the other person was typing as they did it. It was so cool. I can't wait to use this with my students.

One day I was substitute teaching a fifth grade class. We went to the computer lab so they could work on publishing their story's from writers work shop. There were two boys that were working on a story together. They were both on the same computer trying to take turns typing their ideas for the story or one would dictate to the other what to write. I wish I had had this knowledge then. I would have shown them how they could both be on separate computers and still work together. This tool will also be very valuable as I work with other teachers on my team as we work together on lesson plans, parent letters and other projects. Which reminds me, with a push of a button I will be able to translate parent letters and if need be, some class work into other languages. As a substitute teacher I have seen schools with students that speak English, Spanish, French, Korean, Japanese and Chines. It will be nice to be able to communicate with the parents. A parent could send me an e-mail in their native language and then I could copy and paste it into Google docs then translate it and know what the parent is saying.

This knowledge of just a few of the applications in GMail is just the beginning, I cant wait to learn more.

This week we watched a video entitled I Am What I Learn. I love the young woman's passion to become not only any thing she wants to be but the very best at what every she wants to be. Are students are going to come from many different types of back ground. Some may be dealing with things that we can't even imagine. It is our job as teachers to reach out to everyone of our students and help them to see the beautiful, talented, intelligent person that they are and show them what they have to offer this world. We need to show them that they have the power to control and shape their future. We need to give them a voice and show them how to use it. As I watched last weeks video with the boy from Texas and this weeks video and also watch my own children develop in the things that interest them I am very thankful for wonderful, caring talented and knowledgeable teachers.