Wednesday, July 20, 2011
Virtual Field Trip
Wow. Now that I've explored Google and feel so comfortable with Google Docs it has been really fun collaborating with my group on our doc together! Today, I played around with making a map of Plymouth, Massachusetts and a Google Presentation that we can all collaborate on! This is amazing! When I think back to my college days, I just can't believe how far we've come! I remember one particular professor who made us make a PP presentation for EVERY chapter of our geography class. Ugh. We had to collaborate in a group to do it too, which meant that we exchanged our dorm phone numbers (only the lucky few had cell phones at that point), exchange email addresses, and plan a time when we could go to the library to collaborate face to face because wireless wasn't an option. Even if we had had wireless back then it wouldn't matter because we ALL had desktop computers at that point. Of course in every group you get stuck with at least one who is happy to sit back and let the rest of the group hash it out because the frat party was just too sweet the night before and he/she was probably still in bed at 2 in the afternoon. If we had had Google docs, forms, presentations, maps, etc. back then we would probably all be sitting around in our pajamas in our dorm rooms, letting our muscles atrophy, but at least we'd all be connected in such an amazingly efficient way!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
This is my first experience with Google Docs and sharing docs as well. It is almost hard to believe that it really works. One time I actually saw someone else typing while I was looking at the page. Amazing! These skills are so useful to know, and I sure wish every student could have a laptop in school to utilize these skills there. When I think back, I remember talking to my friends with a phone that was attached to the wall. The world is advancing so much so fast. It's hard to comprehend what the future will be like.
ReplyDeleteI wonder why more school districts aren't encouraging teachers to use Google Docs to share information - across schools or even between different school districts? How many times have I created a Power Point from scratch and/or a document assignment for my students? No teacher time should be spent on this with so much available to us!!!
ReplyDeleteGreat post, Kristen! I'm glad that you are amazed, yet appreciative and excited about the possibilities! And don't just think about how far technology has come, think about how far you have come just in this class. It's been fun reading your posts, but I can't help but think about some poor sap in the future not being able to get out of bed because the collaborative nature of technology has atrophied his body. :-)
ReplyDelete~ John
Haha. I know what you mean. There should be automatic shut down times programmed into your computer and you shouldn't be able to log on again until you've gone outside and stretched your muscles and looked at something that is not digital! I keep thinking about that one video you posted - "Everything's Amazing and Nobody's Happy." Ha-larious! I am in awe of how much I know in such a short time from this class and I can't believe how much easier my life will be in certain aspects because of the collaborative tools I've found out about!
ReplyDelete