Lesson Plan

I received my class set of Chromebooks today and spent some time developing a lesson plan that will allow my students to work on the Chromebook and use a few Google Apps. Click on the link to view the lesson plan.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1MmQEjTDIUHbOWe6PKqDtEWvJyucLeRhB9gXx_sjrr-E/edit?usp=sharing

Let me know if you have any suggestions for other apps that would work with this lesson.

Google Apps

I spent some time last week reviewing Google Chrome Apps to use in the classroom. My criteria was to research and find an app that could be integrated with my Google Drive account and to then use the app to create something that could be used with my students in the classroom.

I initially had a hard time choosing an app because the Google Chrome store has hundreds available for educational use. Then I came across the Screencastify app and decided to explore its uses. It is a free app that is easy to navigate and within 15 minutes I created a product to use in class. I have attached a screen shot of the app and a link to how I plan to use it in class. The screen shot is here:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B6owOgH593lOOHVtU0w3WnpHdEU/view?usp=sharing
The review is here:
https://drive.google.com/a/sdale.org/folderview?id=0B-CFq1ETSKXzUDlNdVR2cEFYMmc&usp=sharing

Let me know if have any ideas for additional uses for the app.

Google Drive

We have been learning the basics of Google Drive in my eMINTS class with a focus on creating a collaborative learning environment. One of the things I like best about Google Drive is the ability to have a paperless classroom. I can create a document on my computer and share it with my students. My students can then work on the document individually or collaboratively with classmates and share it back with me for grading.

Our assignment last week was to create a document that I will use in a future lesson. I created a simple ABC chart to use in my World War I unit with the intent of having my students fill it out with what they already know about World War I. We will then use it to discuss unit vocabulary and complete it again later as a test review. Click here to see the chart:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1l6pZpuBYwTDnRso9EsW2hh1ZUt1x702w47-_LSgcmN0/edit?usp=sharing

I also plan on using it as a pre-assessment before we begin our World War II unit. My students have advised me that WWII is their favorite part of history to study and I am really curious to find out what they already know about the war.

Let me know if you have any other suggestions for my template. You can respond with comments or send an email to catpeters65@gmail.com.

Google Searches

I teach World History and Oral Communication for a school district that was awarded a Race to the Top Grant to improve student achievement and drive education reform. One of the components of the grant for my district is the implementation of one on one technology in the form of Google Chromebooks. The grant was awarded in December 2013 and the technology upgrades began in the summer of 2014.  Although I was excited to learn about the grant and the prospect of getting new computers, I was also apprehensive about how to use the Chromebooks in the classroom.

I have a Secondary Education license in Social Studies, Speech, English, and ESL. I consider myself computer savvy on a PC but don't really know much about using technology to teach. In order to get ahead of the game I began to work on a graduate degree in Education Technology. I also applied and was accepted into an eMINTS program that helps teachers integrate technology in the classroom.

eMINTS is an acronym for enhancing Missouri's Instructional Networked Teaching Strategies. The project began in Missouri but now trains educators in several states in the method of inquiry based learning. In addition to my eMINTS professional development training, which is interactive, I was allowed to sign up for one of the programs eLearning Courses for Educators. I chose Google Tools for Schools because I thought it would be the most beneficial at this point and I started the class last week.

The goal of my first assignment was to develop skills for conducting effective and efficient Google searches. After watching a tutorial and reading online material, I was asked to create a Google Search Challenge for my students. The challenge I came up with for the assignment is pretty basic and I have it listed below.

Name: Cat Peters

Grade Level: 9-10

Content Area: World History

Challenge 1

Search Question: How did the Treaty of Versailles contribute to the outbreak of WWII?

Suggested Search Terms: Treaty of Versailles, terms of the Treaty of Versailles, WWI Peace Treaty

Acceptable answers: Under the terms of the Treaty of Versailles, Germany was forced to give up land, reduce their military, and pay billions of dollars in reparations. These conditions opened the way for the rise of Nazism and Hitler.

Wild Geese – None found for this topic.

Challenge 2

Search Question: Was the Cold War really cold?

Suggested Search Terms: Cold War, hot war 

Acceptable Answers: Students will find conflicting answers: some sites state that the Cold War was cold because the United States and Soviet Union never fought, other sites will say it was hot because of the Korean War and the Vietnam War.

Wild Geese – There are quite a few discussion boards on the topic that cannot be used as a credible source. 

I intend to use the first challenge next week at the end of our World War I unit, which also coincides with the end of our Google Search lesson. The second challenge will be used a few weeks later, after the students have more experience with searches.

I liked the assignment because it correlates to what we are doing in our Social Studies Professional Learning Community (PLC) at school. If you have any suggestions on how to improve it, or about other searches, feel free to email me at catpeters65@gmail.com.