Ashley+Ramer+and+Google+Apps

**Welcome to Ashley Ramer's Google Apps Technology Presentation! **




Greetings! I'm Ashley Ramer and I am the Principles of Biology Lab Coordinator at the University of Akron's (UA) main campus. I am responsible for the Principles of Biology lab curriculum and oversee the 10+ TAs who assist with the lab each semester. Our lab course enrolls approximately 300 students each semester. I also teach a lecture section of non-majors biology called Natural Science: Biology. That class enrolls approximately 600 students each semester, and my lecture classes range from 50 to 200 students per semester. While not busy at UA, I enjoy spending time with my husband of almost 10 years and our two kiddos, ages 4.5 and 1.5. On rare occasions the kiddos pretend to like each other. ;)

__**Learning more about Google Apps -- Docs, Slides, Sheets, Forms, and Sites**__ The topic I chose for my presentation is the use of Google Apps. I've included a discussion of Google Docs, Slides, Sheets, Forms, and Sites. Docs, Slides, Sheets and Forms are all web-based programs that save content to the Google Drive, a cloud-based file storage. Google Docs is a word processing program, Google Slides is a presentation program, Sheets allows you to create spreadsheets, and Forms enables you to create surveys, collect data, and integrate the results into a Google spreadsheet. Google Sites allows you to create your own file sharing webpage. With each of these apps, the owner has the ability to keep the work private, or can choose to collaborate and share his/her work. When sharing, the options include an open link or enabling specific people to view or edit the work by adding specific user email addresses.

__Google Apps Video Presentations: __

__**Video #1: Introduction to Google Apps and Google Doc **__ media type="custom" key="28300229" __**Video #2: Google Slides **__ media type="custom" key="28300233" __**Video #3: Google Sheets **__ media type="custom" key="28300237" __**Video #4: Google Forms **__ media type="custom" key="28300249" __**Video #5: Google Sites **__ media type="custom" key="28297649"

__**Pedagogical Considerations for this technology: **__ Google apps allows students to collaborate on projects and store the work in a shared cloud drive that can be assessed from any location with internet access. Cooperative groups can be established while in the classroom and students can continue to create, edit, and share ideas beyond the classroom walls. A Google Site can be used by a teacher to share files with her class or parents throughout the year, or could even be used by a group of teachers who work together to lesson plan unit designs. Each person within the team could publish activity files to the Google Site and collaborators could download different lesson activities, edit and make them their own.

__**How Google apps are used in my classroom: **__ In my Principles of Biology lab, students work in groups to design their own experiments. They develop their own research proposal, collect their own data, analyze their data, and write summary reports. Often times students do not finish their written projects while in lab, and Google Docs enables them to continue to collaborate on the material outside of class. We often use Google Forms in the lab to collect class data so students can increase their experimental sample size. I create a form that each group uses to enter the data they've collected. Once all the data from all groups has been received in spreadsheet form, I share the results with all students and they use the class data for their analysis. Google Slides is used at the end of the semester when students prepare a slideshow presentation of their favorite research design, and I use Google Sites to create a private webpage where I share files with my teaching assistants (TAs).

__**Content uses of this technology: **__ Google apps are tools that enable collaboration and increase productivity. They can be used within any content area and across all grades levels, from primary ages to secondary grades to higher education. The cloud computing features also makes Google apps a great choice for small businesses.

__**<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">ISTE Standards: Students **__

__<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">2. Communication and collaboration __ <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Students use digital media and environments to communicate and work collaboratively, including at a distance, to support individual learning and contribute to the learning of others.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> a. Interact, collaborate, and publish with peers, experts, or others employing a variety of digital environments and media. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> b. Communicate information and ideas effectively to multiple audiences using a variety of media and formats. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> c. Develop cultural understanding and global awareness by engaging with learners of other cultures. d. Contribute to project teams to produce original works or solve problems.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> __3. Research and Information Literacy__ <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> Students apply digital tools to gather, evaluate, and use information.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> a. Plan strategies to guide inquiry <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> b. Locate, organize, analyze, evaluate, synthesize, and ethically use information from a variety of sources and media <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> c. Evaluate and select information sources and digital tools based on the appropriateness to specific tasksd. Process data and report results

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">__4. Critical thinking, problem solving, and decision making__ <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Students use critical thinking skills to plan and conduct research, manage projects, solve problems, and make informed decisions using appropriate digital tools and resources.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> a. Identify and define authentic problems and significant questions for investigation <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> b. Plan and manage activities to develop a solution or complete a project <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> c. Collect and analyze data to identify solutions and/or make informed decisions <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> d. Use multiple processes and diverse perspectives to explore alternative solutions

__**<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">ISTE Standards: Teachers **__

__<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">1. Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity __ <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Teachers use their knowledge of subject matter, teaching and learning, and technology to facilitate experiences that advance student learning, creativity, and innovation in both face-to-face and virtual environments.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">a. promote, support, and model creative and innovative thinking and inventiveness. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> b. engage students in exploring real-world issues and solving authentic problems using digital tools and resources <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> c. promote student reflection using collaborative tools to reveal and clarify students’ conceptual understanding and thinking, planning, and creative processes. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> d. model collaborative knowledge construction by engaging in learning with students, colleagues, and others in face-to-face and virtual environments.

__<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">2. Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning Experiences and Assessments __ <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Teachers design, develop, and evaluate authentic learning experiences and assessments incorporating contemporary tools and resources to maximize content learning in context and to develop the knowledge, skills, and attitudes identified in the Standards•S.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">a. design or adapt relevant learning experiences that incorporate digital tools and resources to promote student learning and creativity <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">b. develop technology-enriched learning environments that enable all students to pursue their individual curiosities and become active participants in setting their own educational goals, managing their own learning, and assessing their own progress. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">c. customize and personalize learning activities to address students’ diverse learning styles, working strategies, and abilities using digital tools and resources. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">d. provide students with multiple and varied formative and summative assessments aligned with content and technology standards and use resulting data to inform learning and teaching.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> __3. Model Digital-Age Work and Learning__ <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Teachers exhibit knowledge, skills, and work processes representative of an innovative professional in a global and digital society.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">a. demonstrate fluency in technology systems and the transfer of current knowledge to new technologies and situations <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> b. collaborate with students, peers, parents, and community members using digital tools and resources to support student success and innovation. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> c. communicate relevant information and ideas effectively to students, parents, and peers using a variety of digital-age media and formats <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> d. model and facilitate effective use of current and emerging digital tools to locate, analyze, evaluate, and use information resources to support research and learning.

__**<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Additional resources: **__ <span style="background-color: #f2cd1e; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Subscribe to [|Shake up Learning] and get a free ebook entitled Google Cheat Sheets for Teachers and Students -- This is a GREAT tech ed site! <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Learn how to [|convert Google sheets to forms] <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Learn more about [|Flubaroo] – (online grader) <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Lean more about [|autoCrat] (takes already generated templates in Word/PDF form, and fills in with appropriate data from a Google sheet)

__**<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Articles that support the use of this technology: **__ <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">

__**<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Where to purchase or acquire: **__ <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Google apps are free and available at @www.google.com. You may store up to 15GB of storage in your Google drive and create a 100MB Google site. Additional storage data beyond this may be purchased.