Integrating+Online+Tools

=21st Century Research - No More 3 X 5 Cards!=


 * Description**: Tired of shuffling through hundreds of note cards or picking up those same note cards from the floor? Put some “fun” into research and note taking; give your students immediate, easy access to their work, to an updated calendar, and to one on one communication with you, their teacher, via the internet. Introduce your students to Google Docs, notebook, calendar, and more. They will love it, and so will you.


 * Presenter**: Sandy Hammond, Secondary Language Arts, Senior Project, and Journalism, DC West
 * DC WEST SENIOR PROJECT and IGOOGLE**

Senior Project at DC West Community School (Valley, NE) is a one semester, required course. Students are required to complete a thesis (research paper), a physical project, a portfolio that documents their journey through project, and a fifteen minute oral presentation before a panel of judges. This presentation must include a three minute technology segment (Imovie, pod cast, power point presentation, etc.) Is it a challenging endeavor? Oh, yes, it is: but project truly prepares the students for life in the 21st Century (not to mention giving them a sense of pride and accomplishment at the completion of this endeavor).

As project facilitator at DC West, I find endless possibilities in the use of Google applications. First and foremost, the student’s data is available to him/her any where he can find a computer and the internet; secondly, all of the student’s data is right in front of him anytime he accesses his page.

Check out the expression on your students’ faces when they realize they have everything they need for the successful completion of their project right before their eyes!

Please contact me if you have any questions regarding Senior Project and IGoogle. We’re still learning; but we sure are having fun!

Mrs. Sandy Hammond British Literature Senior Project Journalism/yearbook Spring Drama shammond@dcwest.org http://www.dcwest.org


 * IT’S THE LITTLE THINGS THAT MAKE A DIFFERENCE!**

The following is not a complete list of “how-to’s; it’s simply a list of reminders/suggestions I make available to students through their Gmail. It’s based on the questions they have asked as they utilize the Google applications. I’m sure the list will get longer as we continue experimenting/utilizing the applications.

** http://hsaweb2.wikispaces.com/
 * GMAIL ACCOUNT**
 * *Set up accounts over a couple of days or have the students set up accounts from different ISP's.
 * Gmail halts accessing if too many attempts are made at the same time.
 * Have the students email you after their accounts are set up.
 * Double check to determine if they have entered the address you want, i.e., mmmsrproj7@gmail.com.
 * GOOGLE CALENDAR**
 * Make sure that the students choose Google Calendar Viewer from the gadgets for their IGoogle page.
 * Color-code the various calendars to make the calendar selection easier and quicker when adding or editing various events.
 * *Make sure that the students accept the calendar invitation each will receive in his/her Gmail account.
 * View list of events under agenda. (I still use a hard copy of assignments for students in order to satisfy a variety of learning styles.
 * GOOGLE NOTEBOOK**
 * Create and title notebooks for various data.
 * *NOTES WILL NOT PRINT IF THEY ARE IN “UNFILED” FOLDER.
 * Go to tools to select and delete a notebook.
 * Move notes to a different notebook by using the arrow to the right of the date on the note.Print notes in large.
 * Use the print icon at the bottom of the notes page.
 * Encourage students to cut and paste from original source to notebook or encourage them to delete extra data from the notebook page.
 * Have students document complete source data in notes even though it is an outside source. (Students in project are required to have sources other than those found in elibrary or on the web.)
 * GOOGLE DOCS**
 * Download from Docs to Word
 * Edit in Word (* If students are composing in Docs, remind them NOT to hit return as they type.)
 * Make sure the font selected is compatible with Docs and with Word.
 * Have students create folders for reflections; rough drafts, final copies, etc.

**