[Aine Ní Fhainin]

As a school we have been using Google workspace for the past number of years but like other posters have mentioned I definitely havn’t been utilising the benefits of all the different aspect. While I would have thought I was competent in using google slides and google docs this course has shown me a number of other ways to use them for working with the children as well as for teachers’ own organisational purposes.

I really like the idea of having a template in google docs or something embedded into the doc that the children can then access once I share it with them in their google classroom. Up to now I have been allowing the children to open new google docs for different assignments and tasks but I think it could be handy to have a doc with a template ready for some tasks.

The children in our school have their own google accounts and are set up on google classroom. It is great for students to be able to collaborate on group projects etc.  However I do think there is a lot more scope for maximising the use of all the different aspects the google workspace has to offer. I look forward to using google slides a lot more with the children as opposed for just staff surveys/ parent surveys/ bí cineálta etc.

One aspect which we do not use is google meet and it is one that I don’t think primary schools would have any need to use. Perhaps this might change for secondary schools.

The link to my google slides assignment is here

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1feWd_f0WVBzc-xHxYIRosv1LR4_K9yAuZC_9-_TA5z8/edit?usp=sharing

[Aine Ní Fhainin]

I agree with Google classroom being a great tool for school self-evaluation. It makes it very easy to see all the evidence in one place and is very easy to use. We have been using it for a few years now in our school but I am looking forward to using it more efficiently and effectively this year. I havn’t been using the grading function properly up to now and I also havn’t being using rubrics with it also. I can see how these would be very handy. I think the classroom allows itself nicely to differentiation and allowing children to present their work in a variety of different ways that are suited to their needs.
I also think the google classroom is great to prepare 6th class students for secondary school when they will be doing a lot more of their work on devices and potentially using devices for home work.

[Aine Ní Fhainin]

Using Google forms is an effective way of assessing and it also enables us to give children ownership of their learning. Up to now I have used Kahoot/ Blookets that I have mande myself as a form of assessment but I am looking forward to using google forms this year. The advantage I can see is that the responses are very clear and therefore very easy to see where a child needs help or where I as a teacher need to focus more on or explain more efficiently.
I have created a google forms quiz here based on the class novel The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas. Our 6th classes usually study this novel in term 1 in 6th class. I think it would also be a nice activity to do a quiz at the end of each chapter/ at the end of a couple of chapters. I also think it would be a good opportunity for children to make their own quizzes using google forms after they have read a bit of the novel.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeqer0ueMc879fUREm02GnkR5SWDSROVHWvQ0IMQUOSibO5cg/viewform?usp=sharing&ouid=106249225924557779636

[Aine Ní Fhainin]

This is a great idea to get to know the children better, I have done a similar version with pen and paper but I will definately give this a go. So easy to see all the responses quickly.

[Aine Ní Fhainin]

Firstly I love all the ideas mentioned so far, especially about redesigning the principal’s office. I think this is definitely something the children would really enjoy and would be relevant to the real world.
After reading the article I really focused in on how the children’s learning should be relevant to them and to the world they live in. I also paid attention to the characteristics of the 21st century teacher and how important it is to keep upskilling and learning as a teacher in the ever changing world we live in.
For the activity I am hoping to get the children to use google slides in a collaborate project. We are currently re vamping the school garden, I will get the children to take photos of the garden as it currently is and to plan how they would design the new garden and what they would include and why. Each group can present to the class and the principal. I will integrate the project with other areas of school life ie art/ green schools/ maths/ science.

[Aine Ní Fhainin]

We have a good amount of Chrome books in our school but we don’t always use them very effectively. With this is mind I had a look at the section with apps for use for Chrome books. There were a good amount of apps that I was not familiar with. I liked the Canvas app https://canvas.apps.chrome/ I would have lots of ways to use this in the senior end of the school; mind maps or brainstorming ideas can be easily saved and then linked with google classroom. This could also be a handy assessment tool after a topic you could ask the children to jot down a few words or draw a little picture based on what they had learned. It is an easy way to give children an option of different ways to show what they have learned. You can also upload your own photo or image and draw over it which I think would be a lot of fun and really appeal to the children.

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