Fundamentals Training Course
Unit 1: Getting Ready to use Tech in the Classroom
This unit was an introduction to how technology can be used and benefit learning. Fortunately, I was already quite familiar with the material in this unit. A key topic in the training was G Suite for Education which is connected to Google Sites and Google Drive. Another important topic that was fused in throughout the unit was the 4 C's. Again,
I was already familiar with these and so it was great to expand upon my previous knowledge and see how they relate to technology and learning. An important feature of using technology in the classroom is the benefits of online resources in curriculum. These online resources are great because they are always up to date and have many interactive capabilities.
Unit 2: Expand Your access to Help and Learning.
This training course revolved primarily around the programs Google Search Google Groups. Google Search is the first Google product that I ever used and I have become exceedingly confident in my use of it. It is one of the most useful and powerful google tools for gathering information. Another great tool for getting information and learning is YouTube. This is a very common and well known tool, and it is something that I use excessively. It can be used in the classroom to show videos pertaining to class material and aid in student learning. The program Google Groups can be used to make educator groups in order to connect with other educators and get new ideas from them. This is a great way to ensure that one's teaching is continually being enhanced and refined.
Unit 3: Have a (mostly) Paperless Classroom
This unit revolved around the programs Google Drive and Google Docs. I have used both of these in the past and have a reasonable degree of competence with them. The key features in this unit were how to upload, organize, and store things to Google Drive as well as how to collaborate with Google Docs. Of course, another essential aspect was how these tools can be used in class. The main advantage of these tools is that they greatly reduce the amount of paper needed in the classroom, thus eliminating the messy and unorganized stack of papers that tend to accrue as a teacher and student. Something interesting I learned is that Microsoft Office files can be uploaded and edited in Google Drive. Also, I learned that Google forms is not only goof for assessment but it is also useful for gathering research data.
Unit 4: Save Time Communicating
This unit discussed how technology enhances communication through use of Gmail, Meet, Groups, and Sites. Since communication is one of the 4 C's, it is imperative that teachers are able to effectively communicate with their students. Gmail is a fantastic service for virtual communication that I have used and continue to use daily. Some benefits of Gmail that I was previously unaware is creating a filter for incoming mail. Also, I learned about the translate feature which allows one to open trusted lines of communication with families and students. As for Google Sites, I learned that one can embed YouTube videos and upload images. When it comes to Google Groups, the advantages are very numerous: features include large group communication, a unifying email address, interaction via web or email, and adjustment to member permission.
Unit 5: Organize Activities for Yourself and Others
This next training course was about time management, something that I always find myself concerned about. To ensure efficient time management, one should use the programs Google calendar, Tasks, and Keep. The main topics relating to these programs was how to create a Google calendar, setting reminders for events, managing to do lists with Google Keep, and integrating Google Tasks with Google calendar. Google calendar lets users "create a calendar for each facet of their life and either share it with their colleagues, school, and students, or keep it personal." Google tasks allows for one to move the content of an email and send it to the google calendar. This seems like an excellent way to stay on top of the incoming responsibilities and guarantee success with one's duties. This feature is something that i think could greatly benefit myself and is something that I could recommend to students who struggle with time management. I also found out that Google Keep has the unique capability to set location-based reminders. This is a a truly innovative feature of technology and could prove to be very advantageous for students and teachers alike.
Unit 6: Bring Meetings Online
The unit 6 training course discussed the ability of technology for online meetings. Some key topics for this course were planning meetings, keeping track of attendees in a meeting, tools from G Suite for Education to use in meetings, inviting others to a meeting, and sharing your screen during a meeting. When distributing an agenda for an upcoming meeting, the best way to do this is by adding the agenda to the google calendar invitation as a shared document. Something I found fascinating was that Google Meet can hold up to 250 participants in a single meeting. This was an astounding fact and is a testament to the power of technology for communication. When it comes to using Google Meet for the benefit of students, this can be done by connecting with other teachers to collaborate on lesson plans, conduct parent/teacher conferences, and to interview a professional in the field that students are studying. Overall, the advantages and capabilities that technology has to offer online meetings is incredible and should not be underestimated.
Unit 7: Bring Student Work Online
For the unit 7 training course I learned about how technology can be leveraged to make a more engaging teaching and learning environment as well as helping teachers and students alike to stay organized. Specifically, google tools can be used to create class rosters, assign and collect work and give or receive feedback. I found it interesting that the same operation of creating a class roster can be accomplished several different ways. It can be done by using google classroom, groups, sheets, and contacts. A huge benefit to moving student work online is the fact that the assignments cannot be lost. In addition, this method of assigning work reduces paper and there is no need to use a photocopier since the documents are already online. Another feature of using Google classroom is to flip one's classroom. This can be done by sharing videos and readings as announcements in the classroom stream. With all these tools combined, it is clear that moving student work online has significant benefits.
Unit 8: Measure, Understand, and Share Student Growth
The unit 8 training course revolved around the topic of student growth and how technological tools can allow teachers can both analyze and share their students' growth. Some key skills that I learned from this unit were how to determine the correct type of data to collect as an educator and how to organize collected data in a manner that accurately portrays the results. The two main tech tools employed for these functions are google sheets and google forms which makes sense considering the emphasis on data and statistics. Something that I did not consider until learning more about this topic was protecting student information. Not only is it an attribute of the responsible teacher, but protecting student information is a legal matter. In order to know what areas of learning students need more assistance with, teachers must collect and analyze data to detect areas of weakness. This is a crucial aspect of being a teacher of impact but it is contingent on the quality of the data and analysis. Some functions of google sheets that ensure effective data analysis include averaging numbers, using formulas and sums, finding unique values from a range, and using the IF function to determine whether a response is correct. Using Google forms and google sheets are powerful tools to collect and analyze data and greatly aid teachers in their duty to know their students.
Unit 9: Teach Students Online Skills
This unit discussed the importance of teaching students to search and verify information which will help to develop their inquiry and critical thinking skills. The main concepts of this training course were the essential digital literacy skills for searching online, processes for filtering search results, avoiding plagiarism while searching, and how to be creative in the context of customization. Unsurprisingly, the course focused largely on the two programs of google, google search and google chrome. Part of developing in students digital literacy is first developing learning objectives. Before a student can search for something and gather information about it, he must have a topic in mind and know how to express it. As educators, it is imperative that we help students pick topics of exploration and teach them how to find key words to use to search for that topic. Another skill to develop in students is the avoidance of plagiarism. This can be done by using the advanced search filter called "usage rights" that notifies what content can be shared or used. Another point of importance is that not all information on websites is of equal validity. Generally, the most reliable information can be found on domain extensions such as website.gov.
Unit 10: Build Interactive Lessons
This unit was all about how teachers can make their class and lessons more engaging for students and more fun for themselves to teach. In order to do this, utilizing presentations are a fantastic option, but that doesn't guarantee a good quality lesson. The goal of this course is to learn how educators can make their presentations more interesting and engaging while supplementing instruction with digital content. The program of focus here is google slides. I have a decent deal of experience and competence with google slides already, but realize that much is still to be learned. Some benefits to using google slides is the fact that multiple people can collaborate on a presentation simultaneously. This program is also great for engaging students because it allows users to insert pictures, shapes. videos, eye-catching text, and cool diagrams or graphic organizers. Another great program to engage students is Science Journal. As a chemistry teacher, this applies directly to my method of instruction. This program can be downloaded for free on students' phones and can be used to measure sound, light, and movement, all of which are extremely fascinating topics that should be investigated in science class. By using google slides and other apps like science journals, educators can enhance their instruction and more effectively engage their students.
Unit 11: Captivate Your Class With Video
As the unit title would suggest, this training course was about how teachers can use video to supplement and enhance their student's learning. The main program used to find and view videos is YouTube. YouTube is one of the most popular online tools and is something that has contributed greatly to my learning experience and life overall. Some key aspects concerning the use of YouTube are how to find content and creators, harnessing the subscription feature, curating educational videos based on genre or topic, and share videos via forms and slides. Some phenomenal educational channels to refer to for engaging and inspiring content include National Geographic, Khan Academy, Crash Course, and Veritasium, Vsauce, and many others. A helpful feature of YouTube is that video can be pre-downloaded so that it can be viewed even if the user doesn't have current internet connection. Due to amazing video quality and endless content, YouTube is one of the most powerful tech tools and should be utilized by every educator.
Unit 12: Facilitate Group work
In this unit I learned about the importance of facilitating group work and how that contributes to the success of student learning. Some subtopics of that idea are creating meaningful and effective collaboration, assigning and collecting assignments using Classroom, good practices for driving discussion inside and outside the classroom, and how to facilitate group work with a variety of different tools. The features of real-time editing and commenting allow for a smoother and more efficient group work than ever before. Another benefit of virtual collaboration is that technology can empower those students who were previously reluctant to speak out in person. This is an example of how tech tools can increase involvement in learning and better the learning of the class as a whole. It is also important to keep in mind that teachers need to see how much each student contributes to the group work. This task for teachers can be accomplished with version history which shows the student revisions with time stamps and color codes them.
Unit 13: Promote Digital Citizenship and Positive Online Behavior
The final unit of the fundamentals training course focused on our digital presence and how we all should ensure a positive online experience. These ideas were expanded upon in these subtopics: protecting oneself with strong passwords, recognizing hoaxes, understanding digital footprints, managing online identity, privacy settings, and building resilience and the ability to handle changes. Like the real material world, the internet has certain places that are more dangerous than others and so educators must guide students to safe places and help them avoid harmful ones. A fundamental step to ensure safe online use is to maintain an appropriate level of personal privacy. This is most evident in using strong passwords and being responsible with one's accounts. Something else to be cognizant of is the digital footprint. Educators can encourage students to maintain positive images online by revealing how their online image directly affects their real one. Striving to maintain a positive digital citizenship is something that both teachers and students will greatly benefit from.
This unit was an introduction to how technology can be used and benefit learning. Fortunately, I was already quite familiar with the material in this unit. A key topic in the training was G Suite for Education which is connected to Google Sites and Google Drive. Another important topic that was fused in throughout the unit was the 4 C's. Again,
I was already familiar with these and so it was great to expand upon my previous knowledge and see how they relate to technology and learning. An important feature of using technology in the classroom is the benefits of online resources in curriculum. These online resources are great because they are always up to date and have many interactive capabilities.
Unit 2: Expand Your access to Help and Learning.
This training course revolved primarily around the programs Google Search Google Groups. Google Search is the first Google product that I ever used and I have become exceedingly confident in my use of it. It is one of the most useful and powerful google tools for gathering information. Another great tool for getting information and learning is YouTube. This is a very common and well known tool, and it is something that I use excessively. It can be used in the classroom to show videos pertaining to class material and aid in student learning. The program Google Groups can be used to make educator groups in order to connect with other educators and get new ideas from them. This is a great way to ensure that one's teaching is continually being enhanced and refined.
Unit 3: Have a (mostly) Paperless Classroom
This unit revolved around the programs Google Drive and Google Docs. I have used both of these in the past and have a reasonable degree of competence with them. The key features in this unit were how to upload, organize, and store things to Google Drive as well as how to collaborate with Google Docs. Of course, another essential aspect was how these tools can be used in class. The main advantage of these tools is that they greatly reduce the amount of paper needed in the classroom, thus eliminating the messy and unorganized stack of papers that tend to accrue as a teacher and student. Something interesting I learned is that Microsoft Office files can be uploaded and edited in Google Drive. Also, I learned that Google forms is not only goof for assessment but it is also useful for gathering research data.
Unit 4: Save Time Communicating
This unit discussed how technology enhances communication through use of Gmail, Meet, Groups, and Sites. Since communication is one of the 4 C's, it is imperative that teachers are able to effectively communicate with their students. Gmail is a fantastic service for virtual communication that I have used and continue to use daily. Some benefits of Gmail that I was previously unaware is creating a filter for incoming mail. Also, I learned about the translate feature which allows one to open trusted lines of communication with families and students. As for Google Sites, I learned that one can embed YouTube videos and upload images. When it comes to Google Groups, the advantages are very numerous: features include large group communication, a unifying email address, interaction via web or email, and adjustment to member permission.
Unit 5: Organize Activities for Yourself and Others
This next training course was about time management, something that I always find myself concerned about. To ensure efficient time management, one should use the programs Google calendar, Tasks, and Keep. The main topics relating to these programs was how to create a Google calendar, setting reminders for events, managing to do lists with Google Keep, and integrating Google Tasks with Google calendar. Google calendar lets users "create a calendar for each facet of their life and either share it with their colleagues, school, and students, or keep it personal." Google tasks allows for one to move the content of an email and send it to the google calendar. This seems like an excellent way to stay on top of the incoming responsibilities and guarantee success with one's duties. This feature is something that i think could greatly benefit myself and is something that I could recommend to students who struggle with time management. I also found out that Google Keep has the unique capability to set location-based reminders. This is a a truly innovative feature of technology and could prove to be very advantageous for students and teachers alike.
Unit 6: Bring Meetings Online
The unit 6 training course discussed the ability of technology for online meetings. Some key topics for this course were planning meetings, keeping track of attendees in a meeting, tools from G Suite for Education to use in meetings, inviting others to a meeting, and sharing your screen during a meeting. When distributing an agenda for an upcoming meeting, the best way to do this is by adding the agenda to the google calendar invitation as a shared document. Something I found fascinating was that Google Meet can hold up to 250 participants in a single meeting. This was an astounding fact and is a testament to the power of technology for communication. When it comes to using Google Meet for the benefit of students, this can be done by connecting with other teachers to collaborate on lesson plans, conduct parent/teacher conferences, and to interview a professional in the field that students are studying. Overall, the advantages and capabilities that technology has to offer online meetings is incredible and should not be underestimated.
Unit 7: Bring Student Work Online
For the unit 7 training course I learned about how technology can be leveraged to make a more engaging teaching and learning environment as well as helping teachers and students alike to stay organized. Specifically, google tools can be used to create class rosters, assign and collect work and give or receive feedback. I found it interesting that the same operation of creating a class roster can be accomplished several different ways. It can be done by using google classroom, groups, sheets, and contacts. A huge benefit to moving student work online is the fact that the assignments cannot be lost. In addition, this method of assigning work reduces paper and there is no need to use a photocopier since the documents are already online. Another feature of using Google classroom is to flip one's classroom. This can be done by sharing videos and readings as announcements in the classroom stream. With all these tools combined, it is clear that moving student work online has significant benefits.
Unit 8: Measure, Understand, and Share Student Growth
The unit 8 training course revolved around the topic of student growth and how technological tools can allow teachers can both analyze and share their students' growth. Some key skills that I learned from this unit were how to determine the correct type of data to collect as an educator and how to organize collected data in a manner that accurately portrays the results. The two main tech tools employed for these functions are google sheets and google forms which makes sense considering the emphasis on data and statistics. Something that I did not consider until learning more about this topic was protecting student information. Not only is it an attribute of the responsible teacher, but protecting student information is a legal matter. In order to know what areas of learning students need more assistance with, teachers must collect and analyze data to detect areas of weakness. This is a crucial aspect of being a teacher of impact but it is contingent on the quality of the data and analysis. Some functions of google sheets that ensure effective data analysis include averaging numbers, using formulas and sums, finding unique values from a range, and using the IF function to determine whether a response is correct. Using Google forms and google sheets are powerful tools to collect and analyze data and greatly aid teachers in their duty to know their students.
Unit 9: Teach Students Online Skills
This unit discussed the importance of teaching students to search and verify information which will help to develop their inquiry and critical thinking skills. The main concepts of this training course were the essential digital literacy skills for searching online, processes for filtering search results, avoiding plagiarism while searching, and how to be creative in the context of customization. Unsurprisingly, the course focused largely on the two programs of google, google search and google chrome. Part of developing in students digital literacy is first developing learning objectives. Before a student can search for something and gather information about it, he must have a topic in mind and know how to express it. As educators, it is imperative that we help students pick topics of exploration and teach them how to find key words to use to search for that topic. Another skill to develop in students is the avoidance of plagiarism. This can be done by using the advanced search filter called "usage rights" that notifies what content can be shared or used. Another point of importance is that not all information on websites is of equal validity. Generally, the most reliable information can be found on domain extensions such as website.gov.
Unit 10: Build Interactive Lessons
This unit was all about how teachers can make their class and lessons more engaging for students and more fun for themselves to teach. In order to do this, utilizing presentations are a fantastic option, but that doesn't guarantee a good quality lesson. The goal of this course is to learn how educators can make their presentations more interesting and engaging while supplementing instruction with digital content. The program of focus here is google slides. I have a decent deal of experience and competence with google slides already, but realize that much is still to be learned. Some benefits to using google slides is the fact that multiple people can collaborate on a presentation simultaneously. This program is also great for engaging students because it allows users to insert pictures, shapes. videos, eye-catching text, and cool diagrams or graphic organizers. Another great program to engage students is Science Journal. As a chemistry teacher, this applies directly to my method of instruction. This program can be downloaded for free on students' phones and can be used to measure sound, light, and movement, all of which are extremely fascinating topics that should be investigated in science class. By using google slides and other apps like science journals, educators can enhance their instruction and more effectively engage their students.
Unit 11: Captivate Your Class With Video
As the unit title would suggest, this training course was about how teachers can use video to supplement and enhance their student's learning. The main program used to find and view videos is YouTube. YouTube is one of the most popular online tools and is something that has contributed greatly to my learning experience and life overall. Some key aspects concerning the use of YouTube are how to find content and creators, harnessing the subscription feature, curating educational videos based on genre or topic, and share videos via forms and slides. Some phenomenal educational channels to refer to for engaging and inspiring content include National Geographic, Khan Academy, Crash Course, and Veritasium, Vsauce, and many others. A helpful feature of YouTube is that video can be pre-downloaded so that it can be viewed even if the user doesn't have current internet connection. Due to amazing video quality and endless content, YouTube is one of the most powerful tech tools and should be utilized by every educator.
Unit 12: Facilitate Group work
In this unit I learned about the importance of facilitating group work and how that contributes to the success of student learning. Some subtopics of that idea are creating meaningful and effective collaboration, assigning and collecting assignments using Classroom, good practices for driving discussion inside and outside the classroom, and how to facilitate group work with a variety of different tools. The features of real-time editing and commenting allow for a smoother and more efficient group work than ever before. Another benefit of virtual collaboration is that technology can empower those students who were previously reluctant to speak out in person. This is an example of how tech tools can increase involvement in learning and better the learning of the class as a whole. It is also important to keep in mind that teachers need to see how much each student contributes to the group work. This task for teachers can be accomplished with version history which shows the student revisions with time stamps and color codes them.
Unit 13: Promote Digital Citizenship and Positive Online Behavior
The final unit of the fundamentals training course focused on our digital presence and how we all should ensure a positive online experience. These ideas were expanded upon in these subtopics: protecting oneself with strong passwords, recognizing hoaxes, understanding digital footprints, managing online identity, privacy settings, and building resilience and the ability to handle changes. Like the real material world, the internet has certain places that are more dangerous than others and so educators must guide students to safe places and help them avoid harmful ones. A fundamental step to ensure safe online use is to maintain an appropriate level of personal privacy. This is most evident in using strong passwords and being responsible with one's accounts. Something else to be cognizant of is the digital footprint. Educators can encourage students to maintain positive images online by revealing how their online image directly affects their real one. Striving to maintain a positive digital citizenship is something that both teachers and students will greatly benefit from.