Google apps has changed the way students present information. Students can update technology journals, attach pictures, create presentations with sounds, videos, links, and complete digital surveys. The possibilities are endless, and the students truly perform well with technology. As teachers we need to teach our students to succeed in our technological age and Google Apps truly prepares them for the 21st century.
Jenie Vargas M.A.
Special Education
Ceres Elementary Learning Center
I'm not much good at quotes, but we do love the laptops, they are in use all day Monday through Friday in the fourth and fifth grade classes. We have written stories, now we are working on Presentations. The kids are working on the weekend for fun (I have not assigned a presentation yet, they are just doing it for the fun of it!) The kids have named Friday (my day) Futuristic Friday because they do their math (study island) and witting (Google Docs), reading test (accelerated reader) and grammar practice (study island) on laptops rather than worksheets. As they are finally becoming self sufficient, I am finding time to meet with small groups for extra instruction. Kids who do not show up for tutoring do so on the days we use computers. Many of my children work on Study Island at home to practice. I have learned so much this year and will be able to implement all this from the beginning of the year. I believe that we will see another boost in CST scores this year due to all this extra practice!
Mrs. Hardy
4th Grade
Ceres Elementary
My students have really enjoyed using the notebooks to publish their writing using Google Docs. Logging in to their own private account using a laptop makes them feel so official! The kids also love logging on to the Internet to practice their skills on the Education City website, a program that our school was able to implement as a result of having the laptop carts. They're great- we love them!
Thank you,
Chris Muetzel
4th Grade
Mulberry Elementary
The notebooks open the door to a wide variety of ways that students can interact with what they're learning in a individual AND group setting. My favorite things about the notebooks is the fact that students have really taken ownership in everything they are working on with them. They are now more excited about their narrative writing because they get to share with any number of their peers and receive input on their pieces. This also allows for opportunities for the student editors to use the academic language that they have learned to explain what is good and what is missing from the pieces that they are evaluating. I love Google Docs!!! In addition, it makes it easier for teachers to differentiate writing instruction. While editing a piece of writing, I can clearly see the skill that I want to focus on with the individual student and leave comments right within the text to help the student fine-tune this skill when they go back in and work with the document again.
Access to www.edu.glogster.com has already enhanced student learning tremendously. Students have been asked to display what they have already learned and delve deeper through Internet research to display information pertaining to current classroom topics. The students have blown me away with the products that they are turning out! This information that they are working with has definitely carried over to classroom discussion and has enhanced the learning of others.
Natalie Haney
4th Grade
Murphy Ranch Elementary
My students have recently used the Netbooks to build presentations about California Missions. They first did all the research about a mission they chose and then compiled all the information they found into a presentation and added images to it. I am very impressed by how quickly they learned how to do it all and even more impressed with their final products.
Anna Ledesma
4th Grade
Ceres Elementary