Google SketchUp Unleashed

I decided to watch this video because I do a design unit with my 8th grade students. I've heard of Google SketchUp and downloaded it once but never got to using it and didn't think it would fit the needs of what I was doing. I was hoping that the presentation would give me a little insight into how to use the program or how it might be implemented into my curriculum

Playing to Learn
I think this concept is one of the most powerful when it relates to new technology. This is why students often learn the applications and technology faster than adults because they are not afraid to just play with it and try to figure out what is going on. Adults are afraid to "break" it or mess it up beyond repair. Students don't care. They know you can't really "break" it and that if you mess up bad enough you can quit and don't save and just start over. This is what gives them the edge in technology learning. I know if I got more into Google SketchUp that I would definitely take a Play to Learn approach as suggested by Mr. Bires.

I didn't expect it to be a "how to" for most of the presentation, but it was good to see the basics and try to apply it in my head to what I do with ArchiCAD. Some of the tools seemed similar, but it wouldn't give the specific design aspects that I need. I would like to see some more examples of buildings created with SketchUp.

Use a 3D object
I really liked the idea of having students take a 3D object to recreate. The concept of being able to walk around an object and get a real life feel for it is very important.

I did find many useful resources on his web site (http://www.edtechleadership.com) and am sure that I will access these in the future.

At times, I did find his presentation hard to follow. I didn't find him to be a very fluid speaker and because he kept having to stop and start recording, at times I found him disjointed.

Overall, interesting.