Googlios: A 21st – Century Approach to Teaching, Learning, & Assessment

I chose to reflect on the "Googlios" video because I really like using Google and all of its products. That said, I thought the concept of a "Googlio" was VERY cool! It is just so impressive-- never ceases to amaze me-- how easy and convenient Google tools are to use. I am going to be getting some practice using these tools with my digital sharing project, in which I am creating a department website.

At the beginning of the video, the author talked about how there are schools that use Google as their email provider. I have a friend who teaches in Wayland, and she told me that her school recently switched over to using Google. I have to admit that I was jealous-- I have a bunch of Google email accounts for different things that I do, and in comparison to FirstClass, I think it is far superior (although First Class did just come out with a new iPhone app!). I just think of making a teacher website on FirstClass versus using Google Sites, and there is absolutely no comparison. I was wondering though, when schools use Google as their email provider, does Google charge a fee (the email service is normally free)?

While Google would be useful for teachers, I also believe that it would be useful for all students to have Gmail accounts. Especially with the advent of Google Wave, which I'm guessing will be available to everyone at some point, classes could "Wave" together too. There are so many communication opportunities that are possible just using Google's communication tools.

Another tool that I like, being a Social Studies teacher, is the Google News site. You can completely customize your news page to show stories that you are interested in. For my current events assignment that my students do on our wiki, I created a customized news page showing only the places in the world that my students were following. I was trying to figure out how I could share this and embed it on my wiki (I haven't figured it out yet), but that would be another way for students to find information on their topics, while looking in one spot, but at a multitude of news sources-- all thanks to Google just making life easier. Pretty awesome.

There are so many other Google tools that I find interesting (I like the Reader, Picasa, Calendar, Docs, and other that I use), but one point that the author of the video made was that our students are "DFLs" (Digital First Language or Digital Natives) and that many teachers are "DSLs" (Digital Second Language or Digital Immigrants). While I feel pretty native/comfortable myself, I understand why it can be difficult for many teachers. That being said, I am pleased to see so many "immigrants" trying to learn so that they can relate to their students. There is so much energy right now towards 21st century learning, and I think some progress is being made. There are fascinating ideas out there.

All of these fascinating ideas are not worth as much when there is not the proper support to implement them. The author asks, "can schools and educators adapt fast enough to meet the next generation?" I hope so. But, I was discouraged today at school by what I perceive as a problem that should not be happening if we are serious about implementing 21st century skills that we're so enthusiastic about. I simply tried to open a PDF file and print it out today on a school computer (I usually use my personal laptop with no problems), and sat there... and sat there... and sat there... you get it. Spinning wheel of death. So I gave up trying to print a document.

I am hopeful about all of the things that the author talks about. I see so many great things on the horizon, and I find the idea of a "Googlio" to be so fascinating. All of these great ideas need real support, and I hope that schools, cities, towns, the state, and the federal government rise to the challenge and make things happen.