Local District 4 Instructional Technology News

It’s almost time again. Our next meeting will take place Thursday, November 15, 2007 at Arroyo Seco Elementary (4805 Sycamore Terrace) from 3:30 to 5 pm.

This month we will continue to explore Google Applications for Education. In our October meeting we went over Google Docs which included word processing, spreadsheets and power point presentations in an online environment. We saw lots of benefits to the Google Docs. It gives teachers and students access to files from any computer through the Internet. Teachers and students can collaborate on a document at the same time from multiple locations as long as they are connected to the Internet. It is a great tool. And it’s FREE!!

This month, we will look at Google Groups and Google Calendar. Google Groups allows teachers to set up a virtual classroom where they can post assignments, post discussion questions, collect assignments and more. This is a great way to get all students to participate in discussions. If a child is absent, no problem. Because Google Groups is web based, students can log in from any computer with Internet access and participate in class discussions, pick up assignments, or post their assignments. This is another great tool from Google.

Last, but not least, we will also look at Google Calendar. If you have been trying to manage multiple calendars, cross referencing each one to make sure your events don’t over lap with one another, or you want to share a calendar with your colleagues and students, Google Calendar will help you accomplish just that.

Make sure you have a Google Account. Use your LAUSD email when setting up your account. By doing so, you are identifying yourself as an educator. I look forward to seeing you at the meeting.

Thanks to Alex and Ms. Ortiz from Arroyo Seco for hosting our meeting at their school. If anyone would like to host a meeting, let me know so that we can set a date.

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