Thing 6

Yes, I thin that using Google Docs can improve my productivity because I've been busy this past week trying it - better late than never, right? Time was not on my side this school year. I can't tell you how many times I fell asleep as my laptop, looking back I also think I was afraid to try the tools, which I see now was really stupid as I was holding myself back and also that I was just plain overwhelmed with the amount of work of being assigned to 2 extremely demanding buildings. It was as if I had 2 full time jobs! So that said on to Thing 6.

This past week I took Maureen from Anwatin's class on Digital Photography as well as Diane W-R's class on Destiny Sandbox. Both used tools from MILI. I also attended the incredible 3rd Annual Metronet Information Literacy Conference on 6/19/09: Transformation from Within: Creating a 21st Century Learning Commons. Where was I the previous 2 years? Good question, now that I know about this annual ILC I will make a point to attend it. So hearing about the tools, watching the tools being used, gently pushed to use the tools has all helped to get me going. I've watched the utube "Google Docs in Plain English" 4 times, I've practiced sending msg. to Maureen as this will be the format we use for writing our paper & I've read many articles. The biggest factor for me in using Googledocs will be saving time! The new home is on the internet, not the computer so I won't have to waste time managing articles, or emails. I can have students email their assignments to me, I can mark them and get them back for revision. I would be paperless & there is a secure home on the web. Googledocs can also be used for spreadsheets & presentations. I am currently using Goodledocs in my digital photography class as well as will be using it this weekend for my skill set paper to Ann, Diane W-R, & Jeannie D.

Included in Googledocs are blogs & wikis. Of course we blogged in MILI this year. I have been involved in the media wiki and most recently this past week in the Destiny Sandbox class. We also used Edmodo for questions & short comments. I am thinking that a wiki replaces moodle? perhaps and that this is an online version of the old "parking lot" concept we always used in building staff development & TAP for listing comments or concerns on a bulletin board for staff sharing. I have not created a wiki but who knows? I may get so good I can for my middle school students.

I'm remembering when we first learned about wikipedia & how appalled we (media specialists) were by it. Now we use it all the time and don't think a thing about it! Thus I feel I have successfully navigated my way through Thing 6.