Google Certified Educator (Levels 1 & 2) are Complete!

I earned my Google Certified Educator badges!

Reflection:

The tests were different than the ones that I took last year as part of the Google Educator certification. They cost less money and were more performance-based (which was a bonus).  The practice scenarios, however, required a lot more focused concentration, because of the level of detail in them.  I struggled at times with cognitive overload, as a result of having to tab between detailed scenarios and the work space itself.  I typically use the Tab Scissors extension when I want to read directions on one screen and follow them on another.  I didn't think to add it in during the tests (which were both taken in incognito mode).  

I learned more than I thought I would during the training modules, leading to the obvious conclusion that there are always capabilities being added to Google that are easy to miss.  For example, I learned how to use the Autocrat add-on, which I hadn't used before.  I also learned about the uses of different types of charts in Google Sheets!

#ETT Google Reflection

On Friday, 27 February 2015, I had the opportunity to take a tour of the Google Headquarters in Cambridge, MA as part of a fun-filled day of workshops sponsored by EdTechTeacher.org, in collaboration with Google.  I left feeling inspired, imagining how schools might find ways to carve out the creative space that makes Google such an invigorating and innovative place.

My favorite workshop, Choose Your Adventure YouTube, was taught by Greg Kulowiec, a former Social Studies teacher.  The basic concept of his presentation was that YouTube can be used as a creative and collaborative tool for students to tell a variety of stories, increasing their engagement and buy in, while having an authentic audience.

So far, I've experimented with this idea, using footage of the musical hat that I made for the event, but I didn't leave quite enough wait time on the first clip.  If you are fast, clicking on the link within the video will take you to another video clip.  Doing something like this with students, for an authentic purpose, would be a fun way to bring more video making to the classroom!

Here are some of the biggest aha's that I took away:

• YouTube Capture is a useful app for capturing footage and quickly uploading it to YouTube.

• Breaking students up into groups is a good idea.  They can each work on a different component of the video and then add their FINAL video clips to a shared folder in Google Drive.

• You can give your students a special email address for mobile uploads that allows them to send video footage directly to your desired YouTube Channel, by going into the settings and mobile uploads. You can change this address to control when clips are uploaded to your account by clicking the link under the special email address.  (See the example below.)

• In the video, itself, you can only link to other videos (or Google+ profiles), not directly to documents. It is, however, a good idea to put a link to sources or additional information within the description of the video.

#ETT Google Jamboree Application

The start of a new year is always a great time for reflection and goal setting.  This year, an open invitation to apply for one of the 200 free #ETTGoogle Jamboree slots nudged me into action.

In the process of brainstorming some desired outcomes--and direct actions that I'd need to take-- in order to make 2015 the best year for my students' learning, I created an animated infographic that showcases my plan for the year!

I started by creating the image that you see below, by playing with the Grafio app.   This took much longer that I'd expected, because my first attempts lacked cohesion and were too distracting to depict a concerted attempt at focused reflection.  (FLOG Alert:  If I'd spent more time pre-writing, I wouldn't have had to make so many revisions on the graphic!)  

The addition of a photograph, depicting my latest e-textile, required that I create a new project!  I'll be the first to admit that this hat is not as neat as it could be.  My stitches are large and unwieldy.  But, wasn't it the insightful Voltaire who advised that perfection is the enemy of finished...or something like that? Just for kicks, I coded the tune, "Don't Stop Believing," and upload it to my hat.  (See my application video below.)



After completing the graphic, I decided that I'd be happier with it if I added some movement.  This I accomplished by using the props in DoInk animation.  Once I was satisfied, I imported the clip into iMovie, added a tune that I created on Garage Band, and voila!  It was this video that I submitted as my final application.

The animated version may be viewed above (but it's easier to see at full-screen).

While I am hopeful that I will be one of the lucky few selected to attend the conference, the time I invested in the application will serve me and my students well in 2015, as well as allowing me to put my money where my mouth is.

Update:  I'm Going!  I'm SO excited!

Post Reflection

Google Educator

I am officially a Google  Educator!

Update:   I completed the new Level 1 and Level 2 certifications!

Vermont Google Summit

I attended the Vermont Google Boot Camp and Summit this weekend, where I learned so many new things that my brain is oozing information!  Luckily, most of the presenters linked their presentations to the Web for easy access later!

I'd like to report that I bravely took part in one of the demo slams, but I didn't fully gather up the courage that I needed to transform intent into action.   With encouragement from a friend at Brown's River Middle School, I am going to try to be a little braver in the future.

My goal for my next post is to test out a private Google hang-out, Snag-it, or Screencastify to teach a trick with Google Drawings!  Now that Google Drawings has added increased functionality in the form of cropping and masking tools, the possibilities are virtually limitless!