As a Technology Integration Coach, it is my responsibility to encourage and support teachers to implement the use of technology in their classrooms. This year, I am piloting Google Apps for Education with an academy of 6th grade teachers at the William Davies Middle School @WilliamDaviesMS, in Mays Landing, NJ.
In the beginning of the school year, I introduced Google Apps for Education (GAFE ), to the students which included modeling to them the procedures to login to the domain, the apps that are available in the domain, Google Drive, Google Docs, and file/folder management. In addition to my classroom lessons, I created documentation for them and showed them where they can access it on my website. A few weeks after the introduction of GAFE, I decided it may be a better idea to create short screen casts for the students using Screencast-O-Matic.
My videos are about a minute long which allows the students to watch the videos at any time and at their own pace. The screen casts that I completed are for 6th grade students who are using Google Apps for Education, but they can be used from middle school grades and up. I intend to create several videos on document sharing. For now, this is what I created so far:
- Student Login to Google Apps for Education Domain
- Create a Google Document in Google Drive
- Create a Spreadsheet in Google Drive
- Create a Presentation in Google Drive
- Create a Drawing in Google Drive
- Create a Folder in Google Drive
- Delete a File in Google Drive
- Restore a File from the Trash in Google Drive
- Move a File into a Folder in Google Drive
Screencast-O-Matic, is a free screen capture tool that will allow you to record your navigation on the computer screen while you record yourself at the same time. The free version will allow you to save your recording to the computer, or to YouTube. However, if you make a mistake during the recording, you must start over again. I recommend that you have a script or an idea of what you are going to say prior to recording. The paid version will allow you to edit the video so you do not have to start from the beginning. This tool is a powerful one and is not difficult to learn.
I recommend anyone who provides professional development and/or documentation for teachers and students to try using Screencast-O-Matic instead of typing their documentation. It can save you a lot of time.
These videos, and other Technology Integration resources can be found on my school website. I