DFI Session 2 - Housekeeping With Google

 

Housekeeping with Google is definitely so much more fun than being armed with a feather duster. The tips and tricks for clever use of Google Mail, Google Calendar, Google Meet, Keep and managing your tabs was done at breakneck speed today, and I could barely keep up. We all asked millions of questions, so the facilitators were kept very busy and definitely earned their keep today!

We practiced video conferencing using Google Meet today, with the added challenge of recording the session and then uploading it onto our blog. I partnered with Lisa from New Windsor Primary, and we had a fair bit of noisy fun. The actual task was to view a child's learning from their student blog, share it with our partner in present mode, and do a running commentary while doing so. I always find it super interesting that although I like to talk a lot face to face, I suddenly become a person of far fewer words when I'm being recorded 😛

I really enjoyed learning about some of the extra features attached to Google functions that I had noticed, but totally ignored before, being time poor and content to just stick with the basics and get tasks done as quickly and as simply as possible. My favourite today was Google Keep and I can see some great uses for it in my classroom.

One of the biggest learning curves for me was gaining a greater understanding about the Learn portion of the digital Learn-Create-Share model. Like the Manaiakalani story, it was good to finally have it all explained by the experts. Things are now starting to make big picture sense, whereas prior to starting this course, I felt like I was holding a whole lot of different puzzle pieces with no picture to guide me as to where each piece should go. When I started at my current school, everyone there was 3 years into the digital journey, so I was 3 years behind everybody else. Being that far behind the 8-ball meant a lot of catching up, which in term meant quick pot shots without the back story, so very little made sense. It was definitely no fun being that far behind everyone else! 

By far my highlight of the day was seeing the sounds of awe and wonderment from people who suffer from 'tabulitis'. You know who you are. You, the ones that have 100+ tabs open all at the same time. There was that moment of revelation when they realised that life could be so much more simpler with a few quick clicks. The bliss, the joy! My fingers are crossed that they don't fall off the wagon between now and our next session together. Paulette, Maria, Lisa, I'm rooting for you in a big way, and looking forward to seeing clean tab lines 😁

Comments

  1. Phil @ Ako Hiko17 May 2021 at 17:15

    Kia ora Sophia. I'm glad you're enjoying hearing about the Manaiakalani journey and that the pieces of the puzzle are starting to connect. I love Google Meet and use it throughout the day. Hopefully spending some time exploring all these tools during DFI will help you save more time in the long run. All those saved seconds and minutes soon add up!

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