Have You Moved Over the Google Side? Part 2

In Part 1 of this series, I introduced several uses of Google Drawings for a collaborative experience. In this post, I will focus on a few ways you can use Google Slides along with Google Drawings to encourage students to create, share, and provide feedback.

After teaching them little tips and tricks with Google Drawings, I had them share their creations in Google Slides. I created a shared Slides presentation and had each team share their Google Drawings. They were to leave a comment on several of the slides (this is a great way to teach them verbiage for constructive criticism). I heard many of them ask a student, "How did you do that?" or "Wow! I wish I had thought of that!" It is so rewarding to hear them discuss their work in a collaborative setting.

After a training I did in Klein ISD in 2015, I had the participants give feedback at the end of the session. I wanted them to see they could use this to have students reflect on activities, lessons, experiences, etc.

I came across several ways to use Google Slides in the classroom and my favorite has to be the beginning of the year activity by Alice Keeler ! It is brilliant! Especially, for those of us who struggle with learning our students' names!

I would like to take this one a little further and make it also and end of the year activity (since I teach 8th graders, and they are about to start high school). This is a fun activity that will allow them to see their growth through the year if you add reflective questions.

Google tools are so much more than some people have experience with...especially Google Drawings and Google Slides. Most people think of Google Slides as simply a presentation software; but it is so much more. I hope you share this tool with your students and allow them the opportunity to experience Google in all the creative ways they should be used!