Google Summit Day 2: Keynote

Beware the Transformation Trap: Making Meaningful Change- Presented By Jennie Magiera

Transformation is it good?

To start her keynote Jennie asked us why we are at the Summit. Was it to get better at doing something with Google Apps? Or was it to inspire students, differentiate learning, and collaborate?

Jennie spoke about using the SAMR model to ask “Is different better?”

Compliance does not equal engagement.

In her own classes in Chicago, Jennie found that using technology led to compliance with students working in silence at their computers but she questioned if computers was engaging her students. When she watched Dora the Explorer she noticed that Dora asked questions from her audience and students interacted with the television.

Using this idea to create engagement and challenge students with video Jennie suggested pausing the video and inserting a question or activity. For example, insert instructions into the video to go and talk to others or to go and do something such as finding information on a wall-chart. This can be done using YouTube Editor.

Mood Check Form

Another example of using Google Forms interactively, is when students arrive in class Jennie  uses Google Forms to check their mood. In a table she has two questions

HOW DO YOU FEEL?…WHY DO YOU FEEL THIS WAY?

The students answer the questions feeling comfortable of being anonymous from behind the screen. Using this form she doesn’t have to ask a student about their behaviour but she can suggest solutions to make them feel better.

What does engagement look like?

  • Creation- what have I made?
  • Creation turns into empowerment.

As the student becomes more empowered they become the teachers. Jennie has found that  students will tell teachers to make lessons more creative after they have been using technology creatively.

Recommendations.

Rate of change: there is no shame in slow and steady and to take failure and do something, to try again and again. Finally, to remember that not everyone is excited as you are. How can you make other teachers interested?

Go to Jennie’s website for more or follow her on Twitter at @MsMagiera

 

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2 Comments
  1. Thanks for the posts, Ann. Sounds like the summit was thought provoking with some great practical tools to generate engagement and stimulate a deeper level of thinking.

    • Hi Bess, yes Google forms can be used to get student feedback to work out if using new technology is engaging and improves student outcomes. YouTube editor is the easiest video creation tool that I’ve come across.

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