I had a wonderful opportunity last weekend to attend the GAFE (Google Apps for Education) Summit.
I must admit going into this Summit I thought that I knew quite a bit about Google Apps, after all I use collaborative Google Docs, Google Sheets, Google Forms and on top of that I have been a member of Google+ and have led many Google Hangouts for my Movies as Literature class.
GAFE however opened up a whole new world of add-ons, extensions and apps that I hope to start applying soon!
More than just apps, this conference was about changing thinking and learning to look at education (and life) in a different way. Learning to think and respond to others ideas in the context of Yes...and rather than Yes...but. Learning how to explore design thinking. Learning how one app can change an experience of learning and meet the needs of a variety of different students.
One of the things that struck me was how visual we have become. The medium that impacts students is experiential - mainly with video, but also with social media, artistic expression and hands on explorations.My own problem solving and critical thinking skills were challenged in many of the "learn by doing" sessions. I loved this!
The icing on the cake was learning about some very cool apps! Here are just a few ;)
Kaizena- a program to use along side with Google Docs to be able to add audio feedback, links and much more. Very cool!
Ed Puzzle - to take video and add quizzes embedded in the video itself.
Jamendo - music that is in the public domain (please use caution - there is a wide range of music you may not want your students to listen to)
Geogussr.com - a very fun game for learning Geography
I hope to share many more great resources over the next few months as I use them and apply them!
Thank you GAFE Summit team!
Blessings, Natalie
