Breaking the Bonds of Saving
If your school is like my school, any digital artifacts that kids work on are usually stored on the school network and thus, inaccessible at home. This does not have to happen, students can use save to the Internet and be able to access their documents from anywhere. I believe that this is going to happen someday when we break down some idea barriers – barriers regarding student ownership of their computing time.
I have been working on a project regarding Creative Problem Solving using iMovie and Cmap. My files were located on my iMac and I wanted to access them on my MacBook Pro. I was nice and cozy on my back porch and did not feel like getting up to move the files the “old” fashioned way. So I began to think, think, and think some more – just like Winnie-the-Pooh. As I looked out my sun porch windows, I saw the most beautiful male cardinal sitting in my pine tree and became inspired by him taking flight.
What if I used Apple Remote Desktop to take control of my iMac and then saved the files to my Gspace account- Google’s version of an external hard drive. So that is what I did. With the Gspace firefox add-on already installed on both of my macs, I could very easily move files and not get off the couch – the lazy shall inherit the earth
So after I successfully moved my files, I got to thinking, what don’t we try this in schools? In order to do this we would need:
- Student access to Gspace which means they would need a google account (both free)
- To use Firefox as our preferred browser
- Install the Gspace Firefox add-on
- To teach kids how to manage accounts and use Gspace
Here are the idea barriers that need to be figured out:
- If kids have Gspace accounts, they would also have Gmail accounts, which means they would have email accounts
- If they have Gmail accounts, they would also have Google Chat a form of Instant Messaging
- How would 3 – 6 grade kids save their work? Would this be too difficult? (to add their accounts each time)
- What if we allowed kids to bring in their own Portable Firefox App – customized with Gspace – on a jump drive?
- How can we get teachers to be responsible for how kids use the Internet so that the fear of them using email and IM does not lead to trouble – but leads to a more efficient means of communicating?
I am an Educational Computing Strategist (ECS). I figure out ways to IMPROVE education with technology. 
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March 18th, 2007 at 10:01 am
Gspace seems like a solution. I have thought of using other storage places like Yahoo’s Briefcase or AOL’s XDrive.
My students are required to have Google accounts.
I have already been using Gmail with two students and have
used the chat feature with both. It works great because we do not distract other students with our conversation about other projects that they are working on.
If students all had the chat feature I would be constantly watching their screens because they would chat.
The main thing high school teachers worry about with technology is cheating.
Using IM in school really takes the technology used the students world and puts into the classroom. IM is how they communicate.
The question is… can we add this to their educational experience? IM is an issue all by itself and… I think it can happen if…
A school embraces one form of IM for students something the school can manage. Right now because of its other valuable products Google chat seems to be the way to go.
You train students how to use IM in your classroom. Set parameters and teach students the value of Instant Messaging in school. Start with a pilot classroom and teacher in all grade levels.
Recognize the need to have a new form of classroom management. A well planned IM Staff Development workshop would have to happen and for teachers and administrators.
Students in grades 3 -6 could save their work to their Gspace. I guess I don’t understand yet what adding their accounts each time means. Have the technicians be involved with setting that up the day students come in and set up Gspace. Set it and forget it? Is that possible?
One hurdle of getting access to GSpace when you want it is when Firefox wants to update. That could cause GSpace not to work until the computers are updated with the latest version of Firefox and Gspace.
I think we could train 3-6 students to use Google Products. I think we show them how use a Flash Drive also. Have it be a supply that is kept at school.
But one thing that pops into my mind is if parents do not want their third grade child exposed to GMail? And its spam?
I am sure we could set up safe accounts if we became a “Google District”. So it would be good to Research becoming a “Google School” before doing anything.
Staff Development for teachers and administrators is key. The school district would have to teach and prepare teachers who have never managed wireless/ laptop classrooms (which is most with follow up.
Teachers who have success should be given recognition to prove that it can be done and help model for skeptical teachers.
The classrooms of today are not like ones from even 7 years ago. We must prepare everyone for managing schools with ubiquitous computing.
March 18th, 2007 at 10:29 am
As I walked downstairs from posting this I thought about the teachers who if I told them we should start thinking about safe ways to implement IM into teaching could and would think of three reasons off the top of their hea not to do it.
This would not change my mind and strip away the value of using IM at all.
But it made me think about how tech projects are sometimes started in a district and fail or struggle to get off the ground because of the “hurdles that were not thought of”.
As much as I would not want to hear the negatives I think it would be wise to poll teachers and get their reaction to it. Teachers will come up with reasons that integrators and admins may not think of why it would “never!” work.
So with that message board or whatever people who wanted to pursue the IM road in the classroom would a more complete picture to work with when planning.