Will Anyone Really Care?

OK, so here I am, waiting for the end-of-the-year iMovie to create itself so I can make DVDs of it for each kid. It's actually been a fun process learning how to put photos over the video of the kids talking about what they liked about third grade. Last year I did only still shots but making the 1 minute video for the Google Teacher Academy application, made me think that I should try to do something different this year. I always wonder what actually happens to the CD/DVD I give the kids. Does anyone actually ever watch it? Never mind, isn't there something about the road being more important than the destination?

The worst part is that I'm sure each one will take a while to make and I need to make 21! In the meantime, I really should be working on my Google Tools presentation for the Union SD Tech Institute next week. Normally, I'd have the weekend to work on it, but with Colleen, my daughter, graduating UCSB on Saturday, my weekend is already spoken for. Well, at least I have the Google Docs Presentation done, and that's the first day. Google Search and other fun tools are the second day. Too bad I won't have the benefit of the GTA before I need to present.

Yesterday, I had the kids do a fun little "experiment" with a roller powered by a rubber band. I'd made a quick tally table on the board with questions for the kids to answer - after all, it is the last week of school. But one of the girls objected that they weren't using "Google Spreadsheet to enter the data" so I made a quick spreadsheet and the kids found it on Google Docs and began editing it on the 4 student computers in the classroom. Just then, the tech teacher from he District walked in. It was great timing, proving that I do, in fact, have the kids using Google Docs. Now if we can only drag some of the other teachers into the 21st century.

The Video

Thought it might be fun to share the video that got me into he GTA!!!!!

Ta Da!

I've resisted starting a Blog, just thinking no one cared to read anything I had to say. But, now that I've been invited to take one of the 50 coveted spots at Google's Teacher Academy, I feel a bit guilty that teachers who have been far more active in the online community were nosed out by me! So here I am, giving it a shot.

I think the clincher for me was my (pretty awesome if I do say so myself) 1 minute video. I worked really hard on it and learned a lot along the way.