Google Certified Educator...

[moontang]

Anyone have any comments on this?

[otherstuff1957]

If you are referring to using Google classroom, I have been using it for a couple of years.  It is useful if the students remember to log into their gmail accounts and if you keep it updated and organize your information properly. I have been posting homework assignments, directions and grading rubrics for projects and copies of powerpoints for each class.  I also use it to remind students to turn in worksheets or workbooks or make up missed quizzes.

 

The seminars are semi-useful as they emphasize using google sheets and docs, which are not as user friendly as Microsoft excel or word. 

 

Before your school starts using google drive, I would strongly recommend making a flow chart and organizing your data into folders and subfolders with appropriate sharing options - can edit, read and comment or read only.  Trying to impose order on a mass of disorganized data after the fact can be a real PITA!

[moontang]

Classroom is part of it...but Google is offering the course free...certification exam is 10 USD.  This is going to catch on big...it is free for one thing...and completely embraces the cloud.  School Districts In the US have wasted billions and billions on Microsoft licensing..they can't afford it, and neither can most of the world.  Will the Thais embrace free or continue to pay and pirate obsolescence?  I would make my students use it, to eliminate paper and having to apologize to use the often broken "Z-rocks."

[ozmeldo]

Unless your school is plugged into the Google machine and you have a school email (you at school.ac.th) you're most likely not in compliance.

 

In theory you could get certified without being directly connected to the school but you need to work thru the program and that is supported by what you're doing with students.

 

Google requires you to have a school email and if it had it's way,the school all interconnected to Classroom. In fact you are not supposed to run classes with minors (basically public school) without the schools backing (email minimum proof).

 

I've known a few teachers that have a school email. I've had two but my current school will not give a foreigner an email) Knew a teacher that is level 2 certified.

 

I'm not using Classroom, it's a bit of overkill for what I'm doing because at this school and i don't want to deal with the account issues for hundreds of kids.

 

But if Google were to find you using the account for schools / minors I suppose they could lock you out. That could be devastating.

 

I see the value but I'm trying to move away from Google products. I love Gmail but Google fell in love with itself and the cloud. I've no love for either.

[moontang]

You can take level 1 without being a part of a school. They give you a temporary account to use.  Fat Client computing showed its limitations, when Win 95 came out, and it was almost impossible to do a remote install.  A lot of people got to call themselves "IT Guys." Classroom is free for everyone, and simply requires a Gmail account.  Haven't tried yet, but you should be able to generate a class ID without the Education Suite, which is all the same stuff, but a few extra layers of control given to a local system administrator.  I'll bet you could pass out a stack of Punch cards at your next faculty meeting, and they would start filling them out...not going to piss in the wind with that bunch...

 

I just went in to Classroom, and, yes, there is a warning about using it at a school with students..doesn't specify minors..so you would need the green light from some educrat.  No reason why you couldn't use it as a coach, in a non interscolastic environment.  Almost all of it could be used in business, which is refreshing that the tools can actually be used in business in their same form.  I knew about half the tools, already..Hangouts, Maps, Docs, and Search....Groups, Sheets, Slides, Calendar were nice additions.  I need a webcam for the exam..but just about ready after about 12 hours of study.

[BobbyL]

Done Level 1 and going to try and do Level 2 as well soon. It is great if your school uses the Google apps for learning and they offer much more than just Google Classroom. We recently made websites in ICT using Google Sites which was brilliant. Starting Google Sheets in maths next week for data analysis. 

 

We have a 'bring your own device' in upper KS2 and KS3 and it is very beneficial to use with them. I wouldn't think it is worth it if your school doesn't have something like that in place. 

[otherstuff1957]

One issue with using the whole google cloud/classroom/slides/sheets etc., is that they all rely on having a good, consistent, fast internet connection.  If you have relying on your school's wifi, you can easily find yourself with no presentation in the middle of the lesson!

 

I use google for posting assignments, tracking grades, filing lesson plans and course outlines, communicating with students, etc., but when I go into a classroom I have my powerpoints and videos saved on my computer and my worksheets printed out on dead trees.