Week # 8: Google Hangout+ for Webinar

     I attended a Google+ Hangout for the Webinar assignment.  It was presented by EduOnAir on May 2, 2012 with over 46 presenters on various technology topic.  I hung out with Allison Mollica and listened to her presentation titled “Project Portfolios - A Middle School Social Studies Project”. Click the link to the Hangout and learn more about the project which takes advantage of many Google sites!  Allison Mollica is a technology leader working in the Lebanon School District and is also a Google Apps Certified Trainer. 

      The Hangout  topic was a ‘Project Adopt a Country’ Portfolio project for 8th grade students at Lebanon Junior High School.  This is a year long, student centered, multimedia based project where students integrate Google Apps for Education (GAFE), becoming fluent in the use of many GAFE applications before entering high school.  Students choose a country to ‘adopt’ and do in-depth research based on guidelines provided by the teacher.  This project is technology rich allowing students to choose how they want to share and present their learning (link shows a Culture Collage) using a medi-rich format. Using the Universal Design for Learning, model this project supplements text with audio-visual applications, such as Voki, videos, etc.  This projects also meets many of the NH ICT Literacy Standards and portfolio requirements via this project. 

     Although I didn't actually get IN the Hangout, I was able to watch and comment.  My question to Ms. Mollica was why she choose Google over using a Wiki.  Her response is that Google solved many district problems by providing one stop shopping.  It answered concerns about sharing and privacy and embedding.  Throughout the year, Google documents are the content carry, or storage, for artifacts and then the Google site is the student's showcase.  Google Apps is part of the process and the showcase and it’s all free.  Our district uses Google for email and document sharing.  Ms. Mollica has set up a portfolio template for all teachers K-12 in our district 


     The Adopt a Country Project is pretty close to Project Based Learning.  PBL considers how your project not only impacts YOU, the learner, but how this knowledge can positively impact a wider community.  Many of the students collaborate with their classmates and with students from other classes who are exploring the same country and make their portfolio public (with some restrictions).  I'd like to see where this could go if students connected with other students from the country of study.  Wouldn't that be exciting!

     This Hangout inspires me to want to learn more about how to use Google Apps and integrate these tools into my daily lessons.  I’m very interested in student portfolios and would like to build a portfolio project for my students to do next year on a much smaller scale as I will only have students for 60 days.  I'm hoping to tap into Allison Mollica's knowledge and expertise to get me started with the portfolio template.  Check out this annual Google Apps for Education Maine Summit happening this August.