Using Google Docs in the Classroom

I've been using Google Docs in my classroom for a couple of months now and am still exploring how to best utilize it's capabilities. Saw this posting today and found several ideas I plan on trying including setting up a shared presentation like this one.




[via Google Docs Blog]
[Image captured from Google Docs Blog: http://googledocs.blogspot.com]

Ergonomic School Furniture

I once asked a class of eighth graders to re-design a school classroom. Cost was no limit. What I got was essentially 25 different versions of a home entertainment center. If I wanted to kick back and watch a movie and have a snack, I could have found the perfect design. A place to learn...not so much.

This site for an ergonomically designed elementary school desk got me to thinking about that project again and how I might do it now. I made a couple of mistakes with my lesson plan. First, we should have spent some time defining the purpose of a classroom. How is it used? What is essential? Identify the things they didn't like about their own classrooms.

Second, I started too broad. I should have had students think about various components of the classroom first before I asked them for a complete plan. Sometimes it's helpful to start with the big picture and then move down to the components. In this case, I wish I had started with some of the details and then worked up.

[Image: Captured from website: Perch: http://www.perch.ie/]