Experimenting with a Google Apps Lab

As we shift into a summer mode at Mercy, we are also going to shift our professional development format. In May we presented some "Super Tuesdays" (and Thursdays) -- These were after-school workshops dedicated to the introduction of specific iPad apps like Dropbox, Noteshelf, Evernote, and Explain Everything. These sessions were very well attended even though they came at an exceedingly busy time for our teachers. Volunteers presented the workshops and it was unreasonable to expect them to give make-up sessions or post lots of resources.

So for summer, we will try to slow down and individualize. In June, we will host two "labs". This was the suggestion of our incredibly tech savvy, Alison Kline-Kator (someone you will be hearing more about in an upcoming post). She suggested a "drop-in" environment where folks could come for the 1:1 or small group training they desired. About eight staff members answered my call to serve as "trainers" for these two hour periods.

The first lab will be held on June 4, and it will focus on anything Google. Going to Google Apps was a key facet of our transition to Mercy 2.0. During a Keynote in April, Lucy Gray gave us a taste of all the interesting instructional possibilities for Google Apps. In addition, since across the school we are transitioning to Google Calendar, fluency in that environment will become essential for all staff. About 25 staff members have indicated that they will probably or certainly attend.

Two weeks later we will present a lab for all things iPad. I will be very curious to see how many people drop by, and that will pretty much determine whether we will offer another couple of labs during the summer.

In my next post I will describe a scheme for our newbie teachers that is a little more intense!

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CC illustration found at http://bit.ly/LTaWcl

New Adventures in Staff Collaboration

As we implement Mercy 2.0 we are moving forward with innovative professional development plans which I wish to document through this blog.  

In April we "unboxed" our iPads and participated in two days of PD with Lucy Gray.   After listening to our colleagues' conversations with Lucy, we decided to offer some workshops after school on specific productivity apps.  The first one on Tuesday was attended by about forty staff members.  This was truly inspirational.  Here is our program, called Super Tuesdays:

May 1 - Dropbox 

May 8 - iAnnotate 

May 10 - Noteshelf  

May 15 - Evernote for Beginners 

May 22 -  Explain Everything

May 24 - Intermediate Evernote 


In addition we are assigning a bit of homework to each staff member.  iPad app and Google app exploration will be organized by our academic departments. By August 23, we will all report our findings to each other on Google Groups.  Besides the obvious benefits of sharing important information, I hope
that this exercise will implicitly encourage all of us to use this
Google group format to ask questions and share Mercy 2.0 discoveries.


It is exciting to be involved in a collaborative venture that holds such promise for serving our students. But what is more, I think we are piloting some really interesting approaches to professional development.

Explain Everything

My Daily Apps-etizers!

I did a lot of driving this weekend.  And while on the road, I was reflecting on how so many of my work habits have changed in a year.  Along with new assignments and responsibilities, I have adopted some new apps to help me get my work done.  Here is a short list of the apps I use on a daily basis as part of my "work."


Basecamp.

I mentioned in iPad Projects that I was trying out some new cloud-based project management software called Basecamp.  I currently have a dozen work and personal projects going on it.  I have to admit the only features I am taking full advantage of are the "To Do" lists and Milestones", but I check them daily and use them to push my projects forward.


Kindle App
Many people don't realize that Amazon's Kindle Books are readable from all varieties of computers and mobile devices.  All of my course texts are on Kindle and I read them across three different computers as well as my iPad.  I've so quickly gotten used to it that the thought of actually hauling the old-fashioned course books around seems inconceivable to me.


PDf Expert
PDF Expert "lets you read and annotate PDF documents, highlight text, make notes, draw with your finger and save these changes which are compatible with Preview and Adobe Acrobat."  When I am going to give a short presentation, I usually toss my file into PDF Expert and add notes to it from my iPad, right up to the last second.


Dropbox
Dropbox is not new to me, but I now store 95% of my file there.   The only reason I ever use a USB flash drive is for sharing with another person.  I have only recently used shared dropbox folders to gather files from students, but when I check in with you next school year, you can imagine that it will have become one of my standard practices.


Noteshelf
As an administrator, I've had to get used to bouncing from one meeting to another.  I now take virtually all of my notes on Noteshelf for iPad.  Its fluid handwriting features are really nice and the export functions to Evernote and Dropbox seal the deal!


Flipboard
I am quite addicted to Flipboard for iPad.  While my employer does not directly benefit from my predilection to start flipping through its pages while I am supposed to be listening at one of the aforesaid meetings, this blog certainly does.  I get more inspiration for blog postings and stay better abreast ed tech gossip via Flipboard than any other single source.  It has displaced my Google RSS Reader in this regard.