Image from Gino Crescoli on Pixabay
Perhaps my favorite resource to work with this semester was Book Creator. I used Book Creator to create a book for a K-2 class on the Solar System. I loved how creative you can get with this resource in addition to the themes and backgrounds provided to give someone more structure. The features are more simplistic and rigid. I found it difficult to find out to increase and decrease the size of the font. However, it was free to use and is very good for starting to create your own books for your classroom! Teachers can create their own libraries and is amazing for student content-based projects instead of tests.
After being paired with a partner, we created a Google Sites website focusing on simple and engaging K-2 science activities about the weather. Some of the activities used are on heat and storms. The goal for the website is to provide activities for lessons and/or units on the weather. Science is fun and allowing students to participate in a hands-on activity makes the learning experience enriching for everyone. Google Sites was tricky to work with at first, but eventually became easy to use. My favorite part was the many options available with how you can structure the website.
I used Google Forms to create 2 different quizzes. The first was a fraction quiz for 4th-5th grade students working on adding and subtracting fractions. The second was a “Buzzfeed” style self-guided quiz that allows people to choose between options. This quiz in particular was about the amazing wonders of the state of Oregon that fits best with what one picks along the way. This form was far more difficult to make since I had to pay close attention to the additions and where they were placed. I loved the variety Google Forms had. You can require certain questions, allow it to be anonymous, and make it as simple or detailed as you would like. Google Forms can be used in any context, not just education.
After looking at all my posts, I’m most proud of how I’ve become more familiar with these websites, especially Google Forms. I started off the semester struggling with how to work with Sway and ended up creating some amazing books, websites, and Google Forms. I will absolutely be using Google Forms and other common technology resources like Google Sildes and Jamboard with my future students. Who knows what AI will be next year, let alone in the next 5 years. Will plagiarism rates drastically increase? Will teachers know how to detect AI that a student may have used? Who knows! What we do know is that technology is ever changing and there are many resources teachers can use to make their days easier.