The Magic of G Suite

I absolutely loved learning how to use G Suite in class. I was amazed at all the things you could do with it!! I can't wait to use some of its features in my classroom one day. Picking just three tools is really hard, considering all of them are so amazing! One of the tools I would love to use in my classroom is Google Slides. I remember using Google Slides all the time in middle school and high school. It is so nice because your whole group can be working one the project at the same time. In an elementary setting, I think that Google Slides is a great way for students to gather and present information in an interesting and exciting way. I would use Google Slides for a variety of assignments and projects for my students. I could have each student create a slideshow to tell us a little bit about themselves. Or I could have the students work in groups to research a specific topic (a country, and animal, etc) and create a fun slideshow to inform the rest of the class what they have found. 

Another Google tool I plan to use is My Maps. This was one tool that I had absolutely no idea existed until we explored it in class. It is great because you can measure distances, find quick routes, add markers, and plan travel. I remember in elementary school, I did some assignments where I had to plan trips, everything from the route we would drive to what we were doing. This assignment helped with our planning and organizational skills as well as our time and money management. It was also a fun assignment! I think that I would have my students do this activity using My Maps. It would be easy for them to find a route to get to the places they want, measure the distance, and figure out how long it will take. I would then have them use another Google tool (such as Google Docs) to write a trip itinerary of everything they are going to do and see and how they are going to get there. 

The third Google tool I enjoyed playing around with was Google Forms. I have taken a bunch of quizzes and done a bunch of assignments on Google Forms but I have never figured out how to make one. You can do so much with it!! I think Google Forms is a great way to help students progress at their own pace. You can have them research and do their work and then whenever they get done, they can take a quiz on Google Forms. You don't have to worry about making sure everyone is on the same level before giving a quiz. I would also use Google Forms as a way to help student's show that they have learned what I want them to learn. At the end of the lesson or activity, I think it would be fun for student's to create their own quiz on what they learned. Then they can take quizzes that the other student's have made. I think that would be a fun way to recite what they have learned and create at the same time. 

Before exploring all the tools Google has to offer, I wasn't planning on using technology in my classroom very much. I preferred to use mostly paper assignments and paper projects. But now that I know how to use all the G Suite tools, I am definitely going to use them in my classroom! And I can't wait to do it.