Google Teacher Academy

Looks like I'm not the only one who things that the Google Teacher Academy might be more about making converts to the Google cause than actually helping teachers and students. I mean, how hard is it to use Google in your classroom?

That said, it does seem like they might know what they're doing. Kudos to them for keeping it local in order to build community, and I lo ve the required videoclip upload as part of the application process.

Comments

[mrc]

Happy to report that there is no "cause". The day was spent talking about how to use technology in the classroom effectively, and hearing the different challenges that people face in trying to implement new ideas.

It's not hard to use Google in the classroom to look things up, as you point out. But it was interesting for me to see a teacher using Google Docs as the way students turn in papers to her and get feedback. It was neat to see the inventor of Sketchup show us how to create 3d examples for geometry. And, like any conference, the best part was meeting colleagues.

I was also suspecting that there might be some kind of marketing embedded in this, but there wasn't. Definitely a focus on Google's tools, but not to the exclusion of others.