I have not been able to stop thinking about the ideas that were hatched in Chicago. I know most of the Google tools and the applications of them, but the GTA connected me to the people to implement my ideas. Naturally, you drink a little Kool-aid and get excited about all that Google has to offer, but the thing I really walked away with is the instant network I became a part of and the potential for more in everything I do.One thing that I want to work on is my 20%. What can I do for an hour a week with my kids that is outside the box and will better prepare them for the world they are entering? I am kicking around an interdisciplinary online collaboration around the idea of place. I would naturally throw in some earth science but I would want it to be accessible to other disciplines too. I already have four burners going so my 20% might be on top of an already full plate. I'm sure most other educators are in the same boat so maybe I ought to just jump in.
Stay tuned for more on The Place Project! Anyone interested?
Why not introduce your kids to SketchUp? Of course, suggesting a tool is not suggesting a cohesive 20% project, but if you're talking about place, SketchUp strikes me as a really cool entrypoint for kids to get excited about a place. Afterall, they get to design, "draw," and create. And then they can post their "place" in Google Earth, write an expository essay in Google Docs, share their different KMLs/Docs in Google Sites - there are a million ways to get kids excited, get them to connect with one another, and get used to communicating with an audience
ReplyDeleteThanks Cristin!
ReplyDeleteI like the idea because it would allow students to work independently on something interesting to them while contributing to a larger body of work. Thanks for the idea. I have avoided SketchUp because I struggled using it the first time but maybe I should take another look at it.
Has anyone done anything like this before? I'd like to see some projects to get an idea of what 8th graders can do.