Post #3 Something I'm interested in . . .

I am actually interested in Google Blog! I've been using it, personally, for a while. I was prompted a few years ago by the following events:

 In 1983, to the horror of my family, I eloped with a Greek cook in a local diner that I barely knew and went to live in Greece for a while.

Fast forward 30+ years. I wanted my children to understand who they are and so I thought I'd write about the experience but also to write about their grandmother (my mother-in-law) and her incredible life in the poorest area of Greece, in an unhappy arranged marriage. It turned out my kids weren't quite as interested as was I, so I thought if I bound it in a book, they might read it someday. So I used Amazon's Create Space to self publish and called it, The Nifi, which is the Greek word for a woman who marries into a family. My children were lukewarm with the whole idea. . . kids! But suddenly the book gained traction in the U.K. I'm really not sure of the reason.

Anyway, Google Blog is a great way to "market" something. Every time I post a new article on the blog (and then share it in Facebook Groups. . . sorry Google), I sell several books. The name of the blog is also called The Nifi. And so, this is my Post # 3 in thread 3 for this week's assignment! : ) 

Post #2: Exploring Features

Google Slides:

Among other functions, "insert" allows the Google Slide creator to put shapes into the slides.
Note the photo below. Just choose what you want and insert it into the slide. Then position and arrange it to where you want it.

Inserting images:

Inserting images is an important feature, and I find that, as an ENL teacher, I rely on images a great deal:

Annotations and Cards in Video:

I'm not crazy about Annotations. The little speech bubbles and rectangles that you can add text to during a video are supposedly going to be obsolete. However, I DID take the Trainer 2 test (yes, I failed) and both were on the test. 

I really like Cards in videos. They can be a lot of fun. I like the poll Card that can be inserted into a video. The following video was created just to insert one with a playlist (Learning Italian) and a poll into this blog page but I have actually inserted other polls in some of the training videos that I've shown my students. Look for the poll at the end.

Look for the little "i" in the circle and click on it. You have to "hover" to see it. 

                                 

Here is the video. I'd love to hear any suggestions as to why it blinks after the Italian Playlist is inserted.

"Add Section" in Forms:

When you want to have a participant skip questions in Google Form based on the answer he or she has given, you can use the feature called "add section."

Post #1: Sites, Classroom, Blogger and Groups

Google Sites:
I might want to create a website for the ENL parents so that I could post events such as grade level trips, assessments, projects and so forth. I like the "translate" feature that can be added as a gadget. I think parents would appreciate something that is specific to their children. It is hard for them to sift through the mailings that go home or mass emails. It would be nice for them to have a place that is primarily for ENL parents and guardians. I'd like to elicit the help of ENL parents to contribute to the blog. Maybe former ENL parents could guide current or incoming parents.

Google Classroom:
I use this on a daily basis for DO NOWs, Exit tickets, assignments when I am out of school and the "about" feature to collect videos and docs that explain procedures or have links to sites to practice English.

Google Blogger:
I like Blogger very much. I've used it for my own personal use for several years. I've found it a nice simple forum for satisfying my own desires to write. Therefore, now that I've been asked to look at it in a more professional way, I think it could give the same personal satisfaction to the students. I think I will begin the school year with a blog next year and have students contribute. After a while, maybe those who enjoy writing will take it upon themselves to create posts when the urge strikes them.

Google Groups:
I'm sorry. I dislike Google Groups. I'm just hoping it will fade away and we won't have to discuss it anymore. It's just not user friendly.  Even with the "tree view" I still found it annoying. I will definitely not use it in my class. Students can email me, write personal messages on Google Classroom or even write a message in Google Docs and share it with me so I get an email. Sorry. . .no Google Groups for me.