I
‘ve had the good fortune of teaming up with English Language Arts teacher Mr. Jacob Belknap from Edsel Ford to find ways to integrate technology into his instruction. Recently, Mr. Belknap and I used Google Hangouts to hold a video conference to discuss how he could best use Google Docs and Google Classroom to help his students in their unit on personal narratives.
During the lesson, Mr. Belknap modeled reading strategies using a Google Doc and its highlighting capabilities. Then, he coached them through the process as they collaborated in small groups on the reading protocols. This allowed students to participate on a group document while they discussed their reading. Later on in the lesson, students worked individually to demonstrate the skills they had learned on yet another portion of the Google Doc.
Collaborating on the document also enabled Mr. Belknap to continually adjust his lesson as the day went on in order to meet the needs of students in each class.
