The virtual field trip definitely expanded my computer literacy! I know that there is so much more to learn and hopefully I will be able to use all of the cool features that are at our disposal at Google in my classroom this upcoming school year. The first feature that I used for the field trip was Google maps. I fumbled my way around there and still do not feel I have mastered it. I did watch a tutorial for it and it seemed easy.. and it is easy.. I just can't "control" it. It constantly shifts,etc. I need to practice a little more. I also tried to add a photo or a video, I know the process and after I thought that I did everything correctly, the picture would not appear in the box where I had the marker on the map. There was a small icon that showed a broken file. I must not have done everything correctly. Suggestions are welcome, because I am a bit frustrated at this point! I LOVED making the form! That was so much fun and know that I will use that feature in my classroom this year! One little glitch, I chose a different background for the form, but when I open it on my Presentation, it still has the white background. I need to check it out again.. but if you have any ideas, please send them my way! Instead of using a regular Google doc, I used the presentation doc. This is similar to Microsoft PowerPoint. The feature was very user-friendly, and I really liked using it. It is very limited and obviously does not have all of the full blown effects of PowerPoint, but its advantage is.... it is free!!! And, it gets the job done! I have been sharing my work with Jen as I finish each part of the virtual field trip. That is another awesome feature... the document sharing! Whew, so much for rambling on about Google... my biggest concern is that I need to RETAIN the info to reuse it. Google takes care of that too... it does have helpful tutorials when needed. How did we function before Google? : )
This is the tutorial that I used to help me muddle through Google Maps...
Click here for a.....
Good tutorial for Google maps
Wow! What a great post!! You've accomplished a tremendous amount in such a short period of time. I hope when we meet next, solutions to your problems will be found.
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