5/7 - GAIN (Presentations)

Google Presentations and Microsoft PowerPoint are very similar. There are few differences but just enough to make you take a closer look at the Pros & Cons.
Microsoft PowerPoint- The biggest plus to using PowerPoint is the internet is not needed. Also, there are many slide options in which you have the ability to jot down your thoughts, whether it be animations, using WordArt or being able to insert texts, images or audio. The drawbacks are it is not available to everyone. You must have PowerPoint in order to view the presentation. The biggest downfall is the cost of the software.
Google Presentations on the flip side does require internet connection but also allows its users to collaborate on the document and access it from any source (phone, iPad, computer). While it is easy to use its designs are limited.
In chapter 5 Graham states, "Google Presentations is a powerful presentation maker that is part of Google Apps for Education. Presentations has all of the features users have come to expect with traditional presentation software such as PowerPoint and Apple's Keynote. Slide transitions, animations, inserting images and video are all part of Google Presentations. The difference is in sharing, collaboration, and price. Special features like these will help students and teachers fulfill requirements of the Common Core State Standards."
In watching my oldest child using Google Presentations for class projects I'm still amazed how she and her partners can collaborate on things and not even have to meet/stay after school. I would advise when using this for classroom projects make sure to emphasize that if you make changes that you inform your group.
After having used Microsoft throughout high school and college, I'm convinced now that Google Presentations is something I will use from here on out.


*Graham, Michael J. (p.71) Google Apps Meet Common Core, SAGE Publications.2013

For our GAIN requirement I chose Jeff Utecht's blog, The Thinking Stick. The post I'm commenting about is "10 Ways to use Google Maps in the Classroom." I'm one of those individuals who uses Google Maps frequently but would never have thought about using in the classroom until reading this post.
As a student I always dreaded when we had to talk about Latitude/Longitude. I love Ultecht's ideas of Latitude/Longitude Scavenger Hunts. This idea makes learning this concept not only fun but shows students how it is used in our daily life.
My favorite idea that was shared in his post was to have the students create a video tour of all the different explorers. This is definitely a FUN and innovative way for our students to learn about all the different explorers in our History.
Jeff Ultecht gives new educators great tools to implement into their classroom to make learning old concepts fun.