Classroom Rules

What? This week my assignment was to make a slide show of my future classroom rules using Google Presentations. It is a program similar to Microsoft Power Point.
So What? Our class is doing this group project to learn how to collaborate online. This will help when I have many group assignments and not enough time to meet in person or even to email each member. With Google Presentation my group can work on one slide show without having to attach and email it back and forth. It is a great time saver. Only problem come when one member does not contribute until the end of the week. How do you know if they are helping or not? Everyone has to be on the same page for "complete online collaboration" to work. I did like that Google Presentation had a place to write notes. This could be used for communication between group members.
I can also see how Google Presentation could make my every day life easier. It could be used by many family members to make a slide show for a family reunion. Also when my son gets his Eagle Scout Award many friends could add pictures to one slide show. I will not have to call around asking everyone for picture. I will just need to email and invite. The applications are innumerable.
Now What? By the time I am teaching my own class Google will have perfected this program. I could use it to collaborate with other teacher to make a slide show for my grade. We could do this at the beginning of the school year. We would outline what the students and parent can expect from coming year. My class could also work on their own slide show. Maybe have the children tell me what fair rules for our class should be. Also the students could be assigned in to groups and work together online. That way they will be ready for high school and college projects.
I do see a few problems though. First making sure that everyone helps on the project equally. Another might be a child accesses to the Internet. Many young students cringe when given internet assignments because of their limited or complete lack of accesses to the World Wide Web. I would have to be understand and compassionate to all my students needs.
Video Week Three: "I Am What I Learn" Alex

The teenage boy in this video was very inspirational. He know what he want to be and how he was going to accomplish it. He was going the be a director. He said college would help him reach that goal. As it did for his role models George Lucas and Steven Spielberg. He was also realistic. If he did not make it as a filmmaker the college degree would give him something to fall back on. We should all be as prepare for our futures as this young man was.