It's been five years since I've been in the classroom and my last year teaching I had just set up Google Apps accounts for my 4th graders. Very quickly the power of Google Docs was evident and my students were 'sharing' everything they created, on a daily basis.
As an Assistant Principal at Live Oak Elementary we introduced Google Apps as well and the power of 'sharing' again was evident very quickly. Without any bit of exaggeration, it changed teachers and how they managed their classrooms overnight. Students would also collaborate together on a document/project and work together simultaneously, editing and improving as they went.
Very quickly I started telling kids to 'share' their work with me and I would comment or chat with them while they worked in class. To see the excitement (and have teachers tell me after school) when I would open a shared document and the kids would say..."Mr. Welcome is on my document!!!!!" I'm hard pressed to find a higher level of student engagement than this!
I also recently received an email from a teacher at Live Oak Elementary who thanked me for introducing Google Apps to them. "I'm still struck at the profound level of amazing change that Google Docs has brought to our school!" #enoughsaid
Having visitors/guests visit my school is very important I feel. You can sometimes be in a fishbowl and an outside perspective is great. Sergio Villegas recently came to JSE for a visit and his Tweet below reminded me of the power Google Apps has to change a school/teacher/student/Principal!
The screenshot below is of JT's (5th grader) writing entitled "Shelldon the Robot's Adventure!" JT shares a lot of his work with me and it's yet another reminder the power of 'sharing' can have on students, teachers, parents and the Principal.
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