Megan Vinck

April 15th 2016

Professional Inquiry Project- Final Description

1. Topical Question: How can Google Apps for Education be utilized within a classroom
setting to maximize student learning?
2. Background: The focus of my PIP is to answer the inquiry question, can Google Apps
for Education be utilized within a classroom setting to maximize student learning?
3. Description of Activities
Research:
I will explore the features of Google Apps: Google Drive, Sheets, Slides, Docs,
Classroom, Forms and evaluate the educational implications of utilizing them
within a classroom setting.
I will inquire about which apps and how teachers at TIS are currently utilizing
Google Apps in the classroom.
I will research what teachers are doing with Google Apps in Twitter discussions
for teachers
Collaborate:
Ask TIS staff how they are currently utilizing Google Apps.
Training sessions on Google Apps with IT personnel at TIS.
Share research with interested TIS staff.
Create:
Lessons that implement Google Apps: Drive, Sheets, Slides, Docs, Classroom,
Forms
Google Drive was used as a database to highlight any applications of Google
Apps I used in the classroom, and shared with pertinent teachers.
Reflections describing effective Google Apps for Education.
4. Timeline:
Feb 1st-5th
Feb 8th-12th
Feb 15th-19th
Feb 22nd-26th
Feb 29th-March 4th
March 7th-11th
March 14th-18th
March 21st-25th
March 28th-April 1st
April 4th-8th
April 11th-15th
April18th-22nd

Talk to TIS staff about Google Apps

Research Google Apps
Develop rational for Google Apps
Integrate Google Apps in classroom
Receive student feedback on lessons
Adjustments to lessons
Research unfamiliar Google apps
Implement new resources
Teacher feedback
Student feedback
Final edit of database
Share database with staff
VINCK 1

5. End Project:
Major Reflection
A database of lesson plans implementing different Google Apps for teachers and
students
Reflection:
Upon arriving at the International School of Macao (TIS) I was told that my host school
was very progressives in terms of technology in the classroom. I was introduced to a team thats
primary role within the school was to promote technology and shown a number of different
devices that could be utilized in the classroom. The classrooms that I taught in over the duration
of my internship had SMART Boards and as I was teaching in a private school, most of my
students had access to personal devices. I was very impressed to find out that TIS created their
own App and that staff in the school have been working towards transferring all of their students
portfolios onto an online database. After having some exposure to the expansiveness of the
technological resources available at TIS I made the decision to design my Professional Inquiry
Project around Google Apps in the classroom. As there was so much technical expertise at TIS I
felt this would support my inquiry. My hope was that incorporating Google Apps would further
enhance my classroom activities in a meaningful way, would increase teacher and student
efficiency, and would increase both collaboration and engagement within my lessons.
Google Apps for Education is a free platform allowing for easy online collaboration from
any device. Prior to actually integrating Google Apps in the classroom I spent a great deal of
time researching and testing a variety of technological tools particularly Google Docs, Drive and
Slides. The first tool I began to heavily rely on was Google Docs. I used Google Docs to create
each of my lesson plans and to document activities I was doing in the classroom. I also used
Google Docs for students to work either independently or collaboratively on classroom tasks.
Next I implemented Google Slides. It is an online presentation app that allows you to edit with
others at the same time. I found a lot of value in Google Slides as it would guide my teaching
and provide a space to organize stimulating visuals for my students. The students utilized this
app in a number of their assignments.
I used Google Drive to store and share all of my unit plans, lesson plans, slide
presentations, and activities for students. I organized my Google Drive into a logical sequence

VINCK 2

consistent with the Alberta curriculum for each grade. The Drive was organized using files with
corresponding long range plans, unit plans and daily lesson plans with an informative Google
Slide. After sharing my TIS Drive with other staff members they could easily gain access to what
content I was teaching. More specifically, my Drive really helped me out when an English
Language Learner support staff asked for information about what we were doing in Science.
Google Drive allowed for easy collaboration, as I was able to give this staff member direct
access to everything we were doing in class.
I was able to utilize Google Apps for Education more so with my grade sixes as most of them
were very comfortable using technology. Google Forms was utilized when creating and
distributing pre-assessments, questionnaires, quizzes and tests. We used Google Classroom to
document the activities assigned in class and to receive student assignments. Not only were
assignments distributed, but also collected and marked using platforms such as Flubaroo and
Goobric in Google Sheets which allowed me to mark with greater ease.
I felt extremely supported throughout my entire inquiry project by my teacher mentor,
other teachers and the IT department at TIS. After doing research Id often ask staff for advice
and even scheduled meetings with members from the IT department about the resources I was
focusing on. As it was a current goal at TIS to transfer their students portfolios to online
platforms I took time to learn how Google Drive could be used to further highlight student
achievement. Thinking forward, I would love to initiate a step like this in a school in which I
have the opportunity to work. I would also really like to challenge myself in attaining my Google
Certified Educator Level 1.
As with many inquiry projects, there were times that my inquiry took me to places that I was not
originally expecting. EdPuzzle was one of these apps that allowed a user to edit videos and add
their voice, questions etc. to make it more engaging for students. After playing with EdPuzzle I
found out that YouTube has a feature similar to this. I used YouTube on a daily basis frequently
after receiving student feedback to provide more visuals and videos in a 2 stars and 1 wish
activity. I created my own YouTube account and used it to bookmark videos that I would later
incorporate into my Google Slide presentations. I also experimented with uploading videos of
my own. Twitter and Pinterest were also platforms to which my inquiry took me. I had heard of

VINCK 3

both apps before but did not feel like they could be used as an educational tool. During my
internship I used Pinterest as a way to bookmark intriguing lesson ideas and Twitter as a way to
highlight and share activities that I was doing in my classrooms. I also used it to get a sense of
what other teachers were doing in their own classrooms and reach out to other educators. Going
forward, I think Twitter is a great platform that you could invite parents to follow. I have linked
my Twitter, Pinterest and YouTube accounts all to my Weebly portfolio. In the end I was happy
that my inquiry enabled me to experience and explore these apps and helped to expand my
knowledge surrounding applicable apps.
In the end I had a very positive experience utilizing Google and I would highly recommend it to
other teachers. I really enjoyed this project and felt that the more apps I began feeling
comfortable with, the more apps would opened up to me. I also loved seeing the affects of a
lesson and watching my students begin playing with apps such as SkyWalk or the flight
simulator. There was so much that I learned from this inquiry project and it is ultimately why I
would like to attain my Google Certified Educator Level 1. I believe that I was truly privileged
to be at a school with such a high emphasis on technology and its integration in the classroom.
As my final internship wraps up I will be leaving behind my Drives for both third and sixth
grades and all of the content that I created. I hope that in the future teachers can utilize and
personalize all of the work that I have shared. Overall, I saw a tremendous amount of personal
and professional growth in my use of Google apps in the classroom and I am excited continue to
advance my learning.

VINCK 4