Back in December of 2009 I attended the Google Teacher Academy in Washington, D.C. This post serves as my final reflection of my participation. First, take a look at the video I used to apply for the event.
I heard recently that my video was used as an example of getting a point across well without overly flashy transitions or video effects. Nice to hear.
Once I got to the Google Teacher Academy I was delighted to run into many friends. Some I previously knew, some I was just meeting. This entire process delights me more in terms of the people I met than the content I learned.
As a result of the GTA, I performed several activities. I posted to our school’s private blog tips and tricks about Google. I am not certain how fruitful that was since not many of my teachers read that blog much. Perhaps had I done it via email it would have been more fruitful, although we get so many emails I can’t swear it wouldn’t get lost in the mix.
The item I am most proud of is our group project. A few of us came together and decided to create an online video repository specifically geared towards Google products. It turns out that Google Certified Teachers often deliver training to their teachers on many of the same topics. Rather than reinvent the wheel, we created TechTrainingWheels.com. It hasn’t received the buy in I had hoped, but it may pick up.
So overall the GTA was a wonderful experience but moreso because of the wonderful folks I met and continue to interact with.
Donna Baumbach says:
TechTrainingWheels is an awesome idea…I’m looking forward to watching it grow in content and in use!
THANKS to y’all!
11th June 2010 at 10:33 am
Robin Martin says:
Chris, This is a fabulous start! Since it is the end of a school year, most trainers are busy closing schools. We are gearing up to work on our tutorials this summer. SoI hope to contribute something over the summer. The stuff on the site so far is excellent. Compliments to everyone.
Robin Martin
11th June 2010 at 7:54 pm