I have the assignment Mr.Z, but the computer won't load the file!!

This year I started doing math presentation in my Algebra 1 Class. All of the students have a PC in class, and most have access outside of class to a computer. So I allowed my students to present their projects using what ever tool they thought would work the best for them. For the most part this worked out ok, but some students had issues with program compatibility.

Some students had various versions of M$ works or other programs and when then attempted to load them at school they did not work. Some groups had issues when they tried to merge a groups files together that information was lost.

I think I finally found a possible solution. docs.google.com. There is a great presentation at K12 Online conference 2007 on using google docs in the classroom. I have started to try this with some of my students and it has provided us with a great solution.

Students can now edit the same presentation at the same time from different locations. Their files are stored on the Internet so floppy disks getting erased, or USB keys getting lost are no longer an issue.

There are only a couple of downsides to worry about. If the Internet goes down or you don't have high speed access, you can't use google docs. It is not M$ office. It does not have ALL the features of a full M$ office suite, but for what is needed for classroom presentations, or reports it works well.

I plan on reporting back here if I find a feature that it is lacking that prevents us from using the tool. But for now it just works.

Moving towards a flat classroom.

As I was listening to the comments of David Warlick on the k12 Online Pre Keynote talk I have started to understand some of the changes that have been happening in my classroom.

My classroom has been flattening out. Knowledge in the traditional classroom flowed downhill from the teacher to the students. This is no longer the case. The flow of knowledge has been shifting to a flatter model where the knowledge can flow as easily from the teacher or any student to anyone else. This is the start of a flat classroom.

In teaching math I used to believe that my goal was to make sure that all my students gained all of the knowledge in the curriculum guide. While I also new it was important to teach my students how to learn, I can now see how I should change the way I think about my classroom.

My new goal is to create a community of learners that are able to acquire the knowledge needed as defined in the curriculum guide. I can now see that if I help to create a strong community of learners that achieving the goals of the curriculum will be much easier. Also that as the world changes my students will be able to support each other and acquire knowledge to solve new problems.