COLI and the Canisius Education Technologies & Emerging Media Program co-hosted the GAFE (Google Apps for Education) Summit with the EdTechTeam on August 4 and 5 at Canisius College. Over 200 educators, technologists and administrators from over 20 K-12 schools and colleges and 3 countries, attended and presented, including many Canisius staff, faculty members, and adjunct faculty members. For Mariusz Kozik, School of Arts & Sciences faculty member (Chem, BioChem), this event provided a great experience to see how K-12 teachers are using Google Apps and other technologies in their classrooms. “I know now how our students learn before they come to Canisius”, Kozik said.
School of Education Adjunct Faculty member, Mindy Andolina.
School of Education adjunct faculty member, Mindy Andolina (Literacy), said the Summit allowed her, “the opportunity to step back as the Instructor and to once again become the engaged student! The energy, enthusiasm and collaborative spirit of the event, along with the valuable content, is definitely going to benefit the students that I work with as well as my professional practices and applications.” Sessions throughout the day included beginner through intermediate sessions on Google Apps, Digital Storytelling, Apps, flipped classrooms, and more. School of Arts & Sciences faculty member, Miranda Workman (ABEC, ANZO), said that her, “efficiency has increased dramatically as a result of some of the time-saving tips” she picked up, especially with “the tools provided in Google Drive”.
Each presenter focused on different Google Apps and how they could be used in various subject areas and assignments. School of Education faculty member, Fernanda Astiz (Teacher Education), said that she, “learned a few new things that can be used” in her classes. Some of these tips and tricks addressed assessment. School of Arts & Sciences faculty member, Tara Cornelisse (ABEC, ANZO), was pleased to find out that “it was really exciting to see the new ways we can communicate and interact with students to enhance the learning process. For example, using rubrics incorporated into google docs, I can interact real-time with a student’s perception of my feedback on an assignment or paper. In addition, I learned more about the use of Google forms in the classroom for real time polling or practice exams.” School of Education adjunct faculty member (Educational Administration), Darlynda Miktuk, “was impressed by the level of organization for the event” and commented that each session was “facilitated by a professional and inspirational person due to their level of knowledge and innovative ideas”. Many of the day’s resources can still be found on the event’s schedule, found here.
School of Education Adjunct Faculty member, Rob Zdrojewski, competes in the Demo Slam.
To learn more about Google Apps for Education at Canisius College, click here or contact the Center for Online Learning & Innovation. Also be sure to sign up for the upcoming Google Apps for Education trainings coming this Fall on the COLI Wiki Training Calendar.