Personal Blogs

I'm a few days into working through my first couple of assignments from John Sowash. My goal is to get my off the starting block with Google Certified Educator 1 and Educator 2 so that I can more ambitiously pick up Trainer and Innovator recognition.

I far, far prefer John Sowash's approach than the formal Google Certified Educator online training. John is my teacher, my guide and even inspiration to get this done. 

This very uninspired header for my Class is because we're studying Ecology. I had wanted to add a bitmoji of me waving encouragingly at my students. Somehow I could not get the Apps to talk to eachother.

This is what I was after:

Forget the Masters in Open & Distance Education, from my point of view. Pte J F Vernon, in the frontline of teacher and student support, I need to be able to make Google Classroom sing, and Turnitin, and Google Drive and Docs. And Planet eStream. And Thinglink. And WordPress. And video production ... 

At times it leaves me feeling inadequate at everything. Like Roy Castle spinning China plates on the end of long bamboo poles in an 'Guiness World Record' attempt on Blue Peter in the 1960s.

From time to time the plate drops. From time to time the plate appears to be able to spin forever my further intervention unnecessary.

The MAODE taken 2010-2013 has been rendered largelly theoretical given the onslaught of the likes of G Suite for Education. Why don't all institutions, schools and universities, move to Google Education tools and platforms. They are free. They have had vast sums of investment put into them. They do everything anyone was wishing and trying to achieve from 2000 onwards.

I started what was the MAODL in 2000! Things have changed radicaly ... and imperceptably? Dare you be away from it for long Dare you be freelance and not realise how fast, slick and connected we have become (and can be).

Just doing the learning to get my very modest Google Educator Level 1 I have been going through my own use of Google and am staggered at how willing I am to let Google do everything and assume everything - over 10 years at a swimming club I have assembled a vast amount of contacts for club officials, coaches and teachers, as well as the parents of swimmers - all of whom I must have contacted at some stage and have been listed, or grouped somewhere ever since.

So just now I knock together a Test class, as if I want parents of a group of swimmers to encourage their kids to view a carefully chosen video on a swimming technique. It is as quick as playing Chop Sticks on the piano ... one refrain.

Of course, the expectation is that teachers, tutors and associate lecturers are all a whizz at this. Some, circumstantially, if freelance, may not be aware of just how much things have moved on, nor will they be paid, necessarily, to take the time, to get on top of things.