GAFE at HCPSS offers a Public and a Private account at the web address https://hcpss.me. They simply login in with their regular HCPSS computer logins.
On the public side, most teachers have made their class website and make documents available to the public (aka parents and guardians). On the private side, teachers can communicate and collaborate with students.
Students only have a private account but can access their accounts inside and outside of school. Students and teachers have their own personal Google Drives and have access to create Documents, Presentations, Spreadsheets, Forms, Drawings, and other GAFE. Students can also share folders and files with other students and teachers for collaboration. It is a GREAT tool to use in the classroom and is very user friendly. HCPSS has its own Wiki with support on how to navigate HCPSS GAFE and you also get all of the Google Support.
Enjoy! Has anyone else used this with their students? I've been trying to encourage other staff in the school to use GAFE in their classroom
I have yet to use GAFE with my students, but I do have a question for you GAFE guru...any ideas on what to do if teachers cannot see a GAFE document in their drive?
ReplyDeleteOur long range plans have been posted and opened to all HCPSS employees, but numerous teachers still cannot see the document, let alone edit the document...thoughts?
The one thing I think could be the reason for this is if they are not logged in on the right side. For instance, you may have shared something with their private side, and they won't be able to see it on the public side. A lot of people can't really tell the difference between the two sides because often they login with one and it leaves them logged in, so when they go to log into the other side, it gets all messed up. I would just always share things with staff members on both sides. It's a pain in the butt, but that way more people can have access on either side.
DeleteI haven't used GAFE too much with my students yet, but I have focused my whole internship project around using Google Drive with my colleagues. It has been amazing. It has taken a lot of time on my end with organization and setting it up, but it's been very rewarding and useful for myself and my colleagues. We use the drive to share our resources we have found/created for Spanish I, 2, and 3. With having 3 new teachers to our department this year, they have been very appreciative of the drive because it has cut down their planning time immensely. Also, the teachers that are not new have said they liked it because it has helped different teachers of the same level become more equal and consistent in their classes. It's been a great help :)
ReplyDeleteI really wanted to use Google Drive at the beginning of the year when I was switching over to GAFE. However, I still love dropbox more. I found that Google messed up formatting on a lot of documents, even when you converted them. Dropbox just seems to be easier when you want to store multiple types of documents, rather than just Google Docs, etc.
DeleteGoogle Drive won't mess up formatting if you don't convert. In that case, it is just a storage system like Dropbox.
DeleteI used GAFE with my 5th grade students this year. They researched a historical figure and then wrote an essay about that person. I had my students write their essays in Google Drive so they could access these documents from home. The very first thing I showed them how to do was share their documents with me. I was able to provide feedback as they were writing. My students were very engaged and excited that they could communicate with me in a different way.
ReplyDeleteCheryl,
DeleteThat is exactly the first thing I had students do too. I had them set up folders that would automatically be shared with me (just drop and drag any writing assignments into that folder) and then I had them access my drive shared with them that has handouts and documents. I did this the 1st two weeks of school and had them complete my first writing assignment/project on GAFE. I think if you set it up from the beginning, it sets a precedent for students using it in the future. All of mine practically type their final drafts on GAFE.