Google Apps within my classroom

I would use Google Calendar to share library schedules with the rest of the school.  Depending on the size of the school, “free use” of the library might vary day to day.  Having a calendar will allow teachers to sign up for “free use” and bring their class in for additional research.  Another usage of the calendar would be for checking out technology.  Our school has a laptop cart, an i-Pad cart, and digital cameras.  We don’t have enough for every student in the school, but we have a classroom set of each.  Using the calendar option, teachers can sign up for the materials they need to check out for their lesson!

I also really liked the idea of using Google Docs to have the students create a “tag team” like story.  In this example, the students take turns writing bits and pieces on a shared topic.  This could be a creative writing group assignment or researched notes for a group project.  In either case, the students can work independently, can access the document from home, and the teacher has the ability to “see” the progress the group is making.