Google Forms Project



This week I was introduced to Google Forms in class.  After doing some research and getting started I was amazed at the ease of use of this tool.  Google forms allow you to put together very professional forms and best yet it is free!  You can choose from over 60 themes and 7 question types. Automatically add responses to a spreadsheet that are connected to your survey. Easily view the collected information and automatically generate sophisticated charts and graphs.  This is a tool that will be very useful in a classroom setting!  Please take a look at our presentation about Google forms:  Google forms presentation
You can also view our survey and review the live form:  form/survey.

I believe this will be a wonderful addition to my tenure as a teacher in my future classroom.  It will most importantly be something that will help me save time with paperwork to allow me to spend more quality time with my students.  The various ways this can be utilized for test and quizzes is great.  The organization this will provide will be of great benefit.  As I said in the beginning it is easy to learn how to use this tool, the instructions were easy to follow.

As we did this presentation this week, I was able to contribute to the group in a few ways.  I first was able to add two questions to our survey/form.  Second I found it easy to add my reflections in our presentation.  I feel our group did a great job communicating and contributing to the assignment.

Research Reflections

My reflections on the videos Shift Happens-Social Media Revolution and Vision 2011-Tech impact on Education. 

I am amazed and excited to see where technology is going these days.  The effect it can have in the classroom was certainly an eye opener.  We can stay connected with our students outside of the classroom and when they move on to highschool and longer.  Here are some significant statisitics that will effect my philosphy of education and my role as an educator.

Facebook right now would be the 3rd largest country.  Connection to research, news, media, peers is right at our fingertips.  The role that would play in the classroom are astounding.  I believe that we are able, through technology, to educate our students more productively.  We can find material and research faster and it can be presented in various ways.  There are a variety of ways people learn, they typically fall into one of these categories: hands-on, visual, or auditory learn and technology covers them all.  One thing that worries me about social media is that sometimes relationships can be fake,  my status update does not define me as a person.  I think we need to find a fair balance between the two!  There is no doubt that there are many valuable resources to be found through technology and transforming the way we learn.  I embrace technology and what it has to offer, but it may be nice to send a letter in the mail every once in while :)

Blogging in Education

While researching blogging as an educational tool, it really stuck out to me the numerous advantages to having it in the classroom!  I am new at blogging and honestly didn't fully grasp the wonderful influences it can have in our lives.  Below are just a few examples of how it can be used in today's classroom at any level.

*Keeps students connected and informed if student is away from school for a period of time.

*Great mentoring or tutoring tool.

*Paperless!! better organization of classroom material.

*Students are able to hold onto work.  I can't tell you how many times my son's homework or projects were either recycled, lost, or thrown away.

*Effective forum for collaboration and discussion for peer groups, questions for the teacher, or help at home with homework.

*Motivates students, especially those who are not regular participants, maybe those who are nervous or a bit shy about speaking in front of the class.


I will certainly be more active in how it can help me and my students in the classroom!

About me

I was was born in Salinas, California and moved to Oregon in 1980 with my family.  A year prior my uncle moved from Salinas to become a vegetable farmer in Aurora, OR which is still strange to me because the Salinas Valley is great for farming.  Anyway, we moved to Aurora to help my aunt and uncle with their farm.  It was a big change from sun to rain and snow, but over the years have gotten used it.  I graduated from North Marion High in Aurora with a class of about 75.  I decided to stick around my parents house while I went to Portland Community College to get my A.A Oregon Transfer degree.  I then decided to venture out and move to Ashland where I would eventually get my B.S. in Psychology in 1998.

After college my main goal was to be a counselor, but I had to pay the bills so I became a waiter at the Olive Garden (still love it!).  After several months I found a job at St. Mary's Home for Boys in Beaverton, OR.  I counseled troubled youth in a residential setting for about 3 years.  It was a very rewarding job and would have loved to stay, but the pay was minimal.  I met my wife at the facility (fellow counselor) which was interesting because we had to keep it a secret from the boys and staff.  At the end of our tenure at the job we became engaged (the staff only knew at that point).  I needed to make more money to support our family so I began a job in sales, little did I know I would be stuck in sales for about 12 years.  From retail, call centers, insurance agent, and phone sales I was never truly happy.  I wanted something more and I always enjoyed working with children, through counseling, volunteering at church.  I am excited to be in this program and have a strong passion for teaching our youth.  I also would love to be a coach at some level, either baseball or tennis.

My wife and I have been married for 11 years next month and we have 2 wonderful boys, 6 years and 2 months.  We reside in Beaverton, OR and just spend a lot of time together.  I enjoy the outdoors and spending time with friends and family.  I look forward to this new challenge and am excited for what the future holds for my and my family!