A Lesson Learned, Part 1

This past semester, I immensely enjoyed having 1:1 computers in my classroom. To put this in perspective, this addition has, with a doubt, been the most beneficial change in my classroom setting…ever. (Thanks, Lisa Huff and Debbie Miller, for you did to make this happen!)

While I learned many to-do’s and not-to-do’s ever again, I would like to discuss this particular enlightenment first: Yahoo and Google do not communicate like I would prefer.

Here was my initial dilemma:

1. Having created my class blogs using my personal Gmail account, I began having my students submit their assignments to this same email.
2. Then that email account became overwhelming…as my students emails intermingled with my personal emails.
3. Thinking I was solving my problem, I then created another Gmail account for submitting homework.
4. No such luck, for problems continued to arise. Because I could not have two Gmail accounts open on my computer at one time (I was having to log out of my personal Gmail through which I had created my class blogs and open the homework email to confirm receiving assignments), I created another email for submitting homework using Yahoo, thinking that would solve all my problems, for then I could have my blogs and the homework email running simultaneously.

My troubles continued, though, as many of my students created documents using Google docs (which I strongly encouraged). My first lesson I learned here is that I had to have my Gmail account open to be able to access shared Google documents. If I did not have one of the Gmail accounts open, then, of course, Yahoo could not communicate with Google.

The straw that proverbially broke this teacher’s back was my once again struggling to find an email that a student had submitted. Very stressful to find an email that you were fairly certain that a student had never sent…only to find he/she had! I decided no more of this! Over Christmas, I made a decision: switch back to my Google email for submitting homework and create new blogs (via that same email account) for each of my classes (linked below…remember, at this posting, they are still in baby stage).

• English 11
• Pre-AP English 10
• Yearbook
• Newspaper
  

Now, I will be able to access both the blogs and the homework email account to verify as the students submit assignments…very nice to project through the LCD the list of emails I have received as confirmation that I have received work in a timely fashion.

Another feature that I appreciate about Gmail is that once I enter an email into Gmail, the omniscient Google remembers it! Very nice!

Problem solved? I hope so!

Can you think of a better solution to this concern? Please share your thoughts and ideas! All are welcome!

Also posted at Treasure Chest of Thoughts.