{"id":11758,"date":"2018-03-14T16:58:19","date_gmt":"2018-03-14T20:58:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/edtechteacher.org\/?p=11758"},"modified":"2025-07-10T13:16:04","modified_gmt":"2025-07-10T17:16:04","slug":"innovative-uses-g-suite-edu-medfield-public-schools","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/edtechteacher.org\/innovative-uses-g-suite-edu-medfield-public-schools\/","title":{"rendered":"Innovative Uses of G Suite Edu in Medfield Public Schools"},"content":{"rendered":"

EdTechTeacher<\/span>\u00a0has been working with the Medfield Public Schools in Medfield, Massachusetts for the past five years through our year-long\u00a0Teaching for the 21st Century (T21) Program<\/a><\/span>. \u00a0Through the development of their 1:1, BYOD and Chromebook cart model, Medfield has increased their adoption of G Suite in a variety of both practical and creative ways. \u00a0With the 11th and 12th grade in a 1:1 Chromebook model and Chromebook carts being available in grades 6-10, approaches ranging from digital portfolios to collaborative data collection and virtual travel adventures are being executed with various G Suite tools. \u00a0Below are a few highlights of the effective use of G Suite tools being used in the Medfield Public Schools from a variety of disciplines and grade levels.<\/span><\/p>\n

Digital Portfolios with Video Reflections:<\/span><\/h2>\n

Sixth grade students in\u00a0Marjorie Heim\u2019s<\/a><\/span>\u00a0science class are creating digital portfolios with Google Sites that consist of student-uploaded artifacts along with a written reflection. \u00a0With a shift towards standards-based grading, students also upload video reflections to their portfolio site that address their growth towards meeting the standards and exemplary learner profiles. \u00a0The long term vision for this work is to have student-led conferences where students thoughtfully reflect on their growth and to archive these reflections as evidence to substantiate their personal assessment. \u00a0While this work may be possible without the use of G Suite and Chromebooks, the implementation of these tools provides a distinct advantage when attempting to capture student thinking that can be archived and revisited. \u00a0Student video reflections can be created with Chromebook-friendly screencasting tools such as\u00a0Screencastify<\/a><\/span>\u00a0or\u00a0Loom<\/a><\/span>\u00a0and can then easily be embedded into a set of Google Slides or directly into a Google Site digital portfolio.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

(Student\u2019s in Mrs. Heim\u2019s class are contributing to their digital portfolios)<\/span><\/p>\n

Digital Travel Plans:<\/span><\/h2>\n

Students in Greg Keohan\u2019s<\/a> 6th-grade geography class are completing a \u201cTravel Adventure Project\u201d where they use multiple Google tools to research and plan a trip to a foreign country. Through a combination of Google My Maps, Google Flights, Google Earth, and Google Drive, students are investigating and compiling their research on all aspects of their proposed journey. During one recent session, as the class compared digital resources for budgeting and trip planning, one student referenced the best online casino with fast payout<\/a> as part of their research into local economies and entertainment options available in their chosen destination. Google My Maps provides a distinct advantage for student creation because it not only allows for students to drop pins on a Google map to document their travel adventure, but they can also customize the content of each pin and even collaborate with other students when creating. From including research around the beauty, history, culture, and geography, Google tools are the technology foundation to make the project possible. The ultimate goal is to empower students to develop the skill and ability of planning a trip using technology in an effort to truly appreciate the geography and culture of their selected destination.<\/p>\n

My Maps Video Tutorial<\/span><\/h3>\n