DESIGN DISCUSSION OF A

BEGINNING GOOGLE
OVERVIEW TRAINING
SESSION

Abstract
This article describes a course designed to train non-tech savvy teachers on the following Google
products: Drive, Docs, Slides and Classroom. Trainees will learn about the uses of the products,
how to navigate the products, and possible implementation into their classrooms.

Julie Leaton
 JULIE LEATON
8/5/18
DESIGN DISCUSSION OF A BEGINNING GOOGLE OVERVIEW TRAINING SESSION

Executive Summary

Two years ago, my school district implemented one-to-one Chromebooks for all students grades

three through twelve. The district’s expectation is that in the next few years, all curriculum will

be online and students will be taught using their Chromebooks. The Oklahoma State Department

of Education also expects technology education to be integrated in the regular curriculum in the

school. Students are expected to use technology in the classroom to promote critical thinking

skills, create collaboratively, problem solve, to communicate and to research issues (“The ISTE

National Educational Technology Standards (NETS•S) and Performance Indicators for

Students,” 2007). Unfortunately, in my district, there has been very limited beginner training for

the teachers that are not as tech savvy as they need to be. Most of the professional development

that has been implemented has assumed that the teachers know the basics of the various

programs and thus these have been skipped in the presentation. As a result, the non- tech savvy

teachers have fallen behind on the amount of technology they are implementing in their

classrooms. They are avoiding the software that the district has invested funds for teacher use,

their Chromebooks are sitting, unused in their desks, and in many cases the teachers are not

aware of the purchased programs available to them.

As department head of the foreign language department, I have spent several professional

development meetings educating the three other teachers on some of the software that our district

has. With my support and help, these teachers have been trained on how to use the basic Google

programs, such as Drive, Slides, Docs, Classroom, etc. I have also trained them in Google
 JULIE LEATON
8/5/18
DESIGN DISCUSSION OF A BEGINNING GOOGLE OVERVIEW TRAINING SESSION

Expeditions, Tour Builder, and several other free programs that they have implemented in their

classrooms.

Because of the success in training in my department, I have been asked by several

teachers in other departments to train them on the basics. They do not want to ask the

administration for fear of looking incompetent. Many of these individuals are career teachers

who are very good at their jobs. However, they began teaching before computers were widely

used and are overwhelmed with the technological leap our district has made. For my project, I

designed professional development training to reach these teachers, help them begin to

implement technology into their classrooms, and give them support during the implementation.

To do this, I will conduct five- sessions during our PLC time. This is forty-five minutes

our district gives us each Monday without students to plan with our department or do

professional development. Trainees will bring and use their school issued Chromebook to learn

the basic functions of Google Drive, Docs, Slides, and Classroom. For each session, trainees

will receive a note taking guide on paper, so they will have a reference to come back to after the

session. They will practice during the session on their Chromebook each of the various

components of each program. With my support, trainees will organize their Google Drive then

create a classroom and an assignment using the Google products. Trainees will then implement

the assignment into their classroom.

Needs Analysis

To determine the need of such a course, I met with a teacher with my department. We

discussed what programs teachers are most confused or unsure about. Her immediate reply was
 JULIE LEATON
8/5/18
DESIGN DISCUSSION OF A BEGINNING GOOGLE OVERVIEW TRAINING SESSION

that I needed to train teachers on using Google Classroom. I have been using Classroom for over

two years and am proficient in it. Several teachers have come to me during this time for ideas on

how to incorporate it into their classes. I designed the course using the anecdotal data from my

colleagues. My instructional goal for this course is for the trainees to gain an understanding on

the classroom possibilities of the four Google products, how to appropriately use them, and how

to implement them into their subject’s curriculum.

Audience Analysis

To determine the audience that I want to train, I discussed with a teacher in my

department that has already been through training with me. We discussed the teachers in our

school that we have already helped as well as others that have asked for help for one or more of

us. We isolated five to eight teachers that would benefit from this training. These individuals

are career teachers, good at their fields, want to learn more about the technology, and have

expressed a willingness to try new things. Because this training is for beginners, I would limit the

audience to 10 people. I do this so that the trainees would not be too intimidated to ask questions,

be willing to participate, and so I could give one-to-one time as needed for the training.

Environmental Analysis

My district gives the teachers a forty-five- minute professional development each

Monday morning. Normally, we meet with our department during this time. However, our

administration is open to using this time for other professional development meetings as needed.

For this training, I would use five weeks of this PD time. The trainees would meet in my

classroom for the training. My classroom is quiet, secluded (art and foreign language is in a
 JULIE LEATON
8/5/18
DESIGN DISCUSSION OF A BEGINNING GOOGLE OVERVIEW TRAINING SESSION

different building than the rest of the school). I also have a smartboard, projector and computer

that I can use for my presentations. Each teacher has been issued a Chromebook that they can

use to practice doing the activities. Internet is stable in our building and is designed to

accommodate a full class using Chromebooks. I have my desks in groups of four for group

activities in my Spanish classes. As I plan on this course being hands on with lots of practice,

being in groups will allow the trainees to help one another, ask questions, and work together to

problem solve.

Task Analysis

For this training to be effective, we will conduct five sessions for forty-five minutes on

consecutive Mondays. The following is the training plan:

Week 1: Trainees will go over the basics of Google Drive. By the end of this session, the trainees

will able to:

1. Open and close Drive and Docs.

2. Create a new folder in Drive.

3. Place a document into the folder.

4. Organize their Drive using folders.

Week 2: Trainees will go over the basics of Google Docs and Slides. By the end of this session,

the trainees will able to:

1. Type a document on Docs using bold, italics, underline, fonts, size.

2. Create a Google Slideshow using copy/paste, choosing slide style, choose a theme.
 JULIE LEATON
8/5/18
DESIGN DISCUSSION OF A BEGINNING GOOGLE OVERVIEW TRAINING SESSION

3. Create a worksheet or Slideshow to use in their class.

Week 3: Trainees will go over the basics of Google Classroom. By the end of this session, the

trainees will able to:

1. Open and set up Google Classroom.

2. Create a class in Google Classroom.

3. Create an assignment in Google Classroom.

4. Instruct students on how to join the class.

Week 4: Trainees will use what they have learned in the previous sessions to create activities for

their classes. By the end of this session, the trainees will able to:

1. Create a hands-on tech activity and insert it into Google Classroom to use in one or

more of their classes.

Week 5: This week will be an opportunity for trainees to reflect on how the activities worked in
their classrooms. They will discuss what went well, what went poorly, and what they can try
next. This time will also be used to answer questions and troubleshoot anything they may need
help with.

Course Map
 JULIE LEATON
8/5/18
DESIGN DISCUSSION OF A BEGINNING GOOGLE OVERVIEW TRAINING SESSION

Enabling Objective 1:

Trainees will be able to demonstrate understanding of the basic functions of Google Drive.

Assessment 1:

Trainees will organize their Google Drive using folders.

Practice 1:

In order to reach the objective, the trainees will practice with the instructor’s help. They

will open and close Google Drive, practice creating folders, and practice putting files into

the folder.
 JULIE LEATON
8/5/18
DESIGN DISCUSSION OF A BEGINNING GOOGLE OVERVIEW TRAINING SESSION

Enabling Objective 2:

Trainees will be able to demonstrate understanding of the basic functions of Google Docs and

Slides.

Assessment 2:

Trainees will create a worksheet or presentation using either Google Docs or Google

Slides to use in their classroom.

Practice 2:

In order to reach their objective, the trainees will practice with the instructor’s help.

They will open and close Docs and Slides. They will create a Doc and a Slide. They will

practice inserting bold, italics, underline, fonts, copy/paste, set view and share settings,

and how to comment.

Enabling Objective 3:

Trainees will be able to demonstrate understanding of the basic functions of Google Classroom.

Assessment 3:

Trainees will create a plan on

1. how to use Classroom in their curriculum.

2. instruct students on how to sign on.

 JULIE LEATON
8/5/18
DESIGN DISCUSSION OF A BEGINNING GOOGLE OVERVIEW TRAINING SESSION

3. what activities they will try on Classroom.

Practice 3:

In order to reach their objective, the trainees will practice with the instructor’s help. They

will open and close Classroom, sign in, join a class as a student, create a class as a

teacher, change share and view settings, and insert an assignment.

Enabling Objective 4:

Trainees will be able to create activities they can use in their classrooms.

Assessment 4:

Trainees will create a plan about implementing the activity into their curriculum for the

following week.

Practice 4:

Trainees will use prior knowledge to create a hands-on activity using Google Slides or

Docs. They will then insert the activity into their Google Classroom. The instructor will

give guidance as needed.

Enabling Objective 5:

Trainees will be able to assess the success of their activity.

 JULIE LEATON
8/5/18
DESIGN DISCUSSION OF A BEGINNING GOOGLE OVERVIEW TRAINING SESSION

Assessment 5:

Trainees will explain what activities they did and how they will use in the future.

Practice 5:

In a full class discussion, trainees will explain what was successful and what was

unsuccessful in their activity implementation.

Developed Activity: Enabling Objective #2

Trainees will be able to demonstrate understanding of the basic functions of Google Docs and
Drive.
Assessment 2:
Trainees will create a worksheet or presentation using either Google Docs or Google

Slides to use in their classroom.

Practice 2:
In order to reach their objective, the trainees will practice with the instructor’s help.

They will open and close Docs and Slides. They will create a Doc and a Slide. They will

practice inserting bold, italics, underline, fonts, and copy/paste. Trainees will share the

document with another trainee, make a comment, and change the view settings.

Instructional methods:

For this enabling objective, I will use a small group format in which each trainee will receive a

handout to take notes, I will present each part, and we will engage in a discussion to answer the
 JULIE LEATON
8/5/18
DESIGN DISCUSSION OF A BEGINNING GOOGLE OVERVIEW TRAINING SESSION

questions for the notes. This will let me determine what the trainees already know and allow the

trainees to get any questions answered as needed.

Practice:

This course is designed to be hands on, in which students will practice each step on their school

issued Chromebooks. Because the trainees are beginners to Google, they will receive a handout

that will include visuals, places for them to make notes, and space for them to reflect how to use

the products in their classroom. While we are going through the steps as a group, time will be

given for the trainees to ask questions and make notes.

Assessment:

The assessment for this objective is given to the trainees as a challenge for them to do this week.

For this challenge, the trainees have the choice between creating a Google Docs or a Google

Slides. Because the trainees teach various subjects, I purposefully kept the directions open. I

want them to include using the various basic parts of the products. I also want the Doc or Slide

something they can take back and use in their classroom. Trainees will share the product with

me, so I can make comments and answer questions while they are working on it.

Media:

For this course, the trainees will bring a school issued Chromebook. In addition, I will use my

school issued Chromebook, and the classroom’s desktop computer, Smartboard, and projector.

Each computer and Chromebook is connected to the district’s WIFI.

Delivery Method:
 JULIE LEATON
8/5/18
DESIGN DISCUSSION OF A BEGINNING GOOGLE OVERVIEW TRAINING SESSION

Delivery method for this objective will include discussion and small group practice in a

classroom setting. For support, trainees will be given a note taking guide, which follows along

the presentation. Trainees will discuss the uses of Google Docs and Google Slides, then practice

using the various components on their Chromebook. The presenter will open each program and

project it on the smartboard to go over the various parts with the trainees. Finally, the trainees

will create a Google Doc or Slide that they can use in their classrooms.

Note Taking Guide

 JULIE LEATON
8/5/18
DESIGN DISCUSSION OF A BEGINNING GOOGLE OVERVIEW TRAINING SESSION

Implementation Plan

This course will be taught by me in my classroom. Trainees will be limited to ten participants.

This is so each trainee can receive individual support as needed and be able to ask questions in a

non-threatening environment. Each trainee will be expected to bring a writing utensil for taking

notes and their school issued Chromebook. The Chromebooks are all linked to our school’s

internet and each teacher has their own individual Google log on to use. I have several electrical

outlets for teachers to use if their Chromebook is not charged. If a teacher has a non-functioning

Chromebook or the internet fails, our district has an IT hotline that we can call and receive

support quickly. As a presenter, I am giving the trainees a handout with visuals that they can

refer to in the future. In the event of WIFI loss, I will train by referring to the visuals or will

postpone the session until the next week. While neither choice is ideal, they are better than the

trainees not receiving the information.

Formative Evaluation Plan

At the end of each of the five sessions, trainees will complete a formative assessment

activity. In week one, participants will organize their Google Drive by placing documents in

folders. In week two, participants will create a Google Doc or Google slide that pertains to their

curriculum. In week three, participants will create a plan on how to implement Google

Classroom into their curriculum. In week four, participants will create a plan on what activities

they will create and implement into their Google Classroom. In the first four sessions, trainees
 JULIE LEATON
8/5/18
DESIGN DISCUSSION OF A BEGINNING GOOGLE OVERVIEW TRAINING SESSION

will begin their formative assessments in class and finish them throughout the week. I will

provide feedback to the trainees through comments made on the document that the participant

shares with me. We will begin the next session discussing the previous weeks activity. In week

five, participants will reflect and assess what was successful and unsuccessful in their

implementation. They will also fill out a Google Forms that I will create to reflect on the

strengths and weaknesses of the course. The form will ask them to rate the presentation, the

handouts, the practice activities, and the formative assessment activities. After the ratings, I will

leave room for trainees to give comments on what I can do better and what they liked about the

sessions. I will also ask for suggestions on topics they would like covered in future PLC courses.

This will help me develop future courses as needed.

References

The ISTE National Educational Technology Standards (NETS•S) and Performance Indicators for

Students. (2007). International Society for Technology in Education. Retrieved from

http://sde.ok.gov/sde/sites/ok.gov.sde/files/C3%20PASS%20instech.pdf