Repurposing Apps

Sometimes, it seems that everyone is out there looking for the next new app, the next greatest education tool or fad that most of us will outgrow with time like the interactive whiteboard or the digital camera.

Sometimes, it is actually the simplest tools that can be repurposed a million ways which I think is what makes Google Apps so appealing to educators. Suddenly, something as simple as a Google Doc can be a hyperdoc for a flipped lesson or a presentation that was originally created by one can now be created by an entire classroom in Slides.

Every school year starts with my preparation for supporting the infamous science fair project with research strategies, note-taking skills, and the ability to put the research together to create something that looks like a coherent research report. It's quite a feat. Previously, like the old school ELA teacher I sometimes am, I had students use notecards to organize their notes. Inevitably several would get lost throughout the process. Sometimes, I'd find trails of them in the hallway like breadcrumbs to a locker that had somehow exploded under the pressure of unorganized paperwork and binders. It was a mess. This year, I had them type the notes in Slides. We can still print them out, but it is all in one place and can't get lost. They can easily share the assignment with their partners if they're collaborating without chasing them down in the hallway in the middle of their classes or complaining that their partners have their notes and are out sick with the flu. They've shared them with science teacher and me, so we can both see the progress, offer suggestions on what to research and corrections on citations. I have the power to see everything - and it is both powerful and overwhelming.

And we did it using Google Slides - an application really created for digital slideshows and presentations. Instead, we've quickly revolutionized how our students take notes. It didn't take a fancy application from the app store - it simply took tilting our lens a little and seeing things differently. It isn't new, but I think it is exciting.

Anybody have any other apps they've hacked to use in their classroom?