One of my biggest interest in leading a classroom is keeping the students engaged and interested. The ability to find- or create- techniques for motivating the students is an art. I have seen teachers take many different approaches to this dynamic in several different grade levels; mini-economy money, rewards and punishment, games, stickers (for the little ones), and even custom tailored motivational strategies. I am a big believer in differentiated instruction, and that concept has bled into some other areas of my pedagogical beliefs- specifically, making motivational strategies unique for individual learners. I know that my ability to discern a motivational tactic for each student is limited by my lack of expertise, and my time limit of 8 weeks of student teaching. While I endeavor to keep things interesting and engaging for my students, I found a free response system through Google. The response system works out because all of my students conveniently have Chromebooks through the school. I came across Google's alternative after pricing the standard (around $1,200- $2,000 for a kit), systems. My hope is that I can write some quick responses questions for lessons, or even work in a predictive element in my more dry lessons. Anyways, all this talk has lead me to attempting to safely navigate the wondrous world of Google Drive. The difficulty for me is the adding of new tools to my drive. I understand the concept in a rudimentary sense, but with Google presenting such a cheap alternative to many other software and hardware programs, I want to become more adept at creating using Google Docs. Anyways, time will tell if this works out. I will hopefully revisit this subject with more technological wisdom down the road.
