The UCET Presentations Went Well

I presented four sessions on Web 2.0, Google Apps in the Classroom at the Annual UCET conference. They went well. The final session was packed, about 36 attendees while the others were attended by about 24 to 28 each.

I started with the basic Google then introduced Google as a GMail subscriber and the different benefits and features that an account introduces. I then moved to iGoogle and the customized start page concept, admitting that this was really nothing different from MSN or Yahoo start page. The real difference comes with what you can add to the start page, including Google Docs, Calendar, Chat, GMail, etc.

I then previewed our Google Apps start page and the benefits of the ideal set up, the full Google Apps hosted domain. I assumed that just a few attendees would be seriously interested in the full implementation so I left the technical stuff for last. The fourth session generated a lot of questions on that topic so I did demonstrate the management of the start page and user creation.
I felt that most attendees would be more interested in the Google Docs, Calendaring, and Chat aspects of the presentation so I spent most of the time in detail with those topics.

I was hoping to generate some contacts with other teachers who were doing Google Docs in the class room but most Google Docs users had not done so in the class room. There were testimonials in all sessions as to the benefits of the collaborative benefits of Google Docs. I did exchange email addresses with five individuals who wish to get more information on implementing Google Apps. Perhaps some reciprocal benefit will develop.