Google Groups - Goldie Fly's

There once was a little eagle named Goldie.  Goldie wanted to learn how to fly so bad, but his mom and dad would not teach him.  So one day after Goldie’s morning meal he decided he would stand on the edge of the nest and teach himself how to fly.  (Haylee Herndon)

Goldie stood on the edge of the nest. He started to flap his wings continuously. He flapped his wings as hard as he could, until he was lifted a few inches off the nest. Goldie started to go higher and higher. He flapped his wings faster and faster He was going straight up in the air.  (Mary Kirchner)

Goldie was amazed that he was flying on his own, until suddenly he began to fall downward.  Goldie was so frightened he did not know what to do.  He was scared and alone and could barely keep himself up in the air.  Goldie was sinking fast and before long he was going to collide with the ground.  He only had so much energy left in his tiny little wings.  Suddenly Goldie heard something flying towards him, he was afraid that it might be a hawk that his parents had warned him about but he hoped that it was one of his parents. (Hayley Kavanagh)

With his eyes fixed to the ground that was getting closer and closer, all of sudden something  grabbed Goldie and pulled him back up towards the sky. He tried to look up and see what had grabbed hold of him but he could not see who it was, or what it was. At that moment, Goldie closed his eyes and told himself that if only he could be back in his nest with his parents he would never try to fly again. Whatever it was that had hold of him landed, and when Goldie opened his eyes it was his mother and he was back in his family’s nest. The first words he spoke to his mother was his promise to never to try to fly again, but his mother told him that he is suppose to fly, because that is what birds are suppose to do, but you have a lot to learn and I must teach you all the things you need to learn before you are ready. When the time is right you will fly! (Robin Herndon)

I enjoyed this creative assignment. The ability to have multiple students working on the same document without being crowded around a computer together is amazing. I would have my students write throughout the year and then publish the book for them to keep with them always when they finish my class. Very inspiring! You can also use this to keep up with assignments, questions for all students to view, as well as a tool for new ideas pertaining to an assignment and students to modify each others work without sending and receiving hard copies due to the document automatically updating.The NETS-T Standard that this exhibits the best would have to be 1d. To model collaborative knowledge construction by engaging in learning with students, colleagues, and others in fact to face and virutal enviornment. Google groups was a way for students all in one group to communicate via google to create a story. The group could also communicate face to face.