Tips on Using Google Voice in a World Language Class

                              
Suggestions were given by Paulino Brener from http://paulinobrener.com/using-google-voice-in-the-world-language-class/

1) Keep the assignments short
2) Make sure your instructions are clear and that there is a due date, including the time!
3) If necessary, inform parents of the assignment while explaining to them that this is not your personal phone number. Explain that to students as well, saying that this is a number for oral assessments and exercises only!
4) Instruct students to say their full name at the beginning of the recording.
5) Make sure to provide an assessment to the students. If you don't, they might think that it is not important and they will not know how they did or even if you ever listened to it.
6) If you want to test listening skills, leave a long greeting message and then give the students a task about it.

Google Voice allows students to call in and leave messages. Each message comes to you in/as an email. When you set up your Google Voice account, it gives you the option of whether you would like to use your mobile number or if you would like to create a new number. It is highly advised that you create a new number. The great thing about this program is that no one needs any recording equipment of recording software. You, as the teacher, need a computer and the students need to have access to phones.

Paulino Brener comments that his students have an easier time recording a quick message through Google Voice rather than producing language in the classroom setting. He says he is good for students who are shy or very nervous about talking in front of the whole class.Personally, I really like this idea. I like it for several reasons: It is very affordable and seems doable in many situations world-wide and especially here in the US. Being that students only need access to phones makes this oral assessment tool a lot easier than expecting students to use a computer with an audio recording software, such as Audacity. I like how this program can be used professionally in that you can create a new number to give to your students.

I wondered what else could be done with Google Voice besides recording messages for speaking and listening purposes... turns out that there is a lot more! Take a look at what Mike Shumake has to say about Google Gmail, Google Docs, and Google Voice...

The following information has been taken from Mike Shumake at www.gettingsmart.com. I have copied and pasted what he has written in his blog because I think this information is very helpful for people who want to be technologically savvy and quick! "Shu" explains here what kind of contact information you want to get, how to put this information into an excel sheet, and how to quickly send texts and receive texts about classwork and assignments to students and their parents with just the click of a few buttons!

When you’re signed in to your Google account, go here: https://docs.Google.com/#home.  Google docs is your new, free online storage that you can access from anywhere you have Internet access.  You can store any file type here, and you can share it with anyone via a URL.  Marinate on that for a second – it’s like suddenly you have a password protected hard drive on the Internet.  Gee, thanks Google!

Hit the Create New button on the top left, and then select Form. It looks like this:

When you do that, you’re going to see a page with all kinds of room for improvement.

It will look like this:

We are working toward this:

Go ahead and play around with it a bit.  You’re looking at the ‘back end’ of the form.  The image on the right is the ‘front end’ or it’s what your students will see.  Title the form, and add the first question by asking for the student’s name (last name or last name, first name).  From there, two things are going to determine what questions you ask: what contact info you want and Google contacts.  I’ll explain why in the next post, but gather the following in separate form fields:

1. Student last, first name
2. Student email
3. Student cell phone
4. Cell phone for one parent
5. Parent email
6. Other parent’s email, and
7. Home phone number.

There are different types of questions in this Google tool, and you can use your imagination for how you can take advantage of Forms for activities other than gathering contact information. For example, ‘form’ative assessments (heh) come to mind.  There are tons of possibilities.

Click here to view an example of a final version, as of today August 28, 2011.  You can hit ‘tools’ and then go to the form.  I say as of today, because I have to make it editable for people to be able to hit tools, which means anyone reading this can edit or change page. That also means that anyone can copy this document and use it as is, so thank me for saving you some time in the comments!

Last trick:  From the spreadsheet view, which is where you land when you hit the sample link above, you can grab code that will embed the form in the announcements area of a blackboard or Moodle course.  Hit Form at the top of the spreadsheet, and then select “Embed Form in a webpage…”

Copy the HTML code, and open your course.  In the edit mode where you can bold, color, italicize text, etc, you will see a button that looks like this:  <>.  Hit it, paste in the HTML, and then hit submit to see your announcement with the form embedded on it!

With the contact information you have set up in the right formats, you will be able to contact your students, their parents, and anyone else on the support list multiple ways on a weekly basis in less than 30 minutes per week.

Here’s how:

First, you’ll open an excel workbook and put all of the names on one worksheet with kids’ cell phone numbers beside it.  Then you’ll need to put together a new worksheet for kid’s names and email addresses.  The last page is for all of the rest of the contact info.  Or, of course, you can download the one I made for you here: http://goo.gl/GeAwt 

Your next step is to sign up for a free Google Voice account.  When you’re signed into your Google account, go to www.Google.com/voice.  Google will ask you some questions and connect your service to an existing number.  It’s all pretty standard.  But the golden carrot at the end is this:  when you have your account on Google Voice, you will be able to send and receive text messages for free!

If you have a smart phone, download the Google Voice app and install it.  This is a crucial step, because from now on, your professional texts and your personal texts will be separated.  Tell your students, when they have questions, not to hesitate to text you on your new texting number.  You will send and receive texts on your phone, but your entire conversations will be kept as records on Google Voice.  That’s another nice feature with this setup; your records will keep themselves.  You will be able to search your text message conversations with the same speed and accuracy you search your Gmail!

Next, set up your handy dandy Excel spreadsheet on half your monitor and your Google Voice account on the other half of your monitor.  In Windows 7, just grab a window and drag it up against the ‘wall’ to make it go perfectly half screen – a neat trick.  Next, follow these steps:

1. On the worksheet with the kids’ cell phone numbers in Excel, add a column after the phone number with the kid’s first name.  Then add a column with a comma after the kid’s name.
2. On the next column after the comma, write a generic but personal note.  For the first note, I like:  “This is Shu, your Eng teacher.  I’m just checking in with you to see how you’re liking this unit.  My team is thinking of making some changes to it.  Do you like it so far? Any ideas for improvement?”It’s a good note, because it demands a bit of thought and a response.  It also shows that you are looking for input from the kid to make improvements, which makes students feel good.  And who knows?  Chances are, when you send that note out to fifty kids, you might find they have some really great ideas!  Last, drag the note down the column so you have a sheet full of number, name, comma, note all the way down.
3. Now you’re set up to get it moving.  Copy the first phone number from Excel.  Hit Text on Google Voice, then hit ctrl+V.  Then go back to Excel and copy the student’s name, the comma, and the note all in one swoop of the mouse.  Adding the name with comma makes your note more personal.  Paste them into the message field, and hit tab then enter.

Rinse and repeat all the way through your excel sheet.  Get through the sheet before you start answering the reply texts.  Now put on your helmet and tighten your seatbelt, because your students are going to inundate you with replies.  Because you’re using your keyboard instead of two weary thumbs though, you’ll be able to keep up.  Actually, you will probably really enjoy the conversations.  I know I do.