And the Walls Came Down

In some ways, I feel like we're in the midst of the Berlin Wall coming down except this is the virtual wall that has divided us since time began.

Many of us have been working with the Google presentations software -- during the 20 minutes I was in today -- at least 10 different people dropped in -- just to look at the presentation many of us have been working on.

Claudia Ceraso has come up with a fascinating way to link a presentation page with Google Notebook and now we're editing that. We've also added a slide to our presentation of the things we'd like to see added.

Meanwhile, although the chat archive feature was working when this web app was unleashed -- it is now no longer working! (Could Google run out of space or did us naughty edubloggers tear it down!?)

The chats in the presentations are no longer archivable and are disappearing. At first we thought it was in the settings but we think that it is down.

Glitches or no glitches -- here is the fact...

Jennifer Wagner e-mailed me -- I checked twitter and saw folks going crazy about Google Presentations-- went in (as did many others) and played with it on my lunch break. Wanting to test the publish and chat features -- on a whim, I posted the link into twitter -- and the firestorm unleashed.

Within the next bit at least 40 educators came in and out and over the course of 24 hours -- 40 editors made over 500 edits to the document. Claudia Ceraso created and shared a Google notebook that is being added to the presentation as hyperlinks to the slides.

So, excuses are gone -- we have some great free tools that work together in ways we cannot comprehend. Sure if you like neato transitions you're not going to get that, however, if you have no budget and want a group global presentation -- this is the way to go!

If we work on this presentation about Google Presentations -- then perhaps we can just USE IT when we want it. If the editors add to it as they find new things -- IT IS UPDATED. For notes and hyperlinks... add it to the Google Notebook.

Tuesday, when I was in the chat it was surreal... I was in then Marshall Kirkpatrick came in... others tumbled in and then here comes one so many of us admire... Bernie Dodge -- who begins commenting on the Power of Twitter to unleash mobs. The list of those who entered and left is a veritable "who does it" list of educators.

I cannot begin to digest or understand what just happened on Tuesday but it is truly one of the most pivotal experiences since I first began blogging or wiki-ing.

What's next?

tag: education, teaching, Google, google presentations, learning, collaboration, Bernie Dodge, Marshall Kirkpatrick, Claudia Ceraso, PowerPoint