Google Tools for Educators

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Tools

• Google For Educators Website - http://www.google.com/educators/index.html
  • Google for Educators support teachers in their efforts to empower students and expand their knowledge of the Internet.  This session will take you on a tour of the Website to show you the many tools available for educators.  We will discover a teacher’s guide to Google Tools for Your Classroom to spark your imagination.  We will find examples of innovative ways that other educators are using these tools in the classroom.

• Google Accounts 
  • Your Google Account will give you access to a variety of Google products, including iGoogle, Web History, Picasa, and many more.

• Google Docs, Spreadsheets, & Presentations
  • Google Docs is an easy-to-use online word processor, spreadsheet and presentation editor that enables you and your students to create, store and share instantly and securely, and collaborate online in real time. You can create new documents from scratch or upload existing documents, spreadsheets and presentations. There's no software to download, and all your work is stored safely online and can be accessed from any computer.
• Google for Educators Website

  • Since Google's launch of Google for Educators, they report that many teachers have come to them with stories of how Google products are helping them in the classroom. On the Website, you can read some of their comments about the products that comprise Google tools for educators, including three new products, Google News, Google Page Creator and Google Groups. And be sure to check out some examples of teacher work in the new classroom activities section. Lastly, we've added some handy tips posters, which you can print out and hang in your classrooms, computer labs and libraries.

• Google Custom Search Engine
  • Whether you want to offer support and structure your student's research or you want a better way to search through your own most valued resources, Google Custom Search Engine (CSE) is an excellent tool for creating a completely unique search that you design. Incorporate links, refine results and end-user experience, as well as tracking analytics on how your students and other web visitors use the results. It can be simple to set up but takes time to use to it's full potential. Use Google CSE PDF guide for specific information.

    The RETA CSE... in development ;-)

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• Google Groups
  • Collaboration tools with traditional group features (listserv, forums). You may be able to use this to connect with parents, other educators, or even students. Google Groups offers some levels of security, which should be taken into consideration.
• Google Reader
  • Google Reader is an RSS Aggregation tool which allows you to read blogs, watch videos, and listen to podcasts all in the comfort of your own browser. Group and tag specific resources to share with others on the web or for your own research. Google Reader can be a personalized newspaper for taking the latest from your favorite RSS feeds.
• Picasa and Picasa Web Album
  • Picasa is a free software download that enables you and your students to find, edit and share all the pictures on your PCs. It also offers the Web Albums feature, which enables you to easily upload photos from your computer to the web for sharing with others.
• Google Notebook
  • Google Notebook is a free service that helps organize, share, research and collaborate web information with others without ever having to meet face-to-face.
• iGoogle
  • iGoogle is a customizable homepage.  It allows you to choose from a variety of wigets and gadgets to help you create your own startpage, so that you do not have to visit multiple website to read your news, check the weather, look at your daily stocks, check your calendar, etc.  While logged into any Google service, you can access your personal iGoogle page.
• Google Sites
  • Google Sites is an easy way to start getting your information out there in a way that allows you to edit you to edit it from any internet connected computer. People can work together on a Site to add files, import their work from other Google applications (Google Docs, Google Calendar, YouTube and Picasa).

Activities

RETA PD Workshop May 30 Part 1

• Welcome/Introductions (5 min)

• Creating a Google Account (10 min)

  • If you do not have an account, create one.

• Google Reader (30 min)

  • Subscribe to bundles, podcasts (RETA Podcasting Blog) and regular old blogs (like the RETA blog). Holly's shared Bundle.

• Google Groups (15 min)

  • Join our Google Group - RETA's Google Group

• Google Custom Search Engine (15 min)
  • Visit the RETA Custom Search Engine and a sample use of CSE for student research.
• Break (10 min)

• Google Docs, Spreadsheets, & Presentations (45 min)

  • Let's find out how a Google Doc can work by exploring what we know about Google Tools.
  • Add your Ks, Ws, and Ls at our Google Doc. For more information on KWL see What is KWL?

• Google for Educators in Practice (30 min)

  • Using the activities on the Google for Educators site, review the examples of integrating these tools in teaching and learning.
  • Discuss reflections with your colleages in the same content area or grade level.
  • Submit your reflections to our one of our shared Google tools (our group, site, or doc).
  • Share your ideas with the whole group. 

• Sharing and Q/A (15 min)

  • Share time - ideas, examples of how you are using these tools in your classroom.  Take us on a tour of your examples.  What's new??? 

RETA PD Workshop May 30 Part 2

• Google Notebook (pdf)

  • Introduction to the interface

• iGoogle (pdf)

  • Customizing your iGoogle with wigets

• Picasa and Picasa Web Album

  • Together, Picasa & Picasa Web Albums make it easy for you to organize and edit your digital photos, then create online albums to share with friends, family & the world. 

  • What is Picasa and What's New!

  • Organizing your photos

  • Photo Editing

  • Creating collages

  • Creating a Movie/Video Slide Show

  • Web Albums

Google Tools Tour

Your instructor will take you on a whirlwind tour of some of the most popular Google Tools and show you how they are used.

• RETA's Google Site

Resources

• Google For Educators - http://www.google.com/educators/index.html

  Learn about the tools, see example activities, download posters and access the teacher community.

• Handout including links  google.doc
• Additional resources on how Educators use Google
  • http://www.google.co.uk/schools/index.html
  • http://www.google.com/educators/weeklyreader.html
  • http://www.google.com/educators/index.html
  • http://www.edutopia.org/google-educators
  • http://www.shiftedlearning.org/wiki/Google_for_Educators
  • http://librariancentral.blogspot.com/2007/03/google-for-educators.html
  • http://www.bestcollegesonline.com/blog/2008/06/19/25-exciting-google-apps-and-tools-for-educators/
  • http://www.google.com/insights/search/#
  • http://www.ettcvsu.us/conference/google.htm

Extending Your Learning

You are now connected to a group of teachers who are using Google. Have fun interacting with them in these other great Google playgrounds.

• http://www.google.com/talk/ - A desktop instant messaging program
• http://www.orkut.com/Home.aspx - A social network for Googlers
• Submit your Google account to our Google Site.

Google Fools

Google is famous for their April Fools jokes. Here are two from 2008.

• Google Wakeup - http://www.google.com/googlecalendar/new_wakeup.html
• Google Custom Time - http://mail.google.com/mail/help/customtime/index.html