The Online Education Database has many more great resources on their page too.
Showing posts with label google. Show all posts
Showing posts with label google. Show all posts
100 Ways Google Can Make You a Better Educator
The Online Education Database has many more great resources on their page too.
Tech Training Wheels
Tech Training Wheels is a great site created by a group of Google Certified Teachers. They have created some excellent tutorial videos on topics like embedding videos in a Google site, Managing navigation of a Google site, using Sketchup and documents, among others.
They have a community part set up on the site and encourage users to upload their own tutorials.
It is a great site for newbies or even experts to find new tips and ideas.
iGoogle as an organizational/educational tool
I love iGoogle. It is my main start up page and I use it to stay organized. I have my Google Bookmarks, Google Reader feed, Google Notebook, Google Tasks, Gmail, Google Calendar, Google Finance stock prices, Evernote, Google Docs, Twitter Gadget, Google Voice, Contacts, Weather, and Google Translate all on my iGoogle page. This allows me to quickly select web pages from my bookmarks, check my email and calendar, review notes and tasks, access my Evernote notebooks, check Twitter, check my Google Voice, and access my Google Docs all from one page. I can even post to this blog from it.
A lot of information is available to me at a glance. Throughout the day, I am able to keep informed and organized because I don't have to look all over the place. Everything is right in front of me.
I also think that iGoogle is a great tool for students. They can do everything I listed above, keeping their assignments, resources, and calendar all on one page for easy viewing and access. No more forgetting about things. Everything is right there for them. There is even a Facebook gadget. This means that they can be socializing on the same page that has their homework and notes.
Colleagues always ask me how I stay so connected and organized and iGoogle is my answer. Students of mine who use it have said that they love it and it makes them less likely to forget about assignments and upcoming tests.
It is easy to set up. All you need is a Google account and you are on your way. Go to Google's home page and click in the upper right hand corner on "iGoogle". Select a theme, and then start adding the gadgets that you want. Click and drag to move the gadgets around. It is really that simple.
Try it out and share your ideas with others.
Share your iGoogle gadgets that you love.
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Backing up your cloud/web based data
I'm a big believer and user of cloud / web based apps and data storage. I use Google Docs, Google Reader, Google Sites, Blogger, Evernote, Engrade, iGoogle, Aviary and more. Web based computing allows me to have access to my data and files anywhere that I can get internet access, including on my smart phone. It also allows me to share data and information with others. I also like web based apps and data because it is platform independent - Windows, Linux, Mac - it doesn't matter. The web based apps also, in my experience, seem to run better on older, slower computers than native applications.
I'm also a believer in being prepared and having backups of my data. The services I use have great data centers and backup, but sometimes their servers go down, and sometimes I may not be able to get internet access.
I backup all of my work and data in multiple places so that I always have access to it, even without an internet connection. Here's what and how I do:
1. Google Docs - I use GDocBackup to backup my Google Docs. I also have Google Gears installed so my files are synced with my computer that way too. You can also export your Google Docs to your hard drive.
2. Evernote - I have Evernote's desktop application at home so all of my notes are backed up on my home computer. I also export the data once a week to an html and txt file for backup.
3. Engrade - this is an online grade book. I export my files once a week to Excel for backup.
4. Google Products - I also export my Blogger blogs, iGoogle Settings, Google Reader subscriptions, Calendar, email, tasks, and bookmarks once a week as a back up. For each of them, go to settings and look for the export command. Here's more information on how to export data from Google's services.
(I use Google Chrome so my bookmarks are synced between my two computers.)
5. Google Sites - I use HTTrack Website Copier to make a backup of my website.
All of the backup files are in a directory that is automatically backed up to SugarSync and then kept in sync on both my school and home computers. Sugarsync does this automatically, so it is no effort for me. I also have really, really important data (financial, digitized paper records, etc) on a flash drive in my fireproof safe. Just in case.
I also sync my Palm Centro smart phone with my Google Calendar and Google Contacts using Goosync. I then backup everything on my Centro by Hotsyncing it to my home computer. I also have a microSD card in the Centro that has a back up of my important files so that I can access them via my Centro, even if there is no signal to get an internet connection. I can use Sugarsync to access all of my other files via the internet on my Centro also.
My home computer's disk drive is also backed up to an external hard drive every day.
Some may say this is overkill, but all of it takes me about 10 min each week and gives me great piece of mind.
How do you backup your files and data?
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Google Chrome Web Browser revisited
Google Chrome Web Browser has been released for quite a while now (and I've been using it since then), but still many people don't know about it. Richard Byrne just posted a nice article with some videos about Chrome too, so I decided to revisit what I feel is the best web browser.
I've written about it before (HERE and HERE and here is a good resource about web browsers) but want to point out some new features.
Some of the main features in Chrome:
Fast! Web sites load fast and web applications run quickly and smoothly.
Simple! The browser takes up less screen area giving you more area to view your website.
Combined Address Bar and Search bar - type a web address or search term in one box and you either go to the website or get search returns. Simple and easy.
Combined Address Bar and Search bar - type a web address or search term in one box and you either go to the website or get search returns. Simple and easy.
Easy tab use - open, close, and move tabs easily.
Isolated tabs - if a web site on one tab crashes, it won't affect your other open tabs.
Opens online documents using Google Docs. Easy to view all kinds of files.
Themes - pick your theme (colors) for your browser.
Bookmarklets - besides having bookmarks on your bookmark toolbar, you can also include bookmarklets which are buttons that cause an action. Examples include: Clip to Evernote (clips the content to your Evernote account), Google Bookmark (creates a bookmark of the page you are viewing), Diigolet (which puts a link to the website into your Diigo account) and many more.
Extensions - extensions are add on programs for web browsers, and what made Firefox so popular. Chrome's development version supports extensions (and the main version will soon too). I only use a few so far, including Google Translate (of the page you are viewing), Internet Explorer tab (opens a tab in IE to view IE only websites), Aviary (perform lots of functions using Aviary's web based graphics editors), Blog This! (which clips a web page to your Blogger account so you can blog about it) and Google Calendar which tells me how long until my next appointment.
Favorites and Recently closed tabs - are all listed when you click on a new tab. This makes it easy to go to your most visited sites and to revisit sites that you have just closed.
Customizable / Privacy settings - you can customize the way the browser looks and functions and you can set different privacy settings to protect your privacy while online.
Stable and secure. Chrome is a very stable browser (I have had almost no crashes, ever, with Chrome) and very secure from attacks and hackers.
This is just some of the features of Google's Chrome Web Browser. Try it out for yourself and see how nice it is.
Google Chrome OS
Google just announced Google Chrome OS (although most people knew it was coming).
Google Chrome OS is a new operating system that Google is creating based on it's Chrome Web Browser.
The operating system will not store anything on the computer you are using. Everything, including applications, will be hosted on Google's servers ("in the cloud"). The operating system boots up in less than 10 seconds (very impressive!) and within another 5-10 seconds you are online and working. The OS basically runs everything through the Chrome web browser.
Every time you boot up your computer, the OS connects with Google's system and does a self check. If it finds any problems or issues, it will fix it with a reload. That is part of the security of Chrome OS. The other part of the security is that if you loose your computer, or someone steals it, they can't access your data with out your account information and password. There is no data on the computer itself. (This part is very nice considering how many companies lose important data, including customer personal information, when employee laptops are lost or stolen.)
My first impressions from the video of the launch are impressive. I see Chrome OS as the perfect OS for netbooks - it doesn't need much for memory on the computer, boats at warp speed, and still allows you do to your work. I already use mostly cloud based apps (Google Docs, Gmail, Google Calendar, Evernote, Engrade) so having an operating system like this on a netbook is great. This is not for everyone though. If you need to do work on computer based files, this is not for you.
Below, you can see a screen shot of Chrome OS. Notice how it runs in Chrome Browser. In the upper right corner you can see the time and battery level indicator. All the applications are tabs in the browser. The Chrome OS notepad is also shown on the right side.
Below is a shot of some of the applications for Chrome OS. They are all web based applications. Some of the apps listed: Gmail, Hotmail, Yahoo Mail, Google Reader, Google Calendar, Google Docs, Pandera, Picasa Web, YouTube, Hulu, Contacts, ToDo list, Calculator, Facebook, Twitter, and a "get more" link.
Overall, I would say that Google Chrome OS, which should be available next year, will be a great OS for people using netbooks and who work with web-based applications.
Google Image Swirl
Google Image Swirl (Google Labs) is a new way of searching for images on Google.
Being part of Google Labs means it is still in the development stage, but works.
Image swirl is a visual way to search for images and it shows their relationships to other images in groups.
Enter your search term and click enter and you get a screen like the one below (I searched "Physics").
As you can see, each image has a stack behind it. Click on an image and it brings up a circle of images. Click on another image in there, and it brings up another circle with that image and more that are related.
I like it because it is more visual than the basic image search and you can find related images much easier. It is great for helping students find images that are connected and exploring those connections.
Google Scholarships for Students
Google, that lovable search engine giant that also has a ton of applications, also has scholarships for students!
They have scholarships for different groups and minorities, some to help students travel to conferences, and the Google Anita Borg Memorial Scholarship - which is for women majoring in computer science or computer engineering.
Pass the info on to your students!
Google Search Guide
The Google Search Guide Cheat Sheet is a great resource for students, teachers, and others. It gives you a one page resource showing you all the different ways to search for things using Google, including using Google to find definitions and do calculations.
10 Google Forms for the classroom
Do you use Google Docs? An article over at ICT In My Classroom has links to 10 Google Forms you can use in your classroom.
You can also do a Google search and find tons of Google Forms and Templates out there to use in your classroom.
Google Accessibility
Google Accessibility is Google's effort to make information available to everyone, regardless of disability. They have created alternative access models to help people with visual impairment, color deficiency, deafness, and limited dexterity. They have created keyboard shortcuts, video captions, high contrast video, text-to-speech, and more.
They have created talking RSS Readers for their mobile Android platform, as well as adding accessibility support to their Google Chrome web browser.
You can find a list of all of the accessibility resources HERE.
These accessibility resources are great for special education classes, special needs students, and ELL students.
Getting started with Blogger and Google Sites
I use Blogger for this blog, and for my class blogs. I have a blog for each class and I post assignments, announcements, reminders, and links on the site. Students can also post questions and have discussions. Here is the link to my AP Physics class blog as a reference.
I use Google Sites for my class website, which I use to post reference information, links, resources, and files for download. Many of my colleagues ask me how to do this, so I figured I would put up some links on how to get started using Blogger and Google Sites.
Both Blogger and Google Sites are extremely easy to use. You will need to create a Google Account first. I suggest you go to Gmail and create a Gmail account and use that for all of your Google correspondence. Once you have a Google Account through Gmail, you can use that for all Google Products. I also use Google Chrome Web Browser, iGoogle, Picasa, Google Desktop, Google Maps, Google Search, Google Docs, and Google Mobile products.
Getting Started with Blogger:
Go to Blogger.com and create a blog. Blogger will guide you through the process. It is beyond simple. Once you have named your blog and picked a layout, you will ready to go. If you can use the internet and use word processing software, you can create your blog.
Getting Started with Google Sites:
Go to Google Sites and create a web page. Google sites will guide you through the process. It is beyond simple. Once you have named your site and picked a design, you will ready to go. If you can use the internet and use word processing software, you can create a website.
Articles I have done about Blogger and Google Sites
General Google Information and Resources:
Have some fun and play with Blogger and Google Sites. As you get more comfortable with them, you will be able to do much more with them. Good luck!
What Browser - learn about web browsers
Whatbrowser is a new site from Google that explains what a web browser is using a very short, animated video.
Google's research indicated that most people had no idea what a web browser is, so they wanted to educate people. The site will automatically detect what browser you are using. There are links to more information about web browsers, some useful tips. They also have links to the 5 major web browsers (Opera, Chrome, Firefox, Internet Explorer, and Safari) so that people can try a different one if they want. Obviously, Google hopes you'll pick Google Chrome, which is what I use.
Each browser has different form layouts and do things a little differently. I find that a web browser is part performance, part personal preference. I use Google Chrome because it works great with all of the other Google Products I use. Some people use Internet Explorer because it's what came with their computer. Firefox has a huge number of add-ons that let you customize your browser. Explore each one and find the one that works best for you. All are free.
Picasa - free photo editing
Picasa is a free photo editing software from Google. You download the software to your computer and you can edit and touch up your photos. Picasa also has an online component, Picasa Web Albums, to share your photos with others. I've found it to be easy to use and very powerful. I have used it myself, and I have my students use to modify pictures or graphics for projects.
You can learn more about Picasa and Picasa Web Albums HERE.
Google Calendar and cell phones
I just read a great post on "From Toy to Tool", a blog about using cell phones as educational tools, about Google Calendar and text messages. I had completely forgotten about this ability because I have a smart phone (Palm Centro). But, as Liz points out, not everyone can access the web on their phone. Pretty much everyone has the ability to send and receive text messages. Her blog is a great resource for those looking to use cell phones in class, or even just show their students how they can use their cell phones for educational purposes outside of school.
Google has great applications, which are free, for students and teachers to use. I have talked about Google's applications before, because I use them a lot and find them easy to use and very useful.
Google Calendar is a great tool to keep yourself organized. A nice feature is that you can allow others to have read access to you calendar, and you can even combine calendars from multiple people or groups.
If you don't have web access with your phone, you can check your calendar, or even add a new event to your calendar, using text messaging. Here is the Google page with instructions. You do need a Google account and need to register your cell phone when you set it up.
Check out the rest of the applications Google offers HERE.
Google 3.0 Released
Version 3 brings improved renderings of web pages, error and bug fixes, and a huge increase in speed. I immediately noticed a difference in the speed that many web pages were loading. There is also a difference in how the new tab page works and some nice improvements in the omnibox - this is where Chrome uses one box for both web addresses and search.
For a great review on Chrome 3, check out Lifehacker's article. Lifehacker is a great web site that covers a plethora of topics, from technology, to home improvement, to finances, and more.
If you already have Chrome, just click on the wrench symbol at the top right of the menu bar and click on "About Google Chrome." It will automatically find the update and you can install it.
If you have yet to try Google Chrome, simply go HERE to download and install it.
What technology I use on a daily basis
(updated 01/15/10)
Recently, a colleague asked me what technology I use each day and how does it help me or my students. So, here is my answer: (all of them are free)
1. Email - I use email for communication. All of my students have my school email address, and I give it out to parents also. I can send messages to my students, communicate with parents, and communicate with other educators. You can get a free email account from Google.
2. Evernote - I use Evernote as a note taking system. I have my notes organized by topic. I have reference notes, lesson plans, tech tips, and much more on here. What I really love, is that I can access my notes from any internet enabled computer or cell phone. I also like the ability to "clip" web sites into a note in Evernote. What's great, is that hyperlinks on the web page are kept when clipped into Evernote. You can also attach files to your notes. Free accounts can only attach images (JPEG/PNG/GIF), audio (MP3, WAV, AMR), PDF, and digital ink files. I try to convert most of my files to PDF anyway for cross-platform support. (Here is some info on how to create PDF files for free on your computer, or online. ) You can also share notes and notebooks with others.
3. iGoogle - I use iGoogle as my start page to keep myself organized. With one glance, I can see my task list, schedule (calendar), bookmarks, time/date, Gmail, RSS feeds and more. I can also access my Google Docs from this page. For more on iGoogle, go HERE.
4. Engrade - Engrade is a free online gradebook for teachers. I have all of my classes listed here and each student is given an access code so that they can see their grades any time they want. I also give access codes to the parents so that they always know how their student is doing. It is accessable from any web enabled computer and you can generate multiple reports and export the data if needed.
5a. Sugarsync - Sugarsync is an online system that backs up your files and allows you to access them from any web enabled computer or smart phone. There is a free, 2GB capacity account available. What is really great is that it keeps your files in sync among multiple computers. Make a change to a file on computer A, and it is automatically uploaded and sync'd with their servers and any other computers you have specified. You can even open/edit a file directly from their server and it will automatically sync the changes you make. I keep my school files on here so that I can work on them and access them at home and on any computer at school.
5b. Dropbox is a service that allows you to sync your files on your computer with their system as a backup. This also allows you to access the files anywhere. You can also sync the files across multiple computers. This means that you have automatic backup of your files and 24/7 access to your files. I have it set up to sync a folder on my home computer and school computer so I don't have to worry about having multiple versions or forgetting a flash drive.
There are also Dropbox apps for iPhone, Android, iPad and there is one coming for Blackberry. There is an independent app for Palm webOS, but you can also access the mobile site from any web-enabled phone. Imagine being able to access all of your files on your smartphone!
One feature that is very nice is the fact that it works with network drives like we use in my district. Some of the other cloud file storage and sync systems can't work with network drives. I was very happy to see this was able to be done with Dropbox.
6. Blogger - Blogger is a free blogging tool from Google. I use it for this blog, as well as for a blog for each of my classes. These class blogs are a great resource for my students. I have important links on the side and then I post what we are doing in class, links for extra help, and more on there. My students have all subscribed to the blogs via email, so they get an email whenever I make a new post on the blog. Students can also hold discussions on the blog.
7. Google Sites - I use Google sites to create a free website for my classes. I have one website that I use for all of my clases - www.physicsmedic.org. On the site I have class rules, reference information, links, and files from class (presentations, handouts, etc.). I also have sections for new teachers and about educational technology.
8. Hardware: I have a teacher station computer in my classroom, along with 8 student desktop computers. I have a printer for the student computers and a printer for my computer. I also have an LCD projector connected to my computer, and a VCR and DVD player connected to the projector. I also use a Keyspan remote to wirelessly control my computer from anywhere in the room. Auxillary speakers are also a must.
I also use a Palm Pre+ smart phone to keep connected. I can access all of my files (and edit them), Google accounts, email, the web, and much more with it (it even makes phone calls).
9. Other software: our school computers run Windows XP. I also use the following software on my school computer: Google Chrome web browser, Stardock Object Dock (a great dock to launch programs from), Picasa (photo organizing and editing), GDoc Backup (backup my Google Docs to the hard drive), PowerCalc (Microsoft Scientific/Graphing Calculator), OpenOffice (office suite) and CutePDF writer. All of this software is free.
I have also switched to using Aviary's clipping extension for Chrome to clip graphics from the internet and edit or modify them.
So, you now know what I use for educational technology on a daily basis. There is much more that I use from time to time and I have a huge number of web sites that I use for information, reference, or with my students.
Please share your resources too.
iGoogle - organize yourself on one page
I am a big fan of Google's products. One, they are free. Two, they work. One of the products that I use to keep myself organized is iGoogle.
iGoogle allows you to create your own start page on the internet. You can add different "gadgets" to your page. With this, you can keep certain tools and resources easily at hand.
My page has the following gadgets on it:
Clock, Google Bookmarks, Google Reader, Google Tasks, Google Calendar, Gmail, Google Docs, Blogger, Stock portfolio, sports scores, Google Voice, Google Translate, and more. On one web page, I can see my schedule, tasks, email, RSS feeds, the time, and have access to my bookmarks. This one page makes things very easy for me.
For more information on iGoogle:
Google Product Search
Google's Product Search is a great way to search for things you want to buy. It even brings up search suggestions as you type into the search box.
I like to use it because it eliminates extraneous search results that have nothing to do with finding a product to buy.
Translate Google Docs
Google Docs can now translate your document into 42 different languages. This should make working with ELL and parents who don't speak English much easier.
Read more about it HERE.
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