Google Apps Promo

Here's a funny and enlightening promo for using Google Apps with students!

Google Research Tool: New in Google Docs

Here's another reason why you want to be using Google Docs with your students: Google just added a new tool that gives students the power to conduct an instant Google search right in Google Docs.  Once information or a picture is used, Google will even create a citation or a link for the source.

Here's how to use the Google Research tool:

1.  Open a Google Doc, and go to Tools-Research.

2.  On the right a search box appears.  Type in the search topic.

3.  Underneath each result is the option to add a hyperlink or create a citation with a simple click!  Please note that citations are added to the bottom of each document as footnotes.  These can be moved to a Works Cited or Bibliography page, if desired.

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4.  Students can also choose to limit their searches to images, Google Scholar links, or quotes.

Research has suddenly become easier!

While I love the Google Research tool for its ease of use and quick formatting of citations, we must remember the importance of directing students to APPROPRIATE, RELEVANT, and RELIABLE sources of information.  I tend to caution teachers against using Google as a primary research tool.  We must teach students effective search strategies, website evaluation, and the difference between academic and non-academic sources when using search engines.  Students need to consider authority, bias, publisher, currency, and depth of information before using any website as a source of information.  While we may believe that students are savvy web searchers, the opposite is in fact true.  Although today's students have grown-up with the Internet, they need direct instruction on how to appropriately and effectively find information while navigating a vast variety of information on any topic.  They also need to learn how to effectively evaluate a website before accepting the information presented as truth.  I find it mildly entertaining and slightly disturbing at how easily students will believe the information found on fake websites such as All About Explorers or   Ban Dihydrogen Monoxide.  Your Instructional Resource Coach can provide lessons on Internet searching and website evaluation to help you better prepare your students to use the web effectively.  These are 21st century skills that are essential to success in a digital world.

Remember that we have many excellent subscription databases and library print materials that will lead students to appropriate, relevant, and reliable information.  We need to be guiding students to these resources before sending students off on an Internet hunt without proper guidance.

Save Time with Google Templates

Like most of  you, I do not have time to create a lot of my own materials.  Lucky for us, the web is full of materials created by other innovative individuals who freely share.  Did you know that you have access to thousands of awesome teaching resources just through Google Docs?  Google has an amazing template gallery with docs, forms, and presentations created by individuals who have made their work public.  Here's how to find free templates that you can save in your own Google space:

1.  Go to Google Drive.  Click "Create" in the left corner and then choose "From template" at the bottom of the list.

2.  Choose the "Public templates" option.  Now search for your topic of interest.

3.  Be amazed at what you find!

My search for "book reports" resulted in 30 different forms and docs that students could instantly save and use.  The best part: it only took me minutes to access.

Below is an example of one of my favorite Docs templates created by Derrick Waddell.  It's a fake Facebook profile page students complete after researching a historical figure.  This is just a small sampling of the great ideas available instantly to you.

Google: Going Beyond Searches and Docs

Every day I am amazed at the cool stuff created by Google. When time is taken to explore their vast resources, I could sit for hours just playing around with the new tools that I find. In March I was lucky to attend Wisconsin Educational Media and Technology Association's annual conference in Wisconsin Dells. Chad Kafka, Google Certified Teacher, presented a session entitled "Google-Palooza", highlighting fun ideas and tips using Google tools. While many new tricks were shared, below highlights some of my favorites:

1. It can be frustrating to find the right copyright-free image for students to use in multimedia projects.  This problem becomes easier using Google's Advanced Image Search.  At the bottom of the search screen, users can limit images to those "free to use or share."  The search results will limit students to images in the public domain.

  
2.  YouTube has a  YouTube for Teachers site that organizes educational YouTube videos by subject.  This is a nice way to search for YouTube's quality educational offerings.

3.  Google Maps has added new street views of some awesome world locations.  Browse Google's Street View Collections to visit the streets of Italy, Israel, the Amazon, and other amazing places.  Think instant virtual field trip!  You can also take a tour of the Swiss Alps and imagine yourself on the beaches of Hawaii.

4.  Finally, some Google fun.  Use Google's Font/Logo Generator to create headings in the Google style.  Visit DemoSlam to vote for your favorite video showing creative uses of Google tools.  Challenge your searching skills (and those of your kids) by going to A Google a Day to get a daily Google search assignment.

Great Guide for Learning to Use Google Apps

As we all know, next year the School District of New London will be moving to Google Apps for Education.  While Google Docs will look as familiar as Microsoft Word to most, Google Docs has the advantage of having its storage completely online and allowing for easy document sharing and collaboration.  You can even create quizzes using Google Forms and install a script called Flubaroo to automatically grade them. 

I know for some the whole idea of using Google Docs seems daunting and new.  Fortuantely Richard Byrne from Free Technology for Teachers has created an easy-to-follow guide for teachers new to Google Docs.  You'll learn not only how to create documents, but also how to design presentations and use forms to never grade another multiple choice quiz again!

Open publication - Free publishing - More google

You Can't Just Google It!

Those of you who know me well have heard how much I dislike when we teach students to research by sending them directly to Google.  Beginning with a Google search is not an effective research strategy nor does it always lead students to high quality academic resources.  Below is a fun video shared by a fellow educational blogger explaining why students should not be using Google as a primary research tool.

What should students use then?  They should begin with our high quality, reliable educational resources: academic databases, library print materials, and a search engine made especially for students, Sweet Search.  Using these resources will not only lead to the highest quality information, but it also teaches students how to conduct academic research in the appropriate manner.  This is a 21st century skill that students need for success in future jobs and education!

For a good laugh and a good lesson, here is a video created using the website xtranormal. 

You Can't Just Google It!
by: SweetSearch