indianwells

=Search, Learn, Share: An Introduction to Google Tools in Education=

Being able to find and use information online is a critical new literacy. Google provides much more than just a web search engine; they offer a wide variety of free web-based and desktop applications. This session introduces participants to many of these services that may be useful to teachers and students. It begins with a walk-through of several specialized search tools (such as Google Scholar, Google Books, and Google News) and ends with an overview of web-based applications (such as Google Docs, Google Calendar, and Google Sites) that can revolutionize the way you, your colleagues, and your students collaborate.

Mark Wagner, Ph.D. mark@edtechlife.com

Welcome and Introductions
Opening Questions

Google in Education
[|Google for Educators] [|Google Teacher Academy Resources] (Don't miss the one-page crib sheets in the [|Materials] section!) [|The Infinite Thinking Machine] [|Educational Technology and Life] (Google in Education Category)

More... Even More
[|Google More...] [|Google Labs] [|Google Help Center]

Search Tools: 21st Century Literacy
[|Web Search] [|Support] (Don't forget to learn the [|Google Operators] like Define: and others.) [|News Search] [|Support] [|Book Search] [|Support] [|Scholar Search] [|Support] [|Blog Search] [|Support] [|Custom Search Engine] [|Support] [|Image Search] [|Support] [|Video Search] [|Support] [|Map Search] [|Support] (Check out [|Street View in Yosemite Valley]!) [|Google SMS] (Just text a search to 466453) [|Google 411] [|More...]

Don't forget [|Google Translations]! Example: View [|my blog in Spanish]!

Web-based Applications
[|Docs and Spreadsheets] [|Support] (An online office suite, ideal for collaboration!) [|Calendar] [|Support] (An online calendar, ideal for collaboration!) [|Google Page Creator] [|Support] (A simple web page creation tool) [|Google Sites] [|Support] (A more sophisticated web page creation tool - very wiki like - ideal for collaboration!) [|Blogger] [|Support] (A simple but powerful blogging tool) [|Reader] [|Support] (A great way to subscribe to and read lots of blogs or other sites... also allows sharing with friends!) [|iGoogle (Google Homepage)] [|Support] (A personalized home page... pull all of these tools together in one place!) [|Google Notebook] [|Support] (Save, annotate, and share your bookmarks or favorites... including web "clips") [|More...] (Explore and enjoy!)

Desktop Applications
[|Earth] [|Support] (A 3D virtual planet Earth, which teachers and students can add to!) [|Sketch Up] [|Support] (A 3D modeling program... great for adding content to Google Earth) [|Desktop] [|Support] (Search your computer the way you search the web. Windows Only) [|Picasa] [|Support] (Organize, Edit, and Share photos and images. Windows Only) [|More...] (Explore and enjoy!)

Additional Links
[|Google Apps Hacks] - A great new book for users of all levels - covers many of these tools. Highly recommended. [|Google Hacks] - An older but good reference book. The first half or so includes some great tips... the rest gets a bit technical. [|Googlepedia] - Another good reference book to use when teaching particular applications. [|Google Earth Lessons] - A bunch of lesson plans. [|Google Lit Trips] - By Jerome Berg

Discussion
Please use the Discussion tab above to discuss the workshop or these resources.

Reflection and Evaluation
Reflection Questions

Contact
Mark Wagner, Ph.D. Educational Technology and Life mark@edtechlife.com [|www.edtechlife.com]