Google Goodies for Teachers
Google for Educators
Google has created an entire world for teachers. There are cheat sheets, lesson plan ideas, discussion forums, and new stuff popping up all the time.
http://www.google.com/educators/index.html
General Google Information
These are sites that have information about a wide variety of Google Tools.
Google Cheat Sheet
http://www.vickiblackwell.com/google/default.htm
iGoogle
Personalize your desktop and add widgets to make it interesting/educational. Keep visiting the widget page- new stuff is added every day. Just be sure to use it for a few days before rolling it out to the class.
Personalize Google Handout
Personalize your Google Homepage.doc
Google's Directions for Personalizing your Google Page
http://www.google.com/support/bin/answer.py?answer=25551&topic=13919
Some good Google widgets for the classroom:
Bookmarks- This is a great way to give students a list of the sites you want them to visit, or sites you frequently use.
http://www.google.com/ig/directory?q=bookmarks&hl=en&root=%2Fig&dpos=top&url=www.google.com/ig/modules/bookmarks.xml
Weather- I like having a little weather update. In elementary, you can use a weather report for all sorts of activities, from discussing what kinds of clothes to wear to researching the causes of different phenomena. I like this one. It's a 3 day forecast, and I've had few problems with it. The Weather Channel has one, but it's more complicated.
http://www.google.com/ig/directory?q=weatherbug&hl=en&root=%2Fig&dpos=top&url=www.labpixies.com/campaigns/weather/weather.xml
Timeout!- This is a timer that counts down and makes a little noise when time's up. Great if, like me, you tell the kids there are 5 minutes, and then you get sidetracked...
http://www.google.com/ig/directory?q=timeout&hl=en&root=%2Fig&dpos=top&url=tverbrugge.googlepages.com/timeout.xml
Phases of the Moon- Shows the phases of the moon, with pictures.
http://www.google.com/ig/directory?q=moon+phases&hl=en&root=%2Fig&dpos=top&url=www.calculatorcat.com/gmodules/current_moon.xml
Earthquake Watch- USGS earthquake map showing recent earthquakes.
http://www.google.com/ig/directory?q=earthquakes&hl=en&root=%2Fig&dpos=top&url=www.robogear.biz/earthquake/earthquake.xml
Merriam-Webster Word of the Day- Aimed towards high school or older, but interesting nonetheless.
http://www.google.com/ig/directory?q=Yahoo+word+of+the+day&hl=en&root=%2Fig&dpos=top&start=14&url=www.merriam-webster.com/word/index.xml
Yahoo! Education Word of the Day- A little more approachable.
http://www.google.com/ig/directory?q=Yahoo+word+of+the+day&hl=en&root=%2Fig&dpos=top&start=35&url=xml.education.yahoo.com/rss/wotd/
Math Dictionary- A handy little dictionary of math terms.
http://www.google.com/ig/directory?q=math&hl=en&root=%2Fig&dpos=top&start=7&url=publish.clearspring.com/current/g/Google/47799f2fec7d8317/clearspring.xml
Picture of the Day- There are hundreds of "Picture of the Day" widgets. Choose one based on what you are studying. I would recommend screening it for a few days just to make sure that it works reliably and doesn't pop up with anything unexpected. Most will have some sort of ad underneath, but it's free, so I won't complain. This is a link for National Geographic Picture of the Day.
http://www.google.com/ig/directory?q=picture+of+the+day&hl=en&root=%2Fig&dpos=top&url=xyz220.googlepages.com/nationalgadget.xml
Quote of the Day- Again, there are hundreds to choose from, and you can select one based on what you are studying. These can be a starting point for class discussions or writing prompts. I'd recommend screening each for a while to make sure it works reliably and doesn't pop up with any surprises. I've seen Shakespeare, Churchill, and tons of others. A few examples...
Motivational Quotes
http://www.google.com/ig/directory?q=quote+of+the+day&hl=en&root=%2Fig&dpos=top&url=www.quotationspage.com/data/mqotd.rss
Humorous Quotes
http://www.google.com/ig/directory?q=quote+of+the+day&hl=en&root=%2Fig&dpos=top&url=www.quotationspage.com/data/qotd.rss
Literary Quote of the Day
http://www.google.com/ig/directory?q=shakespeare+quote+of+the+day&hl=en&root=%2Fig&dpos=top&url=www.moderoom.com/mode-ig/daily-quote/daily_literary_quote.xml
Encyclopedia Britannica Fact of the Day- A little tidbit and biography every day.
http://www.google.com/ig/directory?q=history+fact+of+the+day&hl=en&root=%2Fig&dpos=top&url=www.britannica.com/eb/dailycontent/rss
GMail
Create an email account that allows you to access and use many Google tools. No, you probably can't access the e-mail at school, but you can still log into your iGoogle account.
Google Quick Answers
For many common, simple questions, Google has shortcuts or quick ways to get what you need. Go to this page if you need help with any of them.
http://www.google.com/help/features.html
Google Calculator
Google can do math for you! Go to this page to learn the language.
http://www.google.com/help/calculator.html
Currency Conversion
Want to know how much your 30 Euro lunch really cost? Enter "30 Euros in USD" to discover that you paid almost $50 for a panini in Italy.
Definitions
Need a definition of something you heard? Enter "define:podcasting" to figure out what your students are talking about.
Stock Prices
Want to know how much you would have earned if you had bought Amazon stock? Type in the stock symbol (AMZN) for the latest information. (Probably more useful in high school than elementary!)
Q & A
Need a quick answer to a simple question? Enter a simple query and Google will find some answers. For example, enter "population of California,"Miley Cyrus birthplace," or "Barbara Bush birthday" and Google will send back sites that give quicker answers. This can also lead to a good discussion of why different websites might have different answers, and reliability and validity of sites.
Weather
Need a quick weather check? Type "weather (city, state)" and you're done. For example, "weather pleasant hill CA" let me know what to wear tomorrow.
Google Scavenger Hunt
http://martinkat07.googlepages.com/ScavengerHunt.htm
Condensed Google Scavenger Hunt
http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dg4p3b28_27g2xd6mhr
Advanced Searching
Refining your searches makes it easier to find what you or your students need. Here are some tools to help you improve searches.
Google Advanced Search Handout
Google Advanced Search.doc
Cheat Sheet
http://www.google.com/help/cheatsheet.html
Advanced Cheat Sheet
http://www.googleguide.com/advanced_operators_reference.html
Google Searching Guide
http://www.googleguide.com/
Custom Search Engines
Custom search engines allow you to focus student attention on sites that actually help them. It can also create a safe and manageable search environment for young students.
Creating a Custom Search Engine in Google Handout
custom search handout.doc
Movie on Creating Custom Search Engines
http://www.teachertube.com/view_video.php?viewkey=0de47466d9e53068edc7
Get started creating your custom search engine.
http://www.google.com/coop/cse/
Here's my custom search engine for space.
http://www.google.com/coop/cse?cx=002355899225669363418:sblevyr16fu
Docs
Google Docs allows you to collaborate on documents without worrying about who has the most recent version. It also allows you to work on a document even when you aren't on the computer where it was created.
Google Docs Handouts
Google Docs.doc
google Docs part 2.doc
Sharing in Google Docs.doc
Uploading a Document to Google Docs.doc
Movie about Google Docs
http://www.teachertube.com/view_video.php?viewkey=77c5560d4cd9c3ffb6cd
Google Docs Tour
http://www.google.com/google-d-s/tour1.html
Using Google Docs with Students
To use Google Docs, each person needs a Google account. Students can create an account using their home e-mail address and you can make dummy accounts. Just be sure that you are making Google accounts and not G-mail accounts!
Hint: To make it easier for students to share documents with each other, create a list with all of the e-mail addresses and share it with the class. That way, students can copy and paste from that document instead of asking for someone's address every time they need to share, and you reduce the typing errors.
Using Google Docs in Class
Students can start a project in class and comtinue working on it at home.
Here are some lessons using Google Docs:
Teaching Collaborative Writing with Google Docs
http://www.google.com/educators/weeklyreader.html
General Ideas
http://www.google.com/educators/p_docs.html
A Presentation on Using Google Docs with Journalism, ESL, and other classes
necc_docs_spreadsheets.pdf
Using Published Google Docs
Since Google allows you to publish documents online, why not create your newsletter in Google Docs and publish it so parents can view it any time? Having an interactive online newsletter allows you to include live links to helpful sites or other resources parents might want. Gather parent e-mail addresses at the beginning of the year, and when a new newsletter goes live, just send an e-mail with the link to the page.
Publishing in Google Docs also makes it possible for students to share their work with a wider audience. Students can publish their work and share the link with parents, classmates, and whomever else you choose.
Blogger
Google has a free blogging tool.
Google Sites
Click here for information on creating your own webpage using Google Sites.
Google Earth
Google Earth allows you to take a 3-D trip around the world. The application has to be downloaded to the computer (check with your district about policies on downloading applications if you have trouble,) but once it's on, sail away! Below is a "Cheat Sheet" with tips on using Google Earth, as well as other tools to use with Google Earth.
Download the application here.
Want to go even further? Try Google Moon!
Google Sky
http://www.google.com/sky/
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