Blog Post #7: Google Tools

I am going to preface this post by stating that I love anything Google.  The company has great ingenuity and the programs and applications they produce are usually useful and free!  I have always used Gmail, I use Gchat to keep in touch with family, use Google as my go-to search engine, and use iGoogle as my homepage.  I have dabbled a bit in Google Labs as well in order to discover the new applications the company is developing.  
For this assignment I decided to explore two tools that I had never used before - Google Notebook and Google Groups.

Image location http://www.google.com/educators/images/notebook_ex.gif

Google Notebook can be used as a way to save and organize information that you come across while browsing the internet to be accessed later for further investigation and sharing.  The following suggestions for educators was given by Google:

With Google Notebook, you'll be able to:

• save clippings from sites around the web so you can access them later
• annotate your clippings by adding your own thoughts or comments
• organize clippings into different notebooks or in sections within a single notebook
• search the full text of your own notebooks and any public notebooks
• invite specific collaborators to contribute to your notebook -- just click on the "sharing options" link in the top right-hand corner of your Google Notebook and enter the email addresses of the people you'd like to share it with
• share the information in your notebook with everyone -- once inside "sharing options," select "publish this notebook" to make your Notebook public

I could definitely see myself using Google Notebooks as an educator because I am constantly browsing the web for lesson ideas and resources to use in my classroom.  I usually write ideas on a piece of paper that I usually lose and bookmark sites that I really like but can get lost in the disorganization of my browsers Bookmark manager.

Video from Youtube

Image location http://www.liventerprise.com/phpthumb/cache/a/a8/a84/a84f/Google_Groups.jpg

Google Groups is another interesting application for classroom integration. It is a place where teachers and students can connect, collaborate, and communicate outside the classroom.  It can be used to post information, have an online discussion, and edit work in real-time.  It is also possible to set up different groups so you can have a space for your different classes.  This application has many of the communication/collaboration features that some of the LMS offer, without the option for grading, attendance, and other classroom management options.  So, if you are looking for solely a collaboration tool, this is a good option.  It could be a great resource in order for students to ask questions and seek homework help because both parties can access it anywhere.  It is as if the teacher is on call after school hours.  Talk about dedication!

Check out this video to see how a Physics teacher uses Google Groups in his classroom.

 Youtube

For a more detailed look at starting and using a Google Group, check out the video below.

Youtube