Yeah, another Google post. But this one’s to point out a few of the great features of Google - other than the search engine.
First, Google Calendar. It looks a lot like your Mac’s iCal except it’s online. You can have multiple calendars for multiple functions. You can show one calendar at a time or all of them at once. Posting is a breeze. But the real beauty of Google Calendar is that it can be edited or viewed from any computer connected to the internet. So I can have my calendar at home and at school. Works for me!
If you have not seen Google Earth, download it now. It’s free and it’s amazing. Viewers can zoom in on any section of the earth, tilt the view so that elevations are evident, and mark borders and boundaries and landforms. And more. In third grade this year, we’ll be studying regions of the US. I can’t wait to use this tool with kids. What other content areas/grades could Google Earth be used for?
Finally, Writely, an online word processor recently acquired by Google. Accounts are free and multiple users can log in to create or edit the same document. Writely spell checks, saves automatically, and tracks changes. This summer I collaborated with a group of seven educators on a document for our ICT Literacy Summer Institute and we used Writely to do the work. It was so productive to have many minds working together, even virtually. Next time you have a committee document to draft, try Writely. If you want your kids to do some collaborative work with another class, this might be the tool for them, too.
If you try any of these offerings from Google, let us know what you did and how it went. And keep an eye on Google (especially Google Labs) for more wonderful innovations.
