31 January - Google Part 1

Ah, the fantastic world of Google! To begin, I am a big fan of Google. I have been using the Google Calendar and Google Docs (and, of course, Gmail) for quite some time now in my personal life, and I think they are phenomenal tools for the online world in which most of us reside. The best part about Google for me, though, is the cost. Free! It doesn't get better than that. For my current job as a librarian, I often begin my research in Google Scholar and Google Books to see what resources I can gather before I begin the treacherous journey through the "paid" databases. Often, the kind of information I am looking for cannot be found in a free environment, but I am typically able to locate "jumping-off points" in Google that make my searching elsewhere much more productive. I believe that if most students understand how to find those initial starting points using Google, they will have an easier time locating authentic sources in other places.

As I said earlier, I have been using Google Docs for about a year with a church group that I am a part of. It has made life so much easier to create documents, put them out there, edit them, and view them whenever is convenient. Today, while we were working in this application in class, I couldn't help but think how easy it would be to use this tool when I am part of a team or department at a school. The documents stay closed to the group, but everyone within the group is able to have the most current version of the document available at all times. It saves someone the effort of revising the document and sending out a new attachment, and members of the group always trying to figure out which attachment is the most current. What a great tool! I also think the calendaring feature in Google is a great link for a classroom web page. Like the calendar we utilize in SCED 3250, due dates and activities are clear and posted. I have been assisting a junior-high-aged neighbor of mine with his homework for the past few months. Thankfully, the History teacher has a calendar posted on her UEN website, making it much easier for me to keep my little friend on track. I will definitely be using this tool in my own classroom.

In my estimation, there is a reason that Google has become a familiar part of the world's vocabulary in the past 10 years (and not just as a noun, but also as a verb)...it's valuable!