Google+-+More+Than+Just+a+Search+Engine

= Google is the most used Internet search engine available today. Besides offering e-mail and image searching capability, it has branched into more desktop applications and services which can be helpful to classroom teachers for instruction. These applications include Google Earth, Google Docs , and Google SketchUp. There are many other applications which can assist teachers in planning instruction. These include Google Alerts, Google Web Search, Google Notebook and Google Scholar .=

april.chamberlain@trussvillecityschools.com

Let's start by visiting the Google for Educators webpage http://www.google.com/educators/index.html

On the left side of the Google for Educators page, there is a link called [|Classroom Activities] which has lesson plans for several disciplines that use these and other applications of Google. In the [|Tools for Your Classroom] link is a list of the applications useful for education and suggestions on how they can be used. The [|Classroom Posters] link has posters illustrating how to use some applications of Google and these can be printed. The last link on that sidebar is called [|Teacher Community] and it is a connection to a discussion group for teachers. There are many topics and links listed here and over 2000 people belong to it. Also linked on this page is [|Infinite Thinking] which is a blog for educators with an emphasis on technology use in the classroom.   [|http://earth.google.com/] Google Earth allows you and your students to zoom all over the word viewing satellite imagery, maps, terrain and 3D buildings. Visit Explore, Search and Discover at [|http://earth.google.com/tour/index.html] to watch videos that will help you get started. Explore how teachers and students are using Google Earth to create Google Lit Trips, [|http://www.googlelittrips.org/] Recently added Lit Trips are: __The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants__, __Paddle-to-the-Sea__, __The Slave Dancer__, __Make Way for Duckling__, and more! Make sure to visit Google Lit Trip Tips to learn how to create Lit Trips yourself, [|http://www.googlelittrips.org/]
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[|**Google Earth in the Classroom**] [PDF] Brief overview of Google Earth and ideas for integrating it into classwork. WestEd  

[|http://books.google.com/] Find books with Google Book Search by typing keywords or phrases into the search box. You will locate information much like what is found in a card catalog. Some or the entire book is available online to read and/or research. As a chemistry teacher I try to take my classes to the "computer classrooms" or to the computers in the school library several times a month. My students have found Google Book Search to be especially valuable in reducing research time and in broadening sources for research far beyond our school’s library. Frankly, I don’t see how students would be able to complete research assignments without Google’s great tool. The secondary school research paper has entered a new era where the cost of access to reference books has all but disappeared. <span style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'">Brent Jones, 10th grade Chemistry teacher, Proviso West High School, Hillsdale, IL [|**Libraries and Google Book Search**]<span style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman','serif'"> [PDF] Information for librarians about Google Book Search Google <span style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'"> <span style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'">
 * <span style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman','serif'">Google Book Search **

<span style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'">[|https://maps.google.com] <span style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'"> <span style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'">With Google Maps, you can not only locate addresses, get directions and view satellite imagery but you can also create your own maps with markers full of information.Watch this video guide to explore Google Maps - <span style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'">[|http://www.google.com/intl/en_us/help/maps/tour/] <span style="COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman','serif'"><span style="COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman','serif'"><span style="COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman','serif'">
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<span style="COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman','serif'">Online mapping technologies now play an integral part in my teaching toolkit. Google Maps has allowed many developers the access to a high quality mapping resource that has then spurned mashups or other applications. Quikmaps is a great tool taking advantage of Google Maps at its core – notes and placemarks can easily be dragged onto the map and even images and video footage can be inserted using simple html. These maps can then be saved and even embedded into a class wikispace. We have been exploring our local history and a key activity for my Year 6 children (10-11 year olds) will be to place historic photographs of our town on a modern map. This can be easily achieved through the use of Google Maps and Quikmaps. <span style="COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman','serif'">The other key mapping tool is Google Earth – which I have used in a range of subjects. From writing diary entries for Dracula to calculating the area of a car park in Las Vegas it engages the children with the quality of the imagery and offers such a wealth of information. We even have been plotting the location of comments on our class blog ( <span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman','serif'">http://priestsic6.learnerblogs.org <span style="COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman','serif'">) ====== <span style="COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman','serif'"> <span style="COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman','serif'">

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Both Google Maps and Google Earth play important roles in helping me deliver high quality and engaging educational activities with my children. Tom Barrett, Assistant Headteacher, ICT Subject Leader Priestsic Primary and Nursery School, Nottinghamshire, England======

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 * <span style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: black; LINE-HEIGHT: 115%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman','serif'">Google Docs **<span style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 115%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman','serif'">[|http://docs.google.com] <span style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: black; LINE-HEIGHT: 115%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman','serif'"> <span style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: black; LINE-HEIGHT: 115%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman','serif'">Google Docs is a free online word processor, spreadsheet and presentation editor that you and your students can use to create, share, collaborate, and save files. Google Docs is web-based so all you need is a computer and Internet connection. This is a great tool for those students who do not have Word, Excel and/or PowerPoint at home. <span style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: black; LINE-HEIGHT: 115%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman','serif'">View Esther Wojcicki’s handout on uses of Docs and Spreadsheets in the Classroom, <span style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 115%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman','serif'">http://www.google.com/educators/learning_materials/necc_docs_spreadsheets.pdf   ======

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[|**Google Docs & Spreadsheets in the Classroom**]<span style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: black; LINE-HEIGHT: 115%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman','serif'"> [PDF] Brief overview of Google Docs & Spreadsheets and ideas for integrating it into classwork. WestEd ====== <span style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: black; LINE-HEIGHT: 115%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman','serif'">

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<span style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'">As a teacher of English and journalism, I sign all my students up for Google Docs accounts to help facilitate their work. I have found that my students are making significant improvement in their writing because of Google Docs. It facilitates peer editing and revising. I stress writing a process, teaching students that it takes multiple versions of an article or essay to achieve a level of excellence. The word processor component of Google Docs enables my students to revise, to peer edit, and to keep track of all the changes in the revisions history. I can also see who students collaborated with and when. It is easy and fun to use and they no longer lose documents either by failing to save or having crashed hard drives. Google Docs enables them to have 24/7 access to their documents from anywhere in the world since they are online. Students no longer have to email documents or worry about incompatibility of platforms. Documents are always accessible. I am really happy to be having a tool like Google Docs for my students. It has changed the way I teach writing... for the better!! <span style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'">Esther Wojcicki, Journalism Teacher, Palo Alto High School ======

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 * <span style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'">Google SketchUp **<span style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'">http://www.sketchup.com/ <span style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'">Students create 3D models using SketchUp to visualize geometry and other math concepts, create models, design toys, cars, build a virtual set for drama, etc. ======

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<span style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'"> [|**SketchUp in the Classroom**]<span style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman','serif'"> [PDF] Brief overview of Google SketchUp and ideas for integrating it into classwork. WestEd <span style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'"> ======

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<span style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'"> <span style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'"> <span style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'">Solar Passive Cabin Project, Amanda Kabaila, Australia <span style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'">http://www.sketchup.com/?id=21&csid=115 <span style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'"> ======

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<span style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'">Apartment Design in Elementary School, Seattle, Washington <span style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'">http://www.sketchup.com/?id=21&csid=63  ======

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<span style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'">Laxey Wheel by a 10 year old <span style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'">http://www.sketchup.com/?id=21&csid=109  ======

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<span style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'">SketchUp is the most versatile, easy-to-use 3D software I`ve ever worked with. We've got a lot of different software packages in our applied technology lab, but SketchUp is by far superior to anything else in terms of ease of use. Now, instead of spending an entire semester designing a single project, we can use SketchUp to create several iterations based on the initial design – instead of building one house, students can build 10, each one morphing from the previous version." <span style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'">Dan Zahner, Teacher, Boulder High School, Boulder, CO ======

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 * <span style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'">Google News **<span style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'">[|http://news.google.com/] <span style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'">With Google News, you and your students can browse headlines from newspapers and magazines all on one page. You can also search archived news quickly. [|**Google News in the Classroom**]<span style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman','serif'"> [PDF] ======

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WestEd <span style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'"> <span style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: black; LINE-HEIGHT: 115%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman','serif'">Google News is a great way to engage students in the election process and media analysis as the 2008 candidates make their run for the White House. Set up student teams to research, reflect and record (in Google Docs) links to background news stories on each candidate. Students can use Google News Archives to create a timeline of news articles and brainstorm a list of common questions to apply as they research the news (Has the candidate's views on issues changed over time? Is there anything in the background of the candidate that might prove to be a problem in the campaign?). To see a summary of my entire "Presidential Candidate Watch" project plan, please go to the <span style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 115%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman','serif'">[|Classroom Activities page] <span style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: black; LINE-HEIGHT: 115%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman','serif'">. Cheryl Davis - Miramonte High School, Orinda, California. ======