Google for Educators Blog Entry #2

Three classroom tools I would use with my students:

1.  Google Book Search

2.  Geo Education

3.  Web Search

How I would use these tools:

The Google Book Search would come in handy for both myself as a teacher and my students.  Google Book Search has a large and continuously growing index of books, including popular titles to books that are out of print.  Within those books you can search the pages for certain subjects, and online reviews are available for these books which will help you as the teacher decide whether these books are appropriate for your students age group.  It would give the kids the opportunity to access the books in class as well as at home rather than having to hunt the book down at a library, and if they don't have hands on parents, the availability is there for them at school.  Google Book Search can enhance the classroom experience for your students by getting more information out to them than some school text books give.  All this is right at your fingertips without having to waist time at the library and traveling to books stores in search of the right book.

With Geo Education teachers and students alike who have never, or may never have the opportunity to travel outside their state or outside the United States, will have the opportunity to see and read about such things as the Egyptian Pyramids, or Myan cultures, or even what goes on on another coast or the Mid West.  They are able to access real life pictures and get a areal view of the area or areas where these places are.  I imagine this would create such excitement in the students, that their attention will be more focus and they will come with the attitude and excitement of wanting to learn.  Just with in this program there is google maps to help locate and get directions to places, Google sketchup for the budding architect, and google sky for those who are interested in the planets and stars.

Web Search is a great tool for the teacher to find additional information of subjects that she may be teaching and may not be in the schools required text books.  It's also a great tool for students to use when wanting to find more information on important people, places or things.  They can look up artists, or they can look up a specific kind of art and find out who the artists are that create that art, and then they can find out what galleries are showing that work.  they may have to write a paper on volcanoes, they can actually find a site that shows all current volcanic activity in the U.S., as well as earthquake activity and how big the earthquakes are etc.  There are endless possibilities for teachers and kids on Web Search.

Google Docs  is an online word processor, spreadsheet and presentation editor that can be accessed 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 265 days a year.  It can be shared between teachers, administrators and students alike.  They can be online and be collaborating with each other in real time, and no mater what you are working on, no matter what time of the day or night it is, things can be resolved prior to a big meeting the next day, or you can get things out to your students and set a worksheet up for them to work on.  When they are finished they can send it right back.  Students can decide who has access to editing their papers.  The possibilities are endless.