The first thing you will need to do to use all the Google tools is to create an account.
To Get a Google Account you will use your BISD email address! Gmail is blocked within BISD, however you DO NOT need one to access all of Google’s tools. You can link all of your Google products to your BISD email and you will have access at school. You can even use the same password you use for everything else at school for your Google account. (Remember do not share your BISD passwords with anyone.)
iGoogleThe iGoogle tool allows you to customize your Google search page with themes or backgrounds, and applications that you can use to help make your life and your teaching easier. At the top right side of the Google home page you see an icon for iGoogle. Click that and it will walk you through setting up your own iGoogle. If you log into Google first, you can customize your own page that will open each time you open Google.
Click on Add stuff to add gadgets or apps to your page. Try a search for education. What gadgets did you find and how will you use them in your classroom?
*Note* BISD will block apps like gmail or games within your page.
Google Earth and Google Maps
According to Google, “Google Earth lets you fly anywhere on Earth to view satellite imagery, maps, terrain, 3D buildings, from galaxies in outer space to the canyons of the ocean. You can explore rich geographical content, save your toured places, and share with others.”
What an exciting way to enhance your Social Studies lessons!! You can leave the pull down maps, that you can never get up again anyway, and move on to real time images.
Google Earth 5 features:
Historical imagery from around the globe
Ocean floor and surface data from marine experts
Simplified touring with audio and voice recording
Atomic Learning has a wonderful tutorial on downloading, setting up and using Google Earth. (You will need to log in to Atomic Learning to use this tutorial. Username: BISD email address, Password: BISD) There are several other tutorials in Atomic Learning about Google Earth. Check out some of those too.
Google ReaderAccording to Google, “Google Reader is a tool for gathering, reading, and sharing all the interesting blogs and websites you read on the web. This guide can help you familiarize yourself with the main features of Google Reader so that you can get started subscribing to and sharing feeds.” This is a way to organize all the blogs you want to read into one place. It uses RSS feeds to let you link to websites.
Check out the Google Reader Getting Started Guide for an explanation of RSS feeds and a description of what Google Reader can do.
Watch the video tutorial on Getting Started with Google Reader.
Activities:
1. Set up your own Google account. Use your BISD email and password to set up your account.
2. Explore all the parts of Google listed above. (Use the drop down menu under more and check out some of the other cool tools.)
3. Set up your iGoogle account {You can use your school email to set this up.)
4. Look at the Google Earth projects in Atomic Learning – what is one that you can use in your classroom. If none are for your specific grade level how could you/modify an existing one to use in your classroom?
5. Set up your Google Reader so that you can keep track of the other blogs you find that are interesting.
Locate a few useful library/school-related blogs and/or news feeds.
6. Post an entry on your blog discussing what you learned about Google. What are some of the tools that you will use and why? Was there something that you feel you will never use and why? What did you find to help you in your classroom/library? If you want, create a link in your blog to your favorite Google tool for easy access once you are back at school.
