Google+Tools

Google Tools
Google has become so much more than a search engine. Check out just a few of the tools available. (And you only need to register once; the sites share usernames and passwords.)

[|Google Reader] This is an important one, because it will change the way you get information from the web. In the old days (last week!) if you found an online journal or blog you enjoyed you would bookmark it, or perhaps write the URL on a slip of paper and hope to remember to check it once in a while. If you're like me, you probably never did... Help is here! By using google reader, an aggregator, you subscribe to RSS feeds (real simple syndication) and the information is delivered to you! Simply add the subscriptions you are interested in. You can even add our school website, so when new information is added, you are updated. Start small to keep it manageable and then see what works best for you.

[|igoogle] Let's make the delivery of information even more convenient. By setting up an igoogle page, you can customize your homepage to offer up the information you want. Add your google reader feed, the local weather or news, your twitter feed, a joke of the day, whatever makes you happy. It will be all right there for your easy access.

[|Google docs] Create online documents and presentations that you can share. This is collaboration made easy. Let's say you are working on updating your team's social studies curriculum. Google docs allows you to post the document and have everyone comment and edit as they would like. Much more efficient than email! [|Zoho]also offers similar online document services. Another use for these tools would be with students. No more being unable to print or share doucments from home. If they use google docs or zoho writer that can access and pring the document from anyweher. Beter yet, they could share it electronically with the teacher who makes comments and suggestions and sends it back for revision--all without paper!

Other tools available from Google that you should know about: Google scholar (online texts) translator, gmail, google earth, google maps, picassa All free!

This week explore Google to see what tools you could use. Set up a reader and load your blogs!