OMG: Oh My Google!

I have always considered myself an avid fan of Google. Since as far back as I can remember, I have had Google Search as my homepage and I have relied heavily on its search tools for research projects and finding images. I found Google Search to be the most effective search engine out there. Upon entering Literacy and Technology, I was introduced to the effectiveness of Gmail. Its user-friendly nature and all of the tools that it had to offer made me wonder why I had not signed up for a Gmail account sooner. However, after doing more research into the tools that Google has to offer, I was amazed by the endless possibilities that they provide! What may be most amazing about these tools is that they are absolutely free for users to try! After learning more about them from the tools provided by Dr. Smirnova, I decided to try some of them myself.

I immediately downloaded Google Chrome and the Google Side Wiki. Google Chrome has proven to be as user-friendly as Mozilla Firefox (if not more so) and I have truly enjoyed testing out the Side wiki. Google Side Wiki is an awesome tool that allows users to comment on various web pages and share information about the page's content. I enjoyed visiting my favorite websites and seeing the opinions that different users had about each one. Afterward, I tried Google Reader. This tool allows the user to subscribe to their favorite web pages (like following a blog) and receive updates and notifications when changes are made to the sites! I have found this to be a great time saver as I simply have to check my Google Reader rather than go to each site.

Google Picasa is an awesome tool to use for images and photo albums. I wish I had known about this sooner! It allows the user print and edit pictures, make slide shows, and create unique photo collages. The program is very simple to use and requires very little instruction. I was surprised to hear about Google Earth. Like many of the tools, I had never heard of Google Earth prior to Lit and Tech. This is one tool that I cannot wait to use in my classroom one day! It allows students to find actual measurements of different locations, virtually visit places around the world, and even search for a specific location that they read about in a book! Google Earth also has many great ideas for educators that I am eager to use in my future lessons!

The Google tool that I found most fascinating is Google Docs. Throughout my college career (both undergrad and graduate) I have been known to e-mail assignments back and forth between home and school. With Google Docs, I will no longer have to go through this practice! I will be able to save my documents online and work on them from any computer. This will be a great tool for my students to use when working on group projects. It will allow them to equally work on an assignment and allows the teacher to know who did what on an assignment. Most importantly, it allows the students to publish their work. Talk about learning for a purpose! I am so excited about all of the Google tools that I have been introduced to and I cannot wait to use them in my future graduate classes and with my students in the future!