GoogleAppsforEducators

 //Google Tools for Educators// brings collaborating, communicating, and creating to the next level. This workshop will allow participants to develop personal calendars, collaborative docs, personalized maps and a custom search engine search engine.

**Day 1 Agenda**

 * Welcome and Introductions
 * Advanced Google Search Techniques
 * Google Docs
 * Mini-Project: Create and Share a Google Document
 * Evaluation

**Day 2 Agenda**

 * iGoogle and Google Reader
 * Google Calendar
 * Google Maps
 * Mini-Project: Personalized Google Map
 * Evaluation

**Day 3 Agenda**

 * Google Sites
 * Google Custom Search
 * Final Project: Google Site
 * Evaluation

**Appendix**

 * Further Google Tools to Explore

=**Day 1**=

**Advanced Google Search Techniques**
During this section we're going to discuss some modifiers that you can use to fine-tune your search results. These tricks and techniques will save you time and provide you with better search results.

Some basic tricks for enhancing your searches:
 * **Quotations (“”)**: Allows you to search for an exact phrase.
 * **Dash (-)**: Exclude words from your search. Example: [|Jets -football]. This example would search for pages that included the word “Jets” but not the word “football”. This can be incredibly useful when you know that a term you're searching for has multiple meanings.
 * **Tilde (~)**: Tells Google to not only search for the word you provided, but also any and all synonyms for that word.
 * **OR**: Allows you to define an either/or condition for your search.
 * **Ellipsis (...)**: Allows you to define a numerical range. This is particularly useful when you're searching for a range of dates. Example: [|Red Sox World Series Wins 1919...2003].

Some other useful search operators:
 * **“define:”**: Looks up the definition of a given word.
 * **“site:”**: Searches for results only within a given site. Example: Search for “[|last day of school site:schools.nyc.gov] ” will search for the phrasephrase //last day of school// and only show results on that begin with [] in the URL. You also use this for partial URLs. For example, if you only wanted to search government websites, you could search for “global warming site:gov”. This will pull up pages that mention global warming, but only those who reside on the U.S. Government's servers. This also works for //.edu// domains as well as country-specific domains, such as //.uk//, //.ch//, and //.fr//.
 * **“link:”**: This command will pull up all the pages that link to a certain page. For example, if we wanted to see what pages linked to [|OIT Live], we would give Google the following command: [|link:oitlive.com].

You can even use a Google search box for math:
 * **Mathematical Equations**: Plus and minus are pretty straight-forward (e.g. + and -). An asterisk (*) can be used for multiplication and a slash (/) can be used for division. More complicated math can also been computed, but not by this author.
 * **Conversions (Example: “cm in feet” or “four gallons in liters”)**: You can convert units of measurement, whether they be metric, standard, currency, or temperature.

One thing you might have noticed is that we didn't include **+** or **AND** in the list of search operators. A lot of people still use these operators, because they used to be effective long ago. They don't do anything anymore that a regular space between search terms wouldn't accomplish.

**Google Docs**
The one-sentence explaination: //[|Google Docs] is like Microsoft Office but online, accessible from anywhere, and much easier to share//. It should be noted that Google's [|Terms of Service] require that students be at least 13 in order to create their own account.

===**How Students and Teachers Can Use Google Docs (via [|Google Docs for Educators] )**=== //Teachers are using Google Docs both to publish announcements about upcoming assignments and to monitor student progress via an interactive process which allows you to give guidance when it might be of maximum benefit – while your student is still working on an assignment. Through the revisions history, you can see clearly who contributed to what assignment and when; if a student says he or she worked on a given project over the last two weeks, it will be documented (no more "dog ate my homework" excuses)//

**Some Advantages of Google Docs**

 * **They promote student group collaboration**: Multiple users can edit a doc simultaneously. On top of that, each doc is stored online, which means doc participants don't need to be in the same room in order to edit the same document. Group members can work from home.
 * **They are backed-up automatically**: When you store your information on Google Docs, there is no need to worry about emailing yourself a file, losing your flash drive, or forgetting to save the most recent draft.
 * **You can see every revision that's been made**: Not only does Google save your file online, it saves every version of it. If you make a mistake, you can roll back to a previous version. As a teacher, you can scroll the history of revisions and see how a student's draft progressed over time.
 * **Google Forms make data collection much, much easier**: Teachers can create a Google Form that will allow students to enter in information. The form will then save all of this information to a spreadsheet. You can create assessments and collect student information without having to shuffle through a stack of paper.
 * **You can collaborate with your colleagues**: Don't have a lot of common prep time with your co-teacher or other colleagues? Create a doc and share it with them. You can collaborate on lesson plans, section sheets, and student records on your own prep and they'll be able to comment and add to your docs on theirs. You can also use a Google Spreadsheet to maintain a collaborative grade book.

What We'll Be Covering

 * [|Creating and sharing documents]
 * [|Editing your documents]
 * [|Organizing your documents]
 * [|Uploading existing files to Google Docs]
 * [|Publishing your documents online]

Additional Resources and Examples

 * [|Google Docs in Plain English] (YouTube Video)
 * [|Google's Tour of Google Docs]

**Mini-Project: Create and Share a Google Document**
It's time to put your new-found expertise to work.
 * **Create a Google Doc**. It can be either a document or presentation and add some content to it.
 * **Share your document with a partner**. Give them access to edit the document.
 * **Make changes to your partner's google document**.
 * **Review the revision history of your document**.
 * **Insert either an image, a drawing, or an equation**.
 * **Download your document onto your hard drive.**


 * Extra Credit**: Create a Google Form, share it with your partner, and review their input.

=**Day 2**=

**iGoogle**
Many of us live with the default homepage that came with our browser. [|iGoogle] allows you to take control of that starting page and use it as a dashboard—a virtual desk, if you will. iGoogle is incredibly easy to get the hang of and puts the rest of your Google application at your fingertips.

What We'll Be Covering

 * Setting up your iGoogle page.
 * Adding, removing, and customizing gadgets.
 * Adding and removing pages.
 * Creating your own gadget.

Activity
You can do this as we're touring iGoogle, if you'd like.
 * 1) Find the Google Docs gadget and add it to your page.
 * 2) Create your own countdown gadget (countdown to your birthday or the next vacation).

**Google Reader**
Most websites that post content regularly (e.g. blogs, news sites, your school's announcement page, etc) include RSS feeds. You've probably never noticed them, but they are a useful feature designed to save you a bunch of time and a bit of a headache. Google Reader allows you to take feeds from the websites that you visit most frequently and read that content all in one place. On top of that, Google Reader allows you to share articles and posts that you find interesting with your friends, family, and colleagues. This allows you an easy way to develop a professional learning network that helps you grow as a professional.

Google Reader has a lot of moving parts. We're only going to cover a few.

What We'll Be Covering

 * We'll discuss how to get comfortable with Google Reader and find your way around.
 * How to subscribe to a feed that you're interested in keeping up to date on.
 * How to unsubscribe to a feed that you don't particularly like anymore.
 * How to discover new feeds that you haven't heard of, but might be right up your alley.
 * How to share posts with other Google Reader users.
 * How to share your page with the world.
 * How to add Google Reader to your iGoogle page.

**Google Calendar**
[|Google Calendar] //is an easy way for teachers, administrators and students to share time-related info like team schedules, assignment deadlines and school holidays. Anyone who needs to view a calendar can use it from any Internet-connected computer and access it on existing school web pages or within their own Google Calendar account. Changes made by a calendar organizer are automatically seen by anyone who checks, which makes outdated versions a thing of the past//. (via [|Google for Educators] )

What We'll Be Covering

 * How to create a Google Calendar.
 * How to add events to your Google Calendar.
 * How to share your Google Calendar.
 * How to set up reminders in Google Calendar.
 * How to subscribe to a Calendar.
 * How to add your Google Calendar to your iGoogle page.

Additional Resources and Examples

 * [|How to Share Your Calendar with Co-Workers] (YouTube Video)
 * [|How to Make a Calendar Public] (YouTube Video)
 * [|How to Schedule Meetings in Google Calendar] (YouTube Video)

**Google Maps**
[|Google Maps] is a tool that provides maps online. You can look up places and get all of their information effortlessly as well as driving, public transit, walking, and bicycling directions. What many educators don't know is that you can create custom maps, complete with your own information and resources.

There are also a number of really cool tools that you can add to your Google Maps account from the [|Google Maps Directory]. Some examples include an [|area and distance calculator], [|elevation contours], and a [|realtime earthquake map from USGS].

What We'll Be Covering

 * The basic functionality of Google Maps
 * Advanced features of Google Maps (Street View)
 * Creating custom maps

Additional Resources and Examples

 * [|Introduction to Google Maps] (YouTube Video)
 * [|How to Create a Personalized Map in Google Maps] (YouTube Video)
 * [|Google Maps Directory]
 * [|America's Highway: Oral Histories of Route 66]

**Mini-Project: Create a custom map on Google Maps**
It's time to flex your Google muscles again. Today, we're going to focus on creating a custom map in Google Map. Your map should have the following.
 * **Five locations**. One of which should be our current location. Suggestions for other locations include your school, your favorite place to grab lunch, or a local landmark.
 * **At least two custom icons**.
 * **At least two custom descriptions**.

=**Day 3**=

**Google Sites**
Google Sites allows you to create a simple, yet flexible, web site quickly, easily, and without needing to know any complicated HTML or CSS markup. Just like Google Docs, you can share your site easily and allow others to collaborate with you on the site. On the surface, Google Sites is a lot like a number of other web publication tools on the Internet (e.g. Weebly, Wikispaces, and others). That being said, the true power of Google Sites lies in its tight integration with the rest of the Google suite. You can insert documents, presentations, maps, photo galleries and more with relative ease.

What We'll Be Covering

 * How to get your Google Site up and running in minutes.
 * The different page templates (Web page, announcements, file vault, and lists).
 * How to tweak the privacy settings on your Google Site.
 * How insert content from other Google applications.

Additional Resources and Examples

 * [|How to Display a Calendar in Google Sites] (YouTube Video)
 * [|Google Sites Tour] (YouTube Video)
 * [|Google Sites: Simple, Secure Group Websites] (YouTube Video)
 * [|Nicole Beye's ePortfolio]
 * [|Mrs. Richau's Classroom]
 * [|Project Eggplant]
 * [|Technologies for Online Teaching and Learning Conference Site]
 * [|Dr. Jason Rhode's ePortfolio]


 * Partical uses in the classroom**: So, once you have your Google Site up and running, what should you do with it? Obviously, there is no right answer to this question. There are about as many practical uses in the classroom as there are teachers using Google Sites. As you get comfortable with the tool, you're going to get a feel for how it might be able to enhance what you do in the classroom. Remember: //There is no wrong answer.//

Here are some ideas to get your creative juices flowing:
 * A class webpage that serves as a repository for all of your lessons (that you've saved using Google Presentations), homework assignments (written in Google Documents), and photographs (which you may have uploaded into Picasa).
 * An electronic portfolio of all of your best work as a teacher that add to over the course of your career.
 * A departmental collaboration space that stores meeting agendas and allows for colleagues to communicate even when they can't be in the same room together.
 * A school webpage that is easily accessible to staff members of varying degrees of comfort with technology.
 * A class portfolio that your students take control of that allows them to share their best work with the school community.

**Google Custom Search**
Google Custom Search allows you to create a Google search engine that scours only the sites that you authorize. This allows you to build a library of high-quality, resource-rich websites that will streamline your students's research.

What We'll Be Covering

 * How to set up a Google Custom Search
 * [|How to add and modify sites in your Google Custom Search]
 * [|Best practices for targeting the pages you want in your Google Custom Search]
 * [|How to invite collaborators to your Google Custom Search]
 * How to embed your Google Custom Search into your Google Site

Additional Resources and Examples

 * [|An In-Depth Look at Google Custom Search for Educators]

**Final Project Guidelines**
Your final project is an amalgamation of all of the cool tools we've shown you over the last three sessions. Your mission, whether or not you choose to accept it:

Create a Google Site with the following features:
 * A home page with a site map.
 * An announcement page with at least three posts that talk about a tool you've discovered or found particularly useful.
 * A link to your Google Reader shared items.
 * A map with the location of your school (or other place you consider home base) as well as our office (415 89th Street, Brooklyn NY) and three other points of interest.
 * A Google document (word processor document, that is).
 * A Google presentation.
 * A Google form.
 * A Google Custom Search engine.

=**Appendix**=

**Further Google Tools to Explore**

 * [|Google Classroom Activities]
 * [|Google Book Search]
 * [|Google Scholar]
 * [|Google Groups]
 * [|Google Earth]
 * [|Google SketchUp]
 * [|Google News]