YouTube & Picasa

Tonight I have experimented with some of the features of YouTube and Picasa.

YouTube

I'm sure many of you have used YouTube at least once or twice. As an educator, YouTube can be both  rewarding and a major headache. There are many educational videos out there for teachers to show students. However, those videos come with advertisements, comments, suggested videos, etc. Luckily, there are two sites that work in tandem with YouTube to address this problem: TubeSnack and QuietTube.

TubeSnack allows the user to create custom playlists from links to videos on YouTube. I love the idea of TubeSnack because I can create a bookmark to my videos that I use frequently. This makes it much easier for me to access the videos in a quick manner while scrolling through them quickly. Here is a link to an example of a TubeSnack playlist that I created to review daily skills with my kindergarten kids (alphabet sounds, numbers, counting, etc).

Curious on making your own? Watch the video below to learn more:

My favorite part about TubeSnack is that you can play the videos without the advertisements and comments on each video.

QuietTube also allows you to play YouTube videos without the comments and suggested videos. Here is a quick video on how to get set up on QuietTube

The only disadvantage I see of QuietTube is that there is still a small advertisement that still plays at the bottom of the video while it is playing. 

Picasa

Picasa is a great tool used to organize, edit, and share your photos. My favorite thing to do on Picasa is to make photo collages. I made a sample photo collage of our 100 day celebration earlier in the school year. This is how it turned out:

Want to make your own collage? Download Picasa first from here.  Watch the video below to learn how to make your own:

Picasa is fairly simple to use and I would highly recommend it. It has many features that allow you to share your photos online with others. 

Have you used Picasa, QuietTube, or TubeSnack? What did you think?

Google Earth vs. Google Tour Builder

Google has created two great tools that allow you to take a virtual trip around the world. Let's compare these two applications.

Google Earth
I absolutely love Google Earth! If you have never interacted with Google Earth, you can download it here. Google Earth allows users the opportunity to view virtually anywhere in the world. You can even view buildings in 3D. I also love the ability to view below the ocean to view various shipwrecks, research discoveries, etc.

Check out the "street views" that you can see in Google Earth:

I also found the "historical imagery" feature to be so fascinating. I love the ability to look back over the years to see how areas have changed dramatically.  Check out the video below to learn more about this feature. 

When I began exploring Google Earth, I immediately started wondering how I could use this with my students. The more I researched, the more information and articles I found about Google Earth. As an elementary teacher, it is sometimes hard to adapt technology for elementary students. This website is a forum for teachers on how to use Google Earth. There are many posts that address ways for elementary teachers to use Google Earth. I also enjoyed this website which has excellent tutorials for educators who are just beginning to use Google Earth.  The website has basic tutorials, as well as advanced tutorials.

I plan on using Google Earth to teach my kindergarten students the differences between a globe and a map, which is part of our curriculum. In Google Earth, you can switch between the 3D view and the Google Maps view. This tool will be helpful to show students that you can access maps (and globes) digitally as well as on paper in person.

Google Tour Builder

Google has now created Tour Builder that can give others a virtual "tour" of the places you have been. Google Tour Builder works in tandem with Google Earth. You can download and learn more about Google Tour Builder here. Want to see it in action? Check out this tutorial to see more:

I love the ability to add pictures and videos right in to the tour. When I began using Tour Builder, I thought about how I could use this in my classroom. I began thinking of the historical curriculum I could use Tour Builder with. I decided to make a tour about Abraham Lincoln. Part of the kindergarten curriculum is to introduce students to Abraham Lincoln. Usually I read books to the students about Abraham Lincoln. As you can imagine, books don't always give students a deep understanding of the topic. Therefore, I made the tour about Lincoln. You can view my tour here. 

Many of my fellow classmates came up with some creative ideas on ways to use Tour Builder. Some of those ideas included tours of Christopher Columbus, Lewis and Clark's expedition, and famous athletes. 

Have you used either of these tools? Which one did you like the best?

Google Tools

This week I learned about some "tools" Google has to offer. In this post I am going to talk about two tools I dug into this week to learn more about: Google Calendar and Google Hangouts.

First off, let's talk about Google Calendar. Google Calendar is a feature that comes with your Google account. The great feature about Calendar is that you can create as many calendars as you want, while still having the ability to sync them all together. This is a great feature for teachers, especially if you are teaching multiple classes. Calendar gives teachers the opportunity to add events to their calendars and share their calendars with whom they wish (possibly the students/parents of that class).

Here is a basic tutorial on Google Calendars to get you started:

My favorite part about Google Calendar was the ability to share it with others. This tool allows you to share with others if you have their email, or you can also embed your calendar to your class webpage. 

Want to see it in action? Check out my classroom webpage here to see my classroom calendar. Just click on the "Calendar" tab at the top and go to the month of August 2014 to see a couple events posted. 

Have you used Google Calendar before? Check out the video below to learn about 5 more tips that you may not have known about before regarding Google Calendar. 

Google Drive Tips and Tricks

A few weeks back I posted on the basic features of Google Drive. Need a reminder? Check it out here. This week I want to focus on some of the more advanced features within Google Drive that you may or may not know about. Here is an article that talks about 16 top features within Google Drive.

I am going to talk about 3 of my favorite things about Google Drive.

1. One of my favorite things about Google Drive is how accessible it is, no matter where you are. Google Drive has an application that can be downloaded to your computer, an application that can be downloaded to your mobile device, and also an online site to access all of your files. Google Drive is similar to another file storage service known as Dropbox. Not sure which one you should use to access your documents more conveniently? Check out this video for a comparison between the two.

2. My next favorite thing about Google Drive are the tools that are free and online to use as a user. This includes documents, spreadsheets, forms, drawings, etc. You can create these documents directly through Google Drive and they will be saved to your Drive for easy access. The great thing about these documents --it doesn't count against your storage capacity within Google Drive! 

3. I also love how simple it is to save gmail attachments directly to Google Drive with one click! Long ago are the days that you have to right click and "save as." Now it is as simple as clicking the Google Drive logo that is on the email attachment. Check it out:

As you can see, Google Drive has a lot of great features that make it user-friendly and beneficial to use. Check out another testimony about some of the other great benefits about Google Drive:

Do you use Google Drive? What do you think of it?

Gmail Tips

Gmail has quickly become one of the most popular email services. There are many basic features within Google that are similar to other email services. Today's post will be about some of the more advanced features within google that you may not have been familiar with.

First things, first. If you do not have a Google account, simply go here to get started.

This will not only give you access to Gmail, but also allow you access to the other great things Google has to offer (Drive, Maps, Google Earth, etc.). 

Now on to the advanced features...

I read a great article today about 8 great hacks that Gmail has to offer that a lot of people may not know about. You can find that article here. 

I will be talking about two of my favorite hacks within that article. My first hack is #2: Undo Accidental Emails. Have you ever had that moment of, "uh-oh" when sending an email? If you are like me, the answer is "yes." Luckily, Gmail has a solution for those moments. Check out the video below to learn how to enable this feature. 

Another great hack that I learned in the article was about was the ability to insert images directly into an email. As a teacher, I send many images to other teachers with lesson ideas, anchor chart ideas, etc. Many times it can be time consuming to attach these images into an email. Thankfully, Google has come up with a solution for this. Check out the video below to learn more about this feature:

A final trick that I found to be very useful within Gmail was the ability to download attachments within emails directly into Google Drive. Many times if I get an email with an attachment I do one of two things. (1) I take the time to save the document to my computer or (2) I quickly skim the email, forget to save the attachment, and delete the email. Most times, it is the later of the two. Google developed a new feature to make it easier to save attachments. Now, you simply have to hover over the attachment and click the Drive button. To see more detailed instructions, watch the video below. 

Got more great tips to share about Gmail? Leave a comment below!

Custom Search Engines in Google

This week I learned about creating custom search engines within Google.

Custom search engines can be very useful to teachers, like myself. Many teachers assign research projects to their students. The Internet is a vast combination of websites, videos, and pictures that are not always appropriate for student eyes. Custom search engines allow teachers to filter out unwanted websites, while still allowing their students to gather the research information they need.

To learn more about custom search engines, check out this video:

Every year, my kindergarten students are assigned the task of choosing an animal to research and write a book about. I expect my students to use both books and the Internet to gather their research on their animal. I believe it is important for even my young students to be knowledgeable about the Internet and be allowed to use it in a way that will better their education. Google can be a great tool to search for facts, but as everyone knows, it doesn't always kick back the most accurate sites.

To address this issue, I created a custom search engine for my students to use during their animal research.

Let's use a scenario to show how helpful a custom search engine could be.

5-year old Miles wants to do his animal research report on "cougars." The student goes to google.com and types in "cougar." These are some of the results that Miles might see:

Miles's idea of what a cougar is, and Google's idea is not always the same thing. "How to Know if a Woman is a Cougar-10 Steps" is not a website I would want my students visiting. With a few clicks, I can create a custom search engine for my students to facts about their animals on appropriate websites. Try it out yourself with my custom search engine below:

(Note: Google Ads appear at the top of the search engine because it is a free edition. This would need to be addressed with your students so they don't click any of the ads that may not be appropriate. For example, when typing "cougar" in the custom search engine, dating ads appear at the top of the engine. It is always an option to upgrade your account for a fee).

Google Chrome

This week I learned a lot about Google Chrome. Google is an Internet browser with many more features available than most browsers. To install Google Chrome on your computer, click here and follow the instructions listed.

Google Chrome has many great features. Below are a couple of my favorites:

• Apps- Google Chrome allows users to have apps listed on their home page within Chrome. These apps are similar to the apps on the App Store on Apple products. These apps range from education apps to business apps. These apps can be found in the Web Store. You can find the Web Store here.  

• Google Drive- Google Drive is one of my favorite things about Google! It is such an easy way to store files on your computer, and easily retrieve them on other devices. Not familiar with Google Drive? Watch this introduction video to learn more:

Check out 100 more tips and tricks in Google Chrome here. 

Google has also developed a great feature called Gone Google Story Builder. 

Gone Google Story Builder is a publishing tool that will digitally publish your writing using characters and even music! It is very user-friendly to get started. The great think about Story Builder is that it puts the whole presentation together for you when your writing is completed! 

I love this demo video they put together to show how it works:

I even made my own story! 

http://goo.gl/wtfAlj

Gone Google Story Builder creates so many possible lesson ideas for the classroom. It is a great tool to show students the writing process. It demonstrates a great lesson about editing and adding dialogue  to stories.

This is also a great tool for digitally publishing. As a kindergarten teacher, one of the standards that I am responsible for teaching in the Common Core is listed as K.W.6. The standard states:

• With guidance and support from adults, explore a variety of digital tools to produce and publish writing, including in collaboration with peers. 

There are many other grade levels that require students to digitally publish their writing.

Gone Google Story Builder is a great way for students to publish their writing that uses characters. I would recommend this tool for older grades simply because it may be too complex for younger grades because it does not include pictures and/or speech.

I plan on demonstrating this tool for the other teachers in my school. I think it has great potential in the classroom. I also love how easy it is to share stories with others! A simple link and your story can be shared with anyone in the world.

These are just a few reasons why I continue to love Google as much as I do.


Happy publishing! :)