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! :)