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. 

Next I want to talk about another Google tool that I found useful: Google Hangouts.

If you are an Apple user, you may be familiar with iMessages. iMessages allows users to message multiple users to have a group chat. Google Hangouts is similar to iMessages in the sense that it allows you to communicate with multiple people in chat format or video calls. Watch the intro video below to get an idea of the features in Hangouts.

I love the fact that you can video chat with multiple users at the same time. There are other programs that allow you to video chat such as Skype and FaceTime, but these programs only allow you to video conference with one person at a time. I also enjoy how accessible Google Hangouts is. It is available on the left side of the screen when you are on your Gmail. There is also an application that can be downloaded to your computer and/or here.

For my teacher friends, think of the possibilities this opens up for your students to communicate with each other on group projects outside of the classroom. Many times, students have a hard time communicating with one another effectively outside of class on the projects that you assign to them. This could be a suggestion for students to communicate with each other outside of the school.

Got any great tips on Google Calendar or Hangouts? Send them my way in the comments below!