Have you caught the Google Wave yet? Well, if you haven’t, you owe it to yourself to check it out. I love using Google Docs and the new Google Wave has been designed to help groups of people collaborate on documents on the web. To me, Google Wave is your email on steriods with all the cool Google collaboration tools built in. I truly loathe sending emails back and forth, back and forth, till their size gets so large and the true reason for the email is lost in all the many emails in my inbox! Then, when trying to figure out exactly what everyone is trying to say, that gets lost in the shuffle too. Google Wave takes care of all that as long as you understand it is like using your email but without all the tons of emails you have to sort through to get your job done. I have to work smarter and not harder and this cool tool will help me do just that. Try it and share how it works for you! Here is a great guide to help you in catching the Google Wave! Checkout this video that helps to explain Google Wave better. Enjoy!
This comic strip was shared with me at the Virginia Educational Technology Conference this week. Its kinda cute and about Google, of which I have been ‘google-eyed’ for a long time. Enjoy!
Google Docs has now added an Equation Editor as part of their Back-to-School features for students. The equation editor allows you to easily complete problem sets online or write papers that include equations. You can even take notes in your math class or answer questions using Google Docs. Also added is superscripts and subscripts that can be used for expressing chemical compounds or algebraic expressions. Check it out on the Google Docs Blog which also has a list of links to other sites of interest at the bottom of the page.
Google has released the Google Earth 5 beta adds the ability to explore below the oceans and also incorporates features for exploring portions of the surface of Mars. It includes a feature called “Ocean in Google Earth.” It offers users the ability to explore the world’s oceans using materials from several National Science Foundation-funded ocean and climate researchers. Version 5.0 also introduces Martian landscapes, adding new capabilities for exploring some areas of the Martian surface. Check out this video which shows an example of this new version and Mars. The new version also adds historical imagery that users can access, rather than simply the latest satellite imagery. Download Google Earth 5 beta today and try it for yourself!
Google Mashups combine content or data from different web sites into new applications. A mashup often involves a map, photo, video and/or news. Educators are using Mashups for so many things in the classroom such as displaying flickr photos on a spinning sphere to displaying the locations of the 30 most recent earthquakes in the world on a map. Using Popfly is the way to do mashups. However, you will need to install Microsoft’s Silverlight which is a plug-in that delivers interactive applications. This is a great tool to check out and experiment with. Send me a comment and let me know how you like this tool and how you are using it. Thanks!
I have to admit that when I first heard about Google’s new web browser, Chrome, I immediately thought about the country song by Trace Adkins entitled “Chrome.” I still wonder where Google got the name from but when I went researching about it I found this really cool comic book by Google so check it out! http://www.google.com/googlebooks/chrome/index.html Here is the link for Chrome: http://tinyurl.com/5t59b3 Sorry Mac users, it isn’t ready for you yet. But Windows Vista and XP users need to try it and let me know what you think about it! Check out the video below for more info on Chrome!
How many of you are going “Google-eyed” for Google Apps? Well, I for one, am! I just started last year using one of the Google Apps tools – Google Docs. I absolutely love it! It is like a wiki but better in that anyone can edit it at anytime even when others are editing it! What a cool tool! I recently was able to introduce it to teachers who will be teaching during the Summer Enrichment STEM Camp I just got funded through a grant I wrote with The Cameron Foundation (thanks!). I started the doc which is just like a Word document but all online. The teachers would log in and edit the doc to add to the planning for the camp. It has worked really well and I have shared it with others who will be partnering with my district in providing services/activities for our students who attend the camp. If you want a tool to help you collaborate and plan ANYTHING with others, Google Docs is it. Check out all the other Google Apps as well at http://tinyurl.com/yrhadg Check out this video on how to use Google Docs with your students!
But Windows Vista and XP users need to try it and let me know what you think about it! Check out the video below for more info on Chrome! 
