Google for Educators

The tools from Google Educators that I would be most interested in using in my classroom would be lead by Google Earth. It would provide my classroom with the opportunity of seeing large scale geologic features that they would otherwise not have the opportunity to see. I don't see being able to take my students on a field trip to the West-African Rift, but I can take them there through google earth.

Another tool Google Educators offers that I would be interested in using is the Book Search. All text books are expensive. In some classes, you can get away with sharing a book, and in some it is more difficult. If I were able to find study materials on the Book Search, I would be able to offer almost all my students a free way to get their information.

The last tool that I would be most interested in using is Google Groups. With it I would be able to post discussion points online that my students could respond to. I see using it kind of like blackboard, where there is syllabus and assignment information, but there is also a place for collaboration and discussion.

This is my first semester using Google Docs and I am amazed that I have never used it before. A huge advantage of using Google Docs with students is that you can all work on something together at the same time. The students can all work on the same letter, for example, writing and changing what they want in real time with other students. They can also all work on the same assignment on their own time. If one student wasn't able to come to class, that student would be able to go in and see what his peers had done without him and add in his input. I think these are great tools for teachers, and I look forward to using them all.