Googling in the Classroom

Google offers a wide variety of services and tools that K-12 teachers can use to enhance their own information literacy skills and help their students make better use of their time online. If you have and idea, or a favorite Google-based instructional activity, please post it here.

Seach Suggestions

This suggestion come from Infobytes Newsletter, May 15, 2005.

Use Google Suggest for Easier Searches
To get suggestions of search terms, go to Google Suggest and Google will provide you with search suggestions, in real time, while you type. Key in a few letters of a search phrase and Google Suggest displays a list of matching words. For example: type in “graphic organizer rubric” or “powerpoint rubric” and get a focused list of results.

Use Google to Catch Plagiarism

Every once and awhile you run across text in a student's essay that just doesn't sound as though it was actually written by the student. Enter some phrases from the suspect text into the Google search box and do a search for documents with the same exact wording. It works pretty well!

Google Maps Geometry Tools

Tim Lauer, an elementary school principal in Oregon has posted several comments on eSchool News' ed-tech Insider blog regarding use of Google Tools in the classroom. I'm going to post a series of his remarks here, along with links to the actual posts.

" The folks at Acme Labs have created a great Google Maps tool called Areometer. Areometer is a web tool that utilizes the Google Maps API and allows you to plot the area of a polygon on a Google Map. For example, I used the interface to find my school, Lewis Elementary, and clicked my way around the perimeter of our playground to discover that the area of our playground is roughly 9.5 acres." Read Tim's actual post...

Geotagging Flickr Images with Google Maps and Greasemonkey

Second in a series of posts that appear on the ed-tech insider blog, written by Tim Lauer

"I have written about Greasemonkey, the Firefox browser extension that allows for the incorporation of user end scripts that modify or reformat web content. These scripts get installed on the user machine and can do everything from showing the availability at your local library of a book being browsed at Amazon, to striping out posts from specific authors at sites such as BoingBoing. The key thing to remember is that these scripts allow the end user to determine how content comes to them." Read Tim's full post...

Using Google Maps To Create a School Boundary Map

Third in a series of posts on the ed-tech insider blog, written by Tim Lauer.

"I have recently been playing around a bit with the Google Maps API. The API (application programming interface) allows you to include Google Maps content on your own web pages. For example I have wanted to create a boundary map for my school. With a little bit of work, I was able to create a rough outline of our boundary and include it with the map that displays on our school web site." Read Tim's full post...

Where 2.0: A Collection of Map Hacking Goodies

Fourth in a series of posts on the ed-tech insider blog, written by Tim Lauer.

"Where 2.0: A Collection of Map Hacking Goodies
The folks over at O'Reilly Radar, have a great collection of Google Maps hacks/tools from the Where 2.0 conference. The tools listed there take advantage of the Google Maps API that allows folks to combine data from different sources with information from Google Maps to create custom web applications." Read Tim's full post...

Adapting Google Maps...

Fifth in a series of posts on the ed-tech insider blog, written by Tim Lauer.

"Adapting Google Maps:
I recently wrote of Greasemonkey, an extension to the Firefox browser that allows users to utilize scripts that can add to or modify the content of a web page. Adrian Holovaty, a web designer from Chicago, has come up with a very interesting script for Firefox which combines and overlays the Chicago Transit Authority map with content from Google Maps. The script adds an additional option to Google Maps which allows you to view your search results overlaid on the CTA map." Read Tim's full post...

Google and University Libraries

Sixth in a series of posts on the ed-tech insider blog, written by Tim Lauer.

"This post from Aaron Swartz at the Google Weblog explains some of the particulars of the agreement between Google and 5 major university libraries to digitize their entire library collections. He points out the projected timelines and at the end makes a very good point about why this matters." Read Tim's full post...