Google; noun, verb.

Google is much more than just a search engine now. Google helps me organize my life through Google Calendar as well as translating documents, sentences, or words through Google Translate.

Google Calendar can be set to notify you ahead of time for any of the events on your calendar. Being the app junky that I am, I also downloaded the app to my phone. I quickly realized that my calendar, reader, and any other Google tool I use, were quickly applied to the app on my phone. This means that I have access to all of my information wherever I go. How fantastic is that?! This also means that when I am teaching, I can have all of my appointments, projects due, meetings, etc. in one place. I also know from experience that you can share your Google Calendar with other Google members and they can apply events of their own to your calendar. I have done this for classes, placing when I will do my presentation on a specific day and time or making an appointment with a professor. Doing this lets me view when a professor is available or not. That concept could easily be applied to teaching and communication with the parents.

Google Translate helped me survive my college foreign language experience. Don't tell anyone. I Google Translated (nice use of the verb there, right?) everything. However, I didn't realize that you could translate a whole document. That tool would come in handy if you had an ELL in your class that relied on turning in documents in their first language. Allowing students to do this would most likely help their grades... the assignment would be easier for them to complete. Although they shouldn't be allowed to write in their first language at all times, English should be a gradual transition and I think Google Translate would be an incredible tool to allow that.

The things they're coming up with these days.......
xoxo, k