I did not realize Google had so much to offer. I have used it as a search engine and recently learned about its blog and email, but there is so much more. The Picasa Web Album is a great way to back up your pictures in case something happens to your computer (which happened to me TWICE). A way to incorporate Picasa into the classroom could be to create an album of pictures of the students doing different activities at school. Then the students could use the pictures as writing prompts and create stories about what they are doing at school. You could also share this album with parents and families so they can stay connected with what we are doing at school. Here is my Picasa album I started putting together of my students last year.
Google Earth is another great resource that can be used in the classroom. This would be good to use when teaching social studies. If you are talking about somewhere else in the world, what better way is there to show the students where it is. This is also something the students can explore on their own once they learn how to use it.
I also realized I was using iGoogle and I didn't even realize it. It is on my homepage when I open the internet. It is a summary of everything I need to know to start my day; emails, news, weather and more!
Your first line is exactly what I said. Why did I not know Google had so much to offer? Every summer I say I am going to back up my photos, and I never get to it. I may have to give Picasa Web Album a try.
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