Egypt Resources

Large-scale protests have been underway since January 25 in Egypt. Activity has been concentrated in Cairo and Alexandria, and communication channels across the country have been intermittent.

The Google Crisis Response team will continue to update this page as more information becomes available.

Google's Tech Support for Parents

Google's Tech Support for Parents (or staff?)

Send them this way for clear explanations of how to do simple things on their computer
http://www.teachparentstech.org/

This would be great for staff, also!

Google New

This link will be invaluable to help you keep up with new Google "Stuff/"

http://www.google.com/newproducts/

The one place to keep with everything Google + New!
~~Enjoy!
~~GB

Google Classroom Posters

Google Classroom Posters

http://www.google.com/educators/posters.html

Click here to get a great set of choices of posters you can use to decorate your classroom, a center or the library.

Webinar: Teaching Search in the Classroom

Date: August 19, 2009
Time: 5:00PM – 6:00PM PST (That’s 8:00PM Eastern)
Panelists: Googler Dan Russell (Google Search Quality Expert); Google
Certified Teachers Lucy Gray, Kathleen Ferenz, and Cheryl Davis
Register online here or copy and paste the following url in your browser: https://googleonline.webex.com/googleonline/onstage/g.php?t=a&d=577176740

Web search can be a remarkable research tool for students - and we’ve
heard from educators that they could use some help to teach better
search skills in their classroom. Working with Google Certified
Teachers, we produced an initial set of nine search education lessons.
>From developing criteria to click on the right results to succeeding
with the most challenging searches, the lessons they created will help
students, and you, get the most of Google search in the classroom. We
encourage you to check out the lessons online at: www.google.com/educators/searchlessons

Drawing on their vast experience with search education, Dan Russell,
along with Google Certified Teachers Kathleen Ferenz, Cheryl Davis and
Lucy Gray will discuss how to teach search in the classroom. Having
developed Google’s Search Education Lessons, they will discuss how
you can customize the contents to the needs of your class and how
guide your in-class discussions. The webinar will take place on
Wednesday, August 19 at 5PM. Don’t forget to register online here and
invite fellow educators to join us!

We hope to see you soon!
The Google Search Education Team

Google Tasks

http://mail.google.com/mail/help/tasks/
If you have not discovered Google Tasks, you should visit the Gmail
Lab (under Settings) to turn on TASKS.

When you read an email that includes a new item for your to do list, or important information needed to complete that tasks, just click on the Label button to assign this email to a task. Your tasks list will now contain items that are linked to any email related to that tasks.

The most satisfying part is being able to check off the tasks as you complete them. Learn more about how to use the Tasks feature in Gmail or on
your mobile device in Google's Help Section.

Tasks adds a to-do list to Gmail. After adding the lab, click the Tasks link above the chat box on the left-hand-side of the page. Your task list will appear on the right – click anywhere in the list and start typing to add a task.

You can also create a task from an email: from the More Actions menu, choose Add to Tasks when viewing an email, or press shift+T if you have keyboard shortcuts enabled. For more shortcuts, explore the Actions menu at the bottom of your task list.

15 Second Search Tip Videos

This post came from a post on Clif's Notes.
This is a professional blog by Dr. Clif Mims, professor at University of Memphis.
Thanks, Dr. Mims!

These very short videos will help you more effectively use Google’s search engine. Click play to watch the entire playlist or use the arrows to navigate to particular clips that interest you.

Google Added a Color Filter to its Image

I have been saving this tip for a rainy day and I don't know when it will rain in Memphis so here ya go....
Link: http://images.google.com/ Click on images like you normally do, and search for an image. When you arrive at the results pages, you’ll notice an All Colors drop down menu. In the menu you can choose a particular color, and only images with that color will appear in the results window.

You can then choose other colors in the drop down menu to instantly switch to that color. According to Google, “You can also combine the color filter with any other image filter to further refine your search. For example, if you’re looking for an image of an orange butterfly, try restricting to photos or clip art.” This adds additional layer of functionality to
the Google image search, which is a powerful tool.

from a Google blog the developer who tells about using this with his young daughter: Just search for something the way you normally would, such as [tulips]. On the results page, click on the "All colors" drop down in the blue bar and choose a color. For example, try restricting your results to [yellow tulips]. Want to see purple tulips instead? Simply click on the color filter again, select purple, and voila — you have pages of beautiful images!

You can also combine the color filter with any other image filter to further refine your search. For example, if you're looking for an image of an orange butterfly, try restricting to photos or clip art.

Color is one of the basic visual elements of an image. Whether you're browsing through photos of sea creatures and flowers or searching for the perfect orange butterfly, we hope you like our new color filter

Google Wave

Now Google comes along with a new, amazing, collaborative, OPEN SOURCE product that adds a mountain of promise for the world and ocean of challenges for education.

Later this year Google Wave will be going live. It's a bit like Facebook meets email, meets IM, meets Flickr, meets Blogger, meets Google docs, meets wikis, meets Twitter, meet Survey Monkey, meets.... (Are you getting the idea?)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v_UyVmITiYQ

View Google Wave Developer Preview presentation at the Day 2 Keynote of Google I/O. To learn more visit http://wave.google.com


I bet it will be blocked by the webfilter at my school and most schools.

Google Forms ideas from Google Tutor

6 Awesome Google Docs Templates to Seize the Summer!
from Google Tutor

Even though for some of us the weather hasn’t made it seem this way, summer is truly coming! It’s the time of sun, fun, and also when organization has a chance to slack. With travel plans, family trips, and a new determination to get in shape, you can always use a little more streamlining to it all! Here are the six Google Docs templates that will help you stay organized enough so you can focus on enjoying the summer!

Travel Templates for Google Docs

1. Shared Travel Expenses

We all like to travel, and for the lucky ones that get to do lots of it, things can get a bit complicated when you’re splitting the bill among friends. To make sure you are still friends when you get back from vacation, this spreadsheet can be helpful. It perfectly keeps track of who pays for what, and how much money should go to each person at the end of it all.

2. Complete Travel Itinerary

When you’re running from bus to airport and want to know when you have to be where, a complete travel itinerary is your best companion. I like this template for a complete travel itinerary, including a space for emergency contact information. If you plan a trip for someone else (I sometimes do, and this is perfect!) then this works even for those relatives who get anxiety attacks by the thought of several stop-overs.

3. Pet-care instructions!

Sometimes the family pet can’t come along. I found out the hard way when I wanted to take my rabbit with me on a trip a few years ago, and it turned out he wasn’t welcome on all but one airline. Had he looked more like a cat, we would have been OK. For those of us who are paranoid about giving up control over our little furry ones, you can keep some control by giving all the info possibly needed with this template.
Google Docs Templates that help you get in shape

4. A Complete Cardio Workout!

Karon Kartor, author of the Ultimate Body Shaping Bible, put together this handy Google Docs template that describes and keeps track of a complete cardio workout. Great if you want to increase your fitness level or are getting serious about losing some weight. Using a template to track your progress might just be the push you need to work out more consistently.

5. Weight Training Template

If you’ve wanted to do weight training but don’t know where to start, or if you’re not seeing a lot of results from your workout, try this template. It shows which exercises to do, and how many reps of each to get you in your best shape ever. All you need to do is work out and track your progress!

6. Runner’s log

Runners tend to love tracking their progress. I can’t think of a single runner I know who doesn’t, and there are tons of ways to do it. If a system is too complicated, I know I won’t bother tracking, so this Google Docs runner’s template is a great way to keep an eye on how I’m running along.

Google Squared

From my GCT PLN
Product Manager Daniel Dulitz demonstrates Google Squared, a new experimental search tool that lets you customize your search results in a table. Try it for yourself at http://www.google.com/squared

Ed Gadget from Google

A Post from my GCT-PLN:
"Don't know if you spotted these yet, but Google Spreadsheets now boast
some great new Ed Gadgets for Word Search, Flash Cards and Word Study!
They are about halfway down under the Gadgets window. Blog post
available here: http://googledocs.blogspot.com/2009/05/spotlight-on-developers-educational.html

Thanks again Google for making even more fantastic tools available to
teachers!

I am off to work on my Multiplication Facts flashcards :-)"

Map the Fallen

Again From my PLN and my Walden professor, Kevin Jarrett: "Map the Fallen: Google Earth mashup of the 5,700+ American & Coalition
members who have died in Iraq and Afghanistan: http://bit.ly/pf8ZF"

One of the Google Engineers-Sean, San Francisco, CA, writes: "This Memorial Day I would like to share with you a personal project of mine that uses Google Earth to honor the more than 5,700 American and Coalition servicemen and women that have lost their lives in Iraq and Afghanistan. I have created a map for Google Earth that will connect you with each of their stories—you can see photos, learn about how they died, visit memorial websites with comments from friends and families, and explore the places they called home and where they died."
From the sidebar: Click here to download map: You *must* have Google Earth 5.0 installed to view this project

Mac Users: The original release of Earth 5.0 (5.0.11337.1968) crashes when loading this map. Please download and install the latest version (5.0.11733.9347).

Great PLN

I have a great local PLN (Personal Learning Network) here in the area. Our MAIS-TEC group meets about once a month. This past Friday we met at SBEC which is actually in Mississippi. First, we met a great Chemistry and Physics teacher who has set a goal of incorporating technology into her classes. She has done such a fine job and was a inspiration to us all. She shared her blog, how she uses her Wacom tablet, Jing, ebeam and more! Congrats on setting the bar high this year Ms. Skinner and best wishes for you and your students in the future. Your students will be well prepared not on in the subject area, but also, in how to implement uses of technology for their future studies. Best wishes!

Also, a shout out to my friends for a great technology integrators SIG. We shared great lesson ideas, Twitter friends and websites. I will share some of these resources in a future blogs. My friend Cathe shared a great lesson about using Excel to graph planets. She followed up with an email of the website and more details.
"Excel Spreadsheet on Planet Orbits. This is a GREAT lesson. The writer did a FANTASTIC job writing out all of the steps! He suggests that this is appropriate for 4th grade on up. I would only venture with a 4th grade class that has maturity and Excel experience. The 5th Graders completed this with little or no difficulties. The 5th Grade Science Teacher loved it. Even if you don't think you would want to do it with a class...I think it offers a visual picture on how planets rotate around the sun. It could be used as a visual teaching resource since it gives a visual of how planets rotate around the sun and an idea of the distance between the inner and outer planets."
Thanks, Cathe, I cannot wait to try out this lesson.

Image from: http://www.flickr.com/photos/cobannon/2983755525/sizes/o/

Google Earth 5

Later on in February I will be doing a workshop on Google Earth for Educators in the Memphis, TN area. I am excited that Google Earth 5 was just released this week. This is a major update!

From Google Newsletter for Educators:
Google Earth changed the way people everywhere access
the world's geographic information. Since then, we've added useful features
like 3D buildings, Street View, Sky in Google Earth, and countless
educational content layers. This week, we are thrilled to unveil three
exciting new features in Google Earth 5.0! With touring in Google Earth,
your students can record and play back their own tours, complete with
voiceovers! In addition, new historical imagery allows you to use a time
slider to explore local and global changes over the past few decades.
Finally, you can now dive to the deepest part of the sea with oceans in
Google Earth! Our newest release allows you to fly beneath the surface to
explore underwater canyons, see shipwrecks in 3D, and watch YouTube videos
submitted by oceanographers and aquatic experts. Check it out at
earth.google.com!

Doodle 4 Google

From Google Educator Newsletter:

..we're excited to once again be hosting the Doodle 4 Google competition, where we invite K-12 students to play around with our homepage logo and see what new designs emerge. This year we're inviting U.S. kids to join in the doodling fun, around the intriguing theme "What I Wish for the World." As we mentioned, these are exciting times, and both our country and the world are on the brink of significant change. At Google we believe in thinking big, and dreaming big, and we can't think of anything more important than encouraging students to do the same. This year, we're honored to be partnering with the Smithsonian's Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum <http://www.cooperhewitt.org/> for the competition as we hope to encourage the next generation of designers and artists. Registration closes on *March 17, 2009* and entries are due by *March 31, 2009* *at 11:59pm Pacific time.* Teachers, you'll find everything you need to get started at the official website http://www.google.com/doodle4google. Only teachers or school employees should register. Parents or students who are interested should contact their teacher to register them.