EDUCAUSE | Google

New ELI 7 Things... Brief Explores Google Apps

pkurkowski — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 15:53:11 -0500

Google Apps is a collection of web-based programs and file storage that run in a web browser. The applications include communication tools (Gmail, Google Talk, and Google Calendar), productivity tools (Google Docs: text files, spreadsheets, and presentations), a customizable start page (iGoogle), and Google Sites (to develop web pages). Google stores all of the files and content centrally and keeps a record of the different versions of a file. The 7 Things You Should Know About Google Apps, EDUCAUSE Learning Initiative’s (ELI) latest brief in the monthly series, examines how Google Apps makes sharing content as simple as granting someone access, which facilitates collaboration, peer review of academic materials, and the collective generation of knowledge.

Browse the complete 7 Things You Should Know About… monthly series.

A few new podcasts of interest ...

mpasiewicz — Fri, 05 Oct 2007 09:07:36 -0500

NPR's Andy Carvin recently joined Talk of the Nation to cover social networking and sites like Facebook and MySpace. During the recording, they covered a number of issues related to their use in education.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=14993512

First Monday is starting up a new series of podcasts. The current recording features an interview with Ian Bogost about his new book, Persuasive Games. Next up is Siva Vaidhyanathan ... I was forwarded a preview of the very interesting recording, but they haven't linked it up yet.

http://www.firstmonday.org/podcasts/

June 19: Free Web Seminar on Outsourcing E-mail and Other Commodity Services

lgesner — Thu, 07 Jun 2007 10:29:45 -0500

Increasingly campuses are considering outsourcing commodity IT services such as e-mail, instant messaging, and calendaring, either for students or for the entire institution. One of the most widely discussed options is Google Apps for Education, and the listservs are abuzz with strong feelings on all sides. In this free June 19 EDUCAUSE Live! Web seminar, “Outsourcing E-mail and Other Commodity Services,” hear from Jeff Keltner, Enterprise Specialist for Collaboration Products at Google, about the Google offering, and Wendy Woodward, Director, Technology Support Services at Northwestern University, which recently selected Google’s solution after a lengthy and intense investigation of alternatives. Those unable to attend may wish to visit the archives after the event.

Google Teacher Academy - The shape of things to come

jpickle — Thu, 22 Feb 2007 13:11:39 -0600

Google faces a daunting task. How do you index 25 billion web pages when text pages are created from usually merely 10,000 words? Google is doing a pretty good job at search results since they now command by some estimates 70% of the searches done on the internet. Google is shaping the way we perceive and learn about the world. How can teachers become a part of this important event in human history? The Google Teacher Academy was implemented to help teachers learn more and help others become more productive with Google technologies. The first Google Teacher Academy in 2007 is now over but more are planned. Acceptance and completion of the Academy allows you to become a Google certified teacher and an educational leader in the shape of things to come.

Future of Books - Google 'Unbound' Conference

jeffvand — Fri, 02 Feb 2007 09:52:04 -0600

Many of my recent posts (Human Education Network, ECAR, Webpage Documents, Trailfire) focus on the future of education and the internet's role in that. Yesterday Inside Google Book Search posted an short article about a conference they recently had in New York about the future of the book. As part of their post they posted a video montage of the event.

The conference, appropriately titled 'Unbound,' focused on the future of books. Here are a couple of quotes.

Presumably talking about a website centered around a book one presenter said:

"The website should be interactive. It should be forum, there should be author talks, there should be talks the author can participate in."

Another presenter said the following about the power of social networking.

"Social activity around my work is absolutely the most important thing that can happen for it. To have someone turn to someone else and say: 'I read this book, I love it, you must read it.' Boy, nothing sells books like that."

Probably the most important quote comes from David Worlock, Chairman of EPS.

"The future of the book is secure. It's what we do it, how we promote it, how we develop it, and how we put new layers of meaning around it in a digital context which becomes extremely important.

I post this all just to re-emphasize the importance of the internet. The internet will provide a sphere where we can add these new layers of social networking, collaboration, and a myriad of other new layers that haven't even been thought of yet.

I applaud Google once again because they are ahead of the learning curve. Last week I saw some features on their Google book search that is already potentially changing the way we learn from books. I look forward to more developments in the future!

(Original Article: http://www.edutechie.com/2007/02/future-of-books-google-unbound-conference/)

Are Webpages Documents?

jeffvand — Thu, 01 Feb 2007 12:52:32 -0600

So I was doing a search query today on Google and it didn't find anything. That happens when you do very specific searches. Something caught my attention though. The "didn't find anything" page said:
Your search ' "[search terms]" - did not match any documents.
I found it very interesting that Google decided to use the term 'documents.' When I search the web I usually think of searching for web pages, even though I do search for specific documents every once in a while.

My teachers always taught me that the information on the internet was unreliable. They NEVER described anything you found on the internet as a document. It was always a webpage, which carried a distinctly negative connotation to it. This may be because when I was going to school when the internet was first coming online, but even now teachers caution against citing anything on the internet as a source.

Do you think Google's use of the word 'document' was on purpose? Is Google trying to redefine the definition of webpages or am I just reading too much into this? :-) In reality a webpage is a document... but document sounds so much better to me...

(Original Article: http://www.edutechie.com/2007/02/are-webpages-documents/)

Using Google Maps to Augment Literature Study

jeffvand — Fri, 26 Jan 2007 07:25:37 -0600

Google Operating System, a blog I absolutely love, published an article today about a new(?) development on the Google Book Search that shows a contextual map of locations that are mentioned in a book. Fantastic idea for augmenting your literature study! They use "War and Peace" as an example of all the places mentioned in the book. Man I love Google!

UPDATE: (1/26/07 8:41 a.m.)
I didn't realize how much Google Book Search really has. As I looked around I noticed a myriad of options there that would REALLY be useful in education. In addition to the cool map you get the following for selected works:

A List of Editions
References to Scholarly Work about the Book
References to this Book in other Books
Related Books
Selected Pages from Editions
Ability to Search for Specific Words or Phrases in the Book (Great for Research!)
A List of Key Words and Phrases and Links to Those in the Book

WOW! This is amazing! I wish I would have had/used this resource when I was in Graduate School!

Original Article: http://www.edutechie.com/2007/01/using-google-maps-to-augment-literature-study/
Technorati Tags: google book search, google

Google... Please Create a To-Do List!

jeffvand — Mon, 01 Jan 2007 13:19:08 -0600

As most of you know… I love Google. I love almost everything about them. I have at least tried all of their products I can, and use G-mail, Google Calendar, Picasa Web Albums, Google Video, Google Reader, Google Notebook, Google Docs and Spreadsheets, and Google Maps at least a dozen times each day.

This year for Christmas several members of my family bought me Google shirts and other Google Store paraphernalia. I think I am safe in saying I am the biggest Google fan I know. Self-proclaimed as such, I have only one request for Google for 2007. It’s not huge…. in fact, I don’t even think it would be that hard. I want a to-do list.

Now I know this is on the radar. Back when I started using Google Calendar, as the responsible Google user that I am, I went to their suggestion site and tried to suggest a to-do list. They give you a list of categories to give to your suggestion and the very first one was a To-do list. I just added mine on there, but that was over 10 months ago (ages in Google time). They have launched over two dozen other things since then, but have yet to come up with some sort of to-do list. I have waited and waited…. and waited… but my life is falling apart.

My G-mail inbox will not work as a to-do list any longer. I have tried installing Greasemoney scripts, but I need repeating to-do lists that synchronized across computers so I don’t forget stuff. I tried using Remember the Milk and integrating it with my calendar, but that was only good for cluttering up my calendar with items that were difficult to mark off and slow to synchronize. I search for new solutions just about once a week and am currently trying to use the GTD extension written for Firefox, but I really just want another pane in a window like… shudder… Outlook. Dear Google, please don’t make me go back to Outlook. Please, please. Work your AJAX magic and make some sort of to-do list. Do something like the chat window currently in G-mail that I can open when I want… pop out if I want, and best of all, check off across multiple computers!!

I know you are busy, and all I really need is a simple synchronizing to-do list, but if you have time I have two more suggestions as to how you can make a great to-do list that others will love and adopt too! #1. Make it so I can have multiple lists. #2. Please let me share lists with others (so my wife can share lists with me).

Thank you for all you’ve done for me so far Google… please, though… if you could just make a great to-do list available somewhere.

Sincerely,

Lost in North Carolina

Original Article: http://www.edutechie.com/2007/01/google-please-create-a-to-do-list/

Technorati Tags: google, google to-do, googledo

An Interview with Ed Meachen

mpasiewicz — Mon, 18 Dec 2006 13:52:31 -0600

In this 12 minute recording, we'll hear from Ed Meachen about work on educational gaming, patents, and more.

See also:

An Interview with Glenda Morgan

mpasiewicz — Mon, 18 Dec 2006 10:39:04 -0600

In this 17 minute recording, we'll hear from Cal State's Director of Academic Technology Research, Glenda Morgan. Listen in as she shares some thoughts about her research into faculty use of technology, intellectual property, and a range of other topics.