Mathematical Adventure

I have been using Google as my search engine for a long time now, but I was recently introduced to Google Docs in another class that I took.  I was amazed at how much I could do with it.  With Google Docs, I no longer need to carry a flash drive with me or email myself my work.  I can store my documents in cyber space and access them from anywhere.  I was able to share my document with other members in my group by invitation and they too could edit the document.  We were able to use it much like a wiki- adding text and pictures for a presentation.  I think this is a great way for students to work because they all have access to the page and if they are making a presentation and one group member is absent, they can still access their document.

Google has so many applications available and they continue to add more.  I recently came across Google Squared, although today it does not seem to be working for me.  It allowed you to enter a topic, for instance US  Presidents, and it would produce facts about the US Presidents in an easy to read  table format.  Then you could customize it by removing columns that you did not need or asking it to insert columns. 

Google Templates allows you to share templates with others on just about anything.  I found a template on creating a family budget.  Google Talk allows you to IM other people which could be a good way for students to discuss a project as they work on it from their own homes.  Google Pictures uses Picasa to upload and share photos.  Google Scholar has been helpful for finding published professional articles.  Other applications that I have found to be helpful are Google Calendar, Google Maps, and Google Earth, but they offer so much more too.  Google has been helpful in the classroom, but it is also a great resource outside of school.