Thing #7 - Google Tools

I've spent entirely too much time on the Google tools, which is a problem inherent in attempting to keep up with things. As several people have mentioned in their blogs, Google is very frustrating to use at work and has virtually (ha, ha) no application at the elementary level because of the filter. The tools are interesting and might be helpful at home in keeping up with things. For example, I designed an iGoogle home page for use on my home computer. It's wonderful that you can put any number of items useful to you on your homepage, as opposed to choosing a specific homepage (mine is Fidelity Investments) and creating bookmarks for things you frequently check. Of course, sorting through all of the available choices, especially tool bar buttons, was overwhelming. I wanted to add financial buttons, but by the time I got to the third page of options, I decided I was wasting valuable time. I wasn't able to link my page, but I didn't think I could because it requires my log-in. I know I could do a snapshot of it and add it as a jpeg. I'll do that later if I have time, but don't count on it.

Here's what's on my page. I added a mapping tool because I get lost easily and frequently create maps; a Bible verse of the day to remind me that there is much beyond this frenzied world of Web 2.0 and TAKS; an Einstein quote of the day so I'll feel linked to geniousness (is that a word?); notable quotes of the day because I love it when words are put together in such a way that they cause reflection and spur motivational thinking; the date, to remind me that time on this earth is short and I should make the most of it; a gadget that counts down to summer vacation, because even though that represents days of my life that I cannot recoup, there is always something to look forward to; a movie schedule, because that saves time spent checking each theater individually; World's Healthiest Foods, to keep me motivated and give me good ideas; a dictionary; a thesaurus; How Stuff Works daily feed, because I'm always curious about something; top YouTube videos just in case I see something interesting, Funny Cat Pictures because I love cats; and top news stories because I generally don't watch the news (I've read it will shorten your life and it's mostly depressing). Posted today on the How Stuff Works daily feed was "How Web 2.0 Works." Now how's that for relevance?

I explored all of the tools in way too much depth if I'm ever to finish this project, but the other one I immediately put into use was the Google Alert. Though my alert isn't school related, it could be a useful tool for keeping up with absolutely anything.

The tool I will eventually take more time to explore later is the Notebook. I set it up, but I absolutely have to move on. I think it's something I would use a lot for both personal and educational purposes, though it obviously works best from home. But who am I kidding? I don't have much time to research anything on the Web during school hours anyway, even when it's for students! I generally do it at home where I have peace and quiet.