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I feel that this course thus far has given me context and vocabulary to understand the contemporary Information Environment and many important Information Structures and Vocabularies. When I interact with a search engine or utilize a database, I am more equipped to understand the full breadth of its capabilities instead of just using the first/most user-friendly option. I am also able to use Information Vocabulary to articulate these concepts both internally to myself and externally to others. While I have a certain level of concept fusion, it is my personal goal for the remainder of the course to improve it. I am still working on knitting together these three concepts into a cohesive knowledge base that I can scaffold future learning off of.

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If I had to describe what we have learned so far it would be like describing the difference between playing Chopsticks and a piece by Chopin on the piano. By that I mean there's a significant difference between searching the Web for information and leverage research tools like databases and CSE to really dig deep into subject matter of a patron's query. Overwhelmed, but excited about the "tools" we are learning to master for our individual toolboxes, I can't wait to explore the next few weeks. I keep a notebook that I add information of value of, such as new websites to explore, databases and programs, like LibGuides, that will help me navigate , create and curate information in a myriad of fashions for various personas.

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As others have mentioned, it's hard to believe that we're at the halfway point this semester. It seems that we've already covered so much material, but of course the information landscape is so vast that we have so much more to cover. I've  enjoyed going more in depth on how to navigate databases and leverage their different search capabilities. This has also translated into my ability to search other platforms and apply larger search strategies. I think in this sense I'm toeing each of Tucker's thresholds, but not have fully crossed them yet. Or at least I think there's more to master on these fronts, and I look forward to doing so in the next half of the semester.

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One of the most helpful concepts I've learned is thinking about one's own search knowledge and experiences as a toolkit.  There really is so much subjectivity to planning and executing a search, as well as multiple effective avenues to follow to obtaining information. We've learned about so many resources, like new databases, portals,
and search engines, and I'm learning about the value of LibGuides and image searching (forward and reverse).

Additionally, I feel better about search when I think of it in terms of first planning a course of actions, instead of rushing into it or defaulting to a search engine.  For example, facet analysis and logical combination, imagining your perfect source (Tasha Bergson-Michelson), database operators (like truncation, wildcards, and Boolean operators), and discovery searching.

I've also enjoyed learning more in-depth about the structure of searching, such as how databases work, the layers of the Web (visible, deep, dark), and crawling/indexing.

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Search to me has always been about looking up information on the internet but since working in a library it has started to encompass so many different things. Working in Reference and now going to school, databases have now become the new normal. Spending time in archives and learning how to deal with people and their social issues each day. It is never ending.

But this class has give me a new appreciation for the reading material. I actually have enjoyed the readings and will keep the books where I have returned them in the past. The assignments have been overwhelming and difficult to access as some terms are not un familiar. But this skill will be a help in my chosen path in Reference and Catalog so I will prevail.

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Wow this semester is going fast! As this is my first semester and my first online classes ever it has definitely an adjustment. First of all, I learn about how to pace out my learning to fit my own style and time table. This has been an ongoing struggle, but I am finally feeling comfortable.

As for this specific class, I have learned so much. Before this class I used databases before in the past, but never like this. Using controlled vocabulary, Boolean search and all those details are all new. I actually have now made suggestion at my job at children’s service at a public library to add more databases into our usage. I really want to expand both the staff usage of them but also maybe have lessons for the children. I still think I am a beginner searcher, but I have really learned so much about search in general that I am so excited to use these new skills in my real life.

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The range of topics related to search and information we have touched upon this semester is much more than I expected. At this point in time, many of my take-aways have been related to search. For example, learning the difference between a discovery and an advanced database search, getting better at advanced database searching, and learning how to conduct an advanced Google Search have given me more confidence in my role at the library. Also, knowing how to approach search has been another important aspect of my learning. Knowing that I can, and should, make use of all the clues around me (in other words, really listening to what people say) has given me more confidence. Purposely incorporating flexibility into my search seems to give me more freedom to do my job and has removed some of the roteness.

Other ahas this semester have come from learning how to identify and curate digital content. Understanding the criteria for digital curation will help me to evaluate the content I read and help me to use social media as a value-added tool for creating information pathways.

Finally, I have really looked forward to the Voices of Search each week. I think it is especially helpful to see what professionals are doing in the field of information. Voice of Search helps give me a top-down view of the field and helps me to see that library is just one direction that information professionals can take. It also helps me to see the grasp and understand the skill set that is central to all the featured positions within the information profession. This learning relates to Tucker’s first threshold concept of understanding the total information environment. This is something that was missing for me, and a concept that informs how I think about the field as a whole and my direction as an information professional.

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We’re halfway through the semester and I can’t believe there is still so much more to learn about within the world of search. I feel like my brain is already on overload with the information we’ve reviewed thus far. I honestly I had no idea about all of the intricacies that were involved with searching and all of the different aspects of databases and the fact that so many databases even existed.

The Voices of Search that has resonated with me the most is still the first one if the semester with Mary Ellen Bates. Her suggestions for how to conduct searches and the most important skill to possess is dissatisfaction with search results is really what has stuck with me the most.

Each of the Search Activities have also been a great help. Actually performing these tasks has helped me understand the different concepts, techniques, and vocabulary we’re learning about rather than just reading about them.

Working with Google and exploring their different services has also been an eye-opener. It’s weird to think I’ve had all of these tools at my disposal for so long yet have never taken advantage of them. I know I will be using more of them in the future as well as recommending them to my family, peers and future students and library patrons.

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I can't believe that we are halfway through the semester. While I am learning a great deal, I believe that there is so much more to learn. The experience can be overwhelming. I am starting to understand all the nuances relating to internet search and identifying the terminology. I am struggling in this class because my technical skills are not great. I have to constantly try out different techniques before I can almost master it, but I have learned a great deal and I am excited about all the exciting databases and interesting search tips that I am learning about.

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I can't believe that we are halfway through the semester. While I am learning a great deal, I believe that there is so much more to learn. The experience can be overwhelming. I am starting to understand all the nuances relating to internet search and identifying the terminology. I am struggling in this class because my technical skills are not great. I have to constantly try out different techniques before I can almost master it, but I have learned a great deal and I am excited about all the exciting databases and interesting search tips that I am learning about.

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Now that I am almost at the end of my degree, I have been thinking about which classes I have liked the most and learned the most in. This class is definitely one I have learned a lot in, and have actually enjoyed a lot of it. I discovered I that like solving challenges when it comes to searching, and this class has provided plenty of opportunities to do so.
I have also learned a lot about the different databases that are out there, and I realized there is so much that I still have to learn about the internet and its various databases and directories.  There is a lot of useful information about there that so many people do not know about.
I especially enjoyed learning about Google and the amount of services they have free of use. I knew about advanced search, Google books, and other well known Google features, but there was a lot I did not know about that I think would be useful for everyone to learn.

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I've learned so much in this course so far - I really kind of wish I had taken it in my first semester and not my last! Some of the things that come right to mind are the database strategies we used - specifically things like controlled vocabularies and the different logical operators. Specifically, things like proximity searches, wildcards, and especially truncation & nested searches have been very useful to me this semester and will be going forward. I used to only approach databases in one way and now I see there really are a number of different tools one can employ to do a search. I also found our Google section to be highly informative for similar reasons - I used to only use Google (and think about Google) in one way. But now I see there is a lot more depth and variety to this tool than I initially had thought. I think the best thought transformation was in my being able to see Google as not a competitor to libraries but a useful tool that can be used to support libraries.

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I have learned so much in this class I'm not sure what to even put here.  I think my two biggest takeaways are the use of controlled vocabularies and the use of directories.  Before this class I'd never done either of these two.  Actually, I think I've used directories without realizing they were directories.  I just assumed all websites had a search component, but after this week, I realize that some of the sites I've been using are actually directories for searching.

As far as controlled vocabularies, I loved learning how we can use key terms in looking for information.  I've made use of this technique already.  Especially in my database searching.  I probably should add this as a third learning.  I knew of the existence of databases, but I don't think I recognized the tremendous power of the results, especially combined with controlled vocabularies.

I am hoping to continue to use these techniques as I begin to work with my students and introduce them and our teachers to our state databases and start providing them some basic search techniques.

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So far I have really enjoyed this class! While I find a lot of it to be intuitive, I am picking up a lot of specific takeaways that I've been able to immediately utilize in my internship and my every day life (which is always rewarding to use something you learned in class!).

So far, my favorite takeaways have been creating a custom google search, that I love challenging search questions, and that quality of your search results are very dependent upon the quality of your searching skills. I really find the search activities to be useful. I love being able to learn about something and then actually trying it out. As a visual learner, the practice of actually doing what I read is extremely helpful for me to remember how and when to utilize these skills!

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It is hard to believe that we are halfway through the semester. This was my first semester in the MI Program and I have learned so much.

One of the largest takeaways is also the simplest. I learned that complex searching does not automatically bring quality results. I learned this fast when going through the advanced search tool such as controlled vocab, truncation, and Boolean operators. Because they were all new, I wanted to use them all as much as possible. But, it is better to focus on the searching task and its needs rather than forcing these tools into the task.

For this reason and others, the Search Activities have been my largest area of growth. It has been crucial to actually use the tools I am learning about freely without being worried that I am doing something wrong. Every misstep was an opportunity to learn, and the activities gave me many opportunities to explore.

In the future, I want to further develop what Tucker calls the "Information Structures" threshold. I would love to know more about the background workings of information retrieval systems, such as the algorithms that make them work.

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My biggest takeaways have been in terms of the information environment in that I now understand the importance of pre-search planning and devoting more attention to defining questions. Part of this is also thinking about what do you want the ideal results to look like in terms of currency, the number of results, the format of the results, etc. as these can be controlled for. Information vocabularies are another area where I feel like I now have more tools in my toolbox to search with greater precision. Knowing that these rules are not one-size-fits-all are also so helpful as we explore various databases to aid patrons.

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Honestly, there's just so much I could talk about, but I'll focus on the big ideas. First, I'm feeling a lot more confident in my ability to find information not just for my own needs, but also when faced with the information search experiences of others. I already knew how to utilize some basic and complex strategies, but now that I have a name for them, I feel like I can explain these concepts to others more easily and act as an information guide. Second, I've become way more aware of the intricacies of the information landscape as a whole as well as the many FREE resources that are available for anyone to use! This has been a real eye opener for me in terms of knowing where to look for certain kinds/families of information. And, last of all, I'm more aware of the fact that information is being produced by people and communities that are in an of themselves excellent source of information. Asking someone else that knows more or has experiences that inform their understanding of a topic in a way that is different than your own is a great way to enrich your own knowledge of a topic.

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I'm finding this class so helpful in pulling together and expanding on other classes I've taken regarding reference sources (Reference, and Government information Resources). The discussion of the difference between search engines and portals made me realize that most of my government class was all about portals--I just don't remember if they were described that way.It's good to make that connection; it puts them into context. It's also interesting (and overwhelming) to realize that there are hundreds of other portals like that which really need to be searched individually. It's almost mind-boggling how much information is available on the deep web if you know how to go about finding it.

Another thing I have enjoyed is learning about all the tools on Google and the tips for being an expert searcher, but also the looks we took at other search engines that might be more private and still provide a good search experience. Thinking about breaking searches into facets, something I still need to practice, was another important takeaway. Pre-planning a search is really vital in getting better results and something I really need to think more about.

Finally, Voices of Search has been really eye-opening. It's so good to hear from people in the field, who do such very different work and can share their enthusiasm for their particular area. I've learned so much about the relationship of librarian and vendor, researcher and client or patron, open access and more. I find their enthusiasm very exciting and it makes me think more about the different things I can do with my degree.

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Y'all, I am tired. My biggest takeaway from this semester is that self care is really important. I always tell everybody else to make sure that they're caring for themselves, but I can never find the time to do it myself. I thunked my head pretty good in the first week of the semester and got a pretty good concussion. I'm still struggling to get back to normal and catch up (my professors have all been incredible), and now that I'm back at work full time, I'm swimming upstream with an anchor on each foot. The point of this little share is that I am go grateful for the flexibility of online learning, and having experienced it firsthand, I want to bring a similar flexibility to the students I teach. I know that certain criteria must be met in order to consider a student proficient enough in an area to give them a passing grade, but flexibility of timeline/projects is really important. I had professors in undergrad that didn't assign due dates for assignments and let us pace ourselves, and for the most part it was an utter mess. We were still learning how to feed ourselves something other than Miller Light and not overdraw our bank accounts- all other aspects of life management got put on the back burner. I'm wondering if kids were exposed to things like flexible deadlines and projects at a much younger age, whether they would have better generalized management skills.

As for the course itself, I'm really appreciating the Search Activities. Don't get me wrong, I complain the entire time I'm doing them, but it's so necessary to do these activities. Even though I do the purchasing and teaching of the databases at my library right now, I feel like the decisions I'm making aren't as good as they could be, just because I don't have the knowledge base-- before this course, I didn't know just how many databases were out there, and I certainly didn't know how to get the most out of them, even though I thought I did. When I inherited my position, there was no training on databases; there were no instructions that told me where to look or what to look for. I'm quite sure that I'll be facing the same sort of situation in a school library. I'm learning that librarians don't generally learn each other's jobs, so the training for new hires on anything but shared responsibilities (like circ desk) is limited. You're just kind of expected to know the ropes. This course is preparing me for that in a way that I didn't even know I needed.

PS: I appreciate the fall themed Padlet!

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First of all, I absolutely 100% cannot believe it is already the halfway point in the semester! I feel like we all say this too, but as I’m nearing the end of the program, time just flies by that much quicker.

As far as readings go, I have enjoyed Markey’s text and videos especially that summarize key chapters or points, like those blending search techniques in terms of responding to user queries. Brown & Bell has stuck with me quite a bit I think, as I am really surprised by how well and succinctly the authors lay out and explain really complex, not always thrilling/exciting-seeming concepts (like Boolean Logic, database publisher vs. aggregator, etc.), and the charts and diagrams included tend to clarify and cement concepts well for me. Brown’s Harnessing the Power of Google has been far more enlightening than I anticipated, especially when it came to discussing how Google products can be a complement to library catalogs and can be valuable in research.

I love the added perspectives of the Voices of Search in this course -- I think hearing other professors, voices in the industry, librarians and others talk about things we’re learning in class is invaluable and super interesting! Hearing repeated ideas we’ve discussed, have come up in lecture, etc. is always fascinating, as well.

The weekly activities can be varying degrees of difficult or time-consuming, but I have enjoyed them quite a bit, in terms of contribution to the final project, putting ideas in practice (like describing databases and their features), among other things has really made me feel like a more competent searcher, because it is directly relevant and applicable practice, which is more helpful than the readings or lectures alone.

Combined with previous courses I’ve taken and going along each week in the course, I can definitely feel myself moving through Tucker’s thresholds, especially becoming more fluent “in search behaviors” and coming to understand and explore information structures, lately like portals/directories, search engines like Google in a deeper way… and while all of this is clicking, I have also vastly appreciated the knowledge everyone else in the class has been bringing forth every week in discussions and activities. I always enjoy reading about others’ experiences and backgrounds, and how much their points of view, ways of approaching search, and ideas about information and libraries informs the overall learning process. Here’s to a great rest of the semester!

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Avatar of Joyce Valenza
Joyce Valenza
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I just keep thinking how grateful I am that this course allows you the autonomy of making the assignments work for you.  By structuring the course this way, I’ve been able to apply what we are learning in an authentic learning environment - in my case, this is an elementary school.  I am appreciative of the wide breadth of knowledge and skills we are learning even though I don’t foresee using some of the more “academic” or “advanced” search techniques in my profession.  That being said, should an opportunity present where these skills would be warranted, I feel much better prepared than I was just eight weeks ago.  That being said, I have made peace with the fact that I will never be an expert searcher but am proud that I’ve crossed some thresholds in such a short period of time thus far.  I know so much more about information environment, structures, and vocabulary but still need to work hard to fuse it all together.  Oh, and I learned how to make a Bitmoji this semesters which trumps all my successes!

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Wow halfway through and I can say I’ve already learned so much that I can utilize in both LIS search and everyday search. Having come into this course away from academics for 12 years, this course has been a combination of learning search techniques (overcoming these thresholds) that I had not learned as an undergraduate (even as a self-taught research assistant), and techniques that had not yet existed. With the onset of new platforms, interfaces, and the world in general, there has been a lot of catching up to do. Concept fusion was necessary in catching up to all these facets of search to get to my current comfort level of search practices. I can definitely attribute the need for “catching up” to components within the information environment threshold. The course alone is easily immersive. In such a quickly changing technological world, the second structural concept I expect to be the most ongoing and “live” facet of LIS learning. The advanced power searching in Google and exploring the other Google platforms (trends, books, scholar) was especially useful in helping navigate the more immediate and commonplace aspects of life search in addition to my continued progress as an information professional. The third vocabulary threshold concept is also more of a “catchup” facet for me, both in general lay use and in specific search language.

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The biggest takeaways I’ve gleaned from this course so far this semester, is that for all its glory, Google has a lot of flaws as a search engine, the most prominent being the dreaded filter bubble, wherein our past search behaviors teach Google to only show us what it thinks we want to see. I’ve learned from this particular lesson that every time I search using Google, I am seeing only a fraction of a fraction of the huge expanse of web. I see only what Google wants me to see. So, I have also learned from this class how to use search engines in general to my greatest advantage by looking for information via alternative databases and indexes.

Additionally, I have also learned the importance of knowing a database’s controlled vocabulary, and what operators are used on a given site. Basically, you can’t approach one search engine or database like they are structured exactly like ones you have used previously. Each one has its own language, it own algorithm behind its search functions, and knowing that you must recalibrate and adapt across search engines and databases has proved to be very helpful, and has made me a more effective search and informed information professional.

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I don’t think I can pinpoint one or even two specific takeaways. It’s been so much more about building a very solid toolkit. Every trick and tip that seems small on its own is adding up to help me become a more well-rounded information professional. In this respect, Dan Russell has been the most helpful. As librarians, we can probably expect to have resources that are specific to our library. Things that may be behind paywalls or available only on-site in the library. But Google is available almost everywhere and to almost everyone with an internet connection. The deep dives into Google’s features that go way beyond keyword searches from the homepage are going to be incredibly helpful to me, but they will also be great to teach patrons to help them become better searches too. Those features are especially easy for patrons to take home with them.
There are a couple of even less tangible concepts that I hope to inform parts of my career. The first comes from our first week when Mary-Ellen Bates talked about how searching can be infinite of you let it. As information professionals, we aren’t there to learn every single detail of the topic we are looking for. It is not possible. With this in mind, it’s good to set boundaries and recognize that you will never reach the absolute bottom of a topic. The second concept is learning all the names of a few different search strategies. Just giving them a name, really helped solidify them in my mind and also helped me realize that they are all valid. As with everything we have covered, they are all part of a toolkit. The key is to know what tool to reach for and when.

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I feel as though that I am fortunate to able to take this course. It is rigorous and challenging, but I enjoy learning new search concepts and strategies that I can test and use in my current place of employment.

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Reflecting on the courses I have taken throughout this program, and aside from a Tech course on Web Page design which I enjoyed,  I would say that this course is the most useful, relevant, and applicable to where I see myself in the LIS field. Considering Tucker's language of search, the methodology of practice is fundamentally integral to the process. I have always enjoyed research, only now I view it through the lens of an evolving information professional.
I appreciate the awareness that this course has given me - new ways to use and implement Google, EBSCO Discovery and other science databases,  effective search tools and facets, and making a custom search engines.
The activities are useful in that they offer real world scenarios that can be built upon. Finally - I really like the concept of LibGuides because they bridge the gap between the role of the librarian as teacher, subject specialist, information professional, and IT personnel. I am looking forward to creating a working LibGuide that can be utilized by my students and colleagues.

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I came into this course with almost 15 years of library experience and my own research skills developed during my time in school. Much in this course was review, but I also gained a greater appreciation for information structure and information vocabularies. Understanding the architecture and language of effective searching will certainly transform the way I search, and teach others to search, in the future. In particular, I now understand how to navigate databases better, especially EBSCO databases. I also learned a lot about Google and what it can and cannot do. I look forward to incorporating these search strategies with my next information needs.

One idea that is worth repeating is that search is iterative. I have learned so many skills in this class that I can use to make my searches better and more complex.

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Out of all the classes I've taken as part of this program, this one is one of the most practical and useful ones that I've had the pleasure of being a part of. Search is such an important part of our everyday lives, and so few people ever look past the idea of Googling something. Learning all the nuances and individual pieces of the art of search has been such an eye opener for me. So far, the advanced power searching in Google has been my biggest takeaway, mostly because I use Google on such an often basis that knowing the more advanced techniques has immediately become of use to me in my everyday information life.

Another big piece of this course for me is learning how important search communities are.  In interacting with just my classmates in my section I have learned so much and have learned so many different search techniques.  It really is amazing what a difference it can make. Voices of search have built such a foundation of search knowledge for me.  Learning how information professionals approach search has helped me develop my own skillets that I could not be more appreciative of.

Overall, I love how practical all the knowledge in this course has been how little "filler" we have had. I would recommend this course highly to anyone who deals with digital media/search in any format. I look forward to the second half and what I will learn going forward.

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The first half of this semester has been choked full of information. I feel that my knowledge of search and the information landscape in which an Information Professional works within has exploded. At the same time, I recognize there is more for me to learn. My programming and database knowledge helped me in my knowledge development of subscription database search, but there were elements that were completely new. I believed in help documentation before however I am even more sure that users need to seek this documentation to ensure they use different database functionality to achieve their search goals successfully.  Proximity search was completely new to me. This is a search tool that I need explore more to really get comfortable with its use.

The VoS have been extremely beneficial to place the concepts and foundational knowledge in an application setting. I especially appreciated Amy Affelt’s perspective of the search skill set that she looks for when considering job candidates given the importance it plays in how she and her team work to find information in the environments in which they conduct search. This provides me elements I can work/focus on to ensure I have skills and knowledge areas that meet potential employer needs.

I’m not sure I can say I’ve cross thresholds in all areas, but I do feel that in some areas I have. I have a greater understanding of the information environment, how the structure of subscription databases supports structured search techniques and use of controlled vocabulary, but web searching requires other techniques, tools, and the application of context in search. The weeks we have discussed Google searching and the web has opened my eyes to the depth of search capabilities on the web yet with the understanding a variety of tools and pathways need to be utilized. It seems I have achieved some level of concept fusion, but I feel I have only just begun this part of the knowledge journey.

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This morning, I have been searching through my database of the week. I sit here, still in awe of this world of information science. Being a novel field of study for me, each day is more of a learning experience than I could have ever imagined. I think the various professional talks are probably my favorites, as I love listening to the joy and excitement that they have for their professions. However, while undertaking the various assignments I am discovering a great deal. The variety of databases is interesting. The number of custom search engines is intriguing. And the capabilities of Google is mind-boggling. The ability to learn of various software while completing our assignments is another aspect that I truly enjoy. One other thing that I am enjoying is learning how my fellow classmates interpret the material, and how they are utilizing it their (future) careers.
I find it difficult to decide on a single takeaway, as my mind is truly in a blur as I absorb the massive amounts of information that I am learning daily. It is no longer possible for me to search things as I did before the start of this course. There is one negative aspect, and that is the more I learn, the more confused I am getting with my future goal. But this is an exciting confusion that is getting me even more excited for my next chapter!

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While reflecting on the jammed packed first half of the semester below are some of the biggest takeaways I’ve experienced:

Lecture: Week 6-Google a Deeper Dive.  This week was a favorite because I enjoyed looking under the hood and learning more about how Google operates. As a search engine that I use frequently, I took for granted some of the features that it has, because I was unaware, and also because I would focus most of my searches in one mode. Dr. V’s lectures along with the readings from week 6 helped me to realize the value of the other modes that Google has to offer.

Voices of Search: Mary Ellen Bates was one of my favorite Voices of Search to date. What an inspiring person to kick off this course! Her love of search and ability to articulate her passion, began to change the way I think and attack the search process. Through her focus on the patron/client, and placing a high value on not just finding the information, but presenting a package of what the clients didn’t know, or even perhaps giving them leads toward other avenues that weren’t thought of, solidifies one of my main roles as a librarian, and searcher.  Activity: This was a hard one, and I’ve decided that it’s a tie! I really loved the idea of of Activity #4 Database Comparison because it allowed me the access and opportunity to explore databases that would benefit my school. I was able to compare the features of each with a critical eye that focused on constraints and affordances, which prepared me to have articulate conversations about databases in our library with administrators. The other activity that I enjoyed was the the Search Activity #5: Google Advanced Power Searching Challenge. This activity brought out the competitor in me. I was excited and determined to solve the mystery challenge, and welcomed the opportunity to practice all of the strategies that we’d been reading and learning about from that week. Through this activity the main points of our learning that were reinforced for me were the ideas of spending time acquainting yourself with the topic’s background knowledge, and remembering to utilize all of the modes Google has to offer.

Readings: I very much appreciated the opportunity to explore the Pearltrees curations for each topic to help enhance my understanding of the readings from Markey,  Brown and Bell, each week. One of the standout articles was the Copyright Friendly Tool kit. This resource had a mix of videos and readings that helped clarify the sometimes cloudy concepts of Fair Use, Creative Commons, and Public Domain. This is definitely a resource to come back to time and time again.

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One of the biggest takeaways that I've learned this semester is the vast skills and knowledge that librarians possess.  I considered myself a good researcher; however, after taking this course I realize how little I know about research.

From this course, I have learned about various Google search features. that were unknown to me including Google Sites, Google Earth, Google Search engines, etc.  The number of free search tools available to users.  Using Google sites, I created a tutorial on the Database of the Week and the Database Tutorial using Google sites.
In addition, I learned that you can use Boolean features in Google.  I love this feature! It also reminded me of the importance of Boolean features.  Every research database that we utilized during this semester from JSTOR to Google recognized these features.

I also appreciate the amount of work it takes to create a LibGuide. As I create my LibGuide, I am shocked at the amount of research needed to create a great guide.

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This halfway point has come so fast, though so much has been packed in!

My biggest/overall takeaways thus far –

Search is iterative and can be never ending – the trick is knowing how to make each successive search count and where/when to end. Mary-Ellen Bates’ talk was especially illustrative of this, and her passion for search really helped set the tone for the semester.

Strategies and tools abound in the world of search – just as it counts to know how to plan a search, it also counts (perhaps doubly so) to know what tool or strategy to employ for any effort. Each of our Search Activity assignments has helped me to explore these – my favorites being #3 and #5 because of how they really challenged me to stretch myself. Although far from command line expert, I think learning that early in the semester helped me cement a lot of concepts and make the other explorations especially fruitful.

Community is everything. All of our Voices of Search and our discussions have highlighted that having a community and professional network of enthusiastic and supportive peers is key to success. This was something I “knew” prior to this class, but I think the exercises and discussions we’ve had – and everyone’s efforts – has helped to really make this point come across. Though deliverables and subject-domains may range, the library community is one that we build together to bridge all of those things.

As to thresholds; I think I am beginning to see the total information environment – far more of it than when I began – so perhaps a half-step into that one. I am definitely strengthening my knowledge of structures and vocabularies, as I mentioned above, search activity #3 was especially helpful for these. And as far as integrating these concepts, I am, once again, beginning too. But, it is an enthusiastic beginning – if that makes sense? It feels like I have the support and scaffolding to move into more intermediate understanding of these concepts, and I have a desire to reach toward an expert, full immersion of crossing all of them.

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I can say I have been immersed in the information environment, but not sure I have achieved complete understanding; this seems a life-long journey, and one which I am glad to be on. I strongly believe this class should be required of all students in their first year, for it opens up the world of search, and offers tips/tricks to augment their own studies, and can sensitize students to the issues of the ultimate user community.

I have developed a much broader search vocabulary and vision than 8 weeks ago. The number of tools to which I have been exposed have been, quite frankly, overwhelming, but in a good way. The course demands are high, but the material is presented in bit format, allowing for quick digestion. I must admit that there’s not much time to really process and integrate all the information presented, but I know “concept fusion” will come (at some point in the future.)

The voices of search allow for different perspectives to be presented each week, and offer a glimpse of how search affects various applications/professions. Being exposed to the number of databases, either through the RU hub, readings, vendors, playlists has been an enriching experience.

A big take away has been to learn each database strengths and peculiarities, to use the facet template to THINK through the search word choices—and only then begin the search process--avoiding the initial gut response to just jump into a search.

Brown’s book on Google has been eye-opening, and search behavior altering. The number of features Google offers has been hidden from me, and I look forward to using Google Trends, Lens, Images more in the future. I loved the Google Power Search exercise—but the same can’t be said for the one on controlled vocabulary—but I certainly understand the need/importance of CV.

Search is a means to and end, and not the end itself—it’s more of a strategic exploration, as the ACRL’s guidelines suggest. I have not achieved search nirvana or concept fusion, but the journey to expand my search peripheral vision has been enlightening—and for that I am grateful

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Courtney Brach, section 90: One of the biggest takeaways that I’ve had so far in the semester is the Advanced Power Searching in Google lesson that we focused on in weeks 6 and 7. I thought I was already a good Google searcher--I realized that there were so many other tips and tricks and capabilities provided by Google that I was not aware of! I thought the MOOC videos with Dan Russell were really helpful and I can see myself revisiting these tips and tricks in the future for personal, professional, and academic use. I was also surprised when we read/viewed “Hipster Google - 21 Google Tools You Probably Never Heard of” and “Hipster Google 2 - Even More Google Tools You Probably Never Heard Of.” The title didn’t lie--I hadn’t hurt of the vast majority of these tools! While many of them didn’t apply to me and I likely wouldn’t use them, it makes me wonder how the average Google user would find out about these. I think I’ve entered into two threshold concepts with this: 1) Information environment: the total information environment is perceived and understood: I realize that the Google information environment is vaster than I ever imagined. I know the landscape was great but by discovering 20+ Google tools, most of which I've NEVER heard of, it makes me realize how very little I know.  2) Information structures: content, index structures, and retrieval algorithms are understood: After watching the two MOOC lectures, while I was aware and use some of the tips and tricks that Dan Russell outlined, there were still many capabilities and search tips that Dan highlighted that I was not aware of and how to best retrive the results you’re looking for. For example, I didn’t know that a user could search by file type. It was also fascinating to learn how Google finds and ranks (well, at least as much as Google is willing to share about ranking) sites and results. I thought the sections that we read in Christoper Brown’s “Harnessing the Power of Google,” namely chapters 2-4, were so interesting--honestly, I don’t think I’ve ever read assigned readings with such rapt attention!     

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Courtney Brach, section 90: One of the biggest takeaways that I’ve had so far in the semester is the Advanced Power Searching in Google lesson that we focused on in weeks 6 and 7. I thought I was already a good Google searcher--I realized that there were so many other tips and tricks and capabilities provided by Google that I was not aware of! I thought the MOOC videos with Dan Russell were really helpful and I can see myself revisiting these tips and tricks in the future for personal, professional, and academic use. I was also surprised when we read/viewed “Hipster Google - 21 Google Tools You Probably Never Heard of” and “Hipster Google 2 - Even More Google Tools You Probably Never Heard Of.” The title didn’t lie--I hadn’t hurt of the vast majority of these tools! While many of them didn’t apply to me and I likely wouldn’t use them, it makes me wonder how the average Google user would find out about these. I think I’ve entered into two threshold concepts with this: 1) Information environment: the total information environment is perceived and understood: I realize that the Google information environment is vaster than I ever imagined. I know the landscape was great but by discovering 20+ Google tools, most of which I've NEVER heard of, it makes me realize how very little I know.  2) Information structures: content, index structures, and retrieval algorithms are understood: After watching the two MOOC lectures, while I was aware and use some of the tips and tricks that Dan Russell outlined, there were still many capabilities and search tips that Dan highlighted that I was not aware of and how to best retrive the results you’re looking for. For example, I didn’t know that a user could search by file type. It was also fascinating to learn how Google finds and ranks (well, at least as much as Google is willing to share about ranking) sites and results. I thought the sections that we read in Christoper Brown’s “Harnessing the Power of Google,” namely chapters 2-4, were so interesting--honestly, I don’t think I’ve ever read assigned readings with such rapt attention!     

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https://www.controlaltachieve.com/2019/04/hipstergoogle2.html

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Google is well know for certain tools and services - Search, Gmail, Calendar, Drive, Docs, Slides, Sheets, Maps, Chrome, and such. These are all powerful and useful tools that are transforming teaching and learning in schools around the world.

However, in addition to those tools, Google has also created a wide range of services, apps, extensions, features, and other tools that are not as well known. Even though these tools may not be as popular or as widely known, they are still very useful in school settings.

These are the "Hipster Google" tools.

In our culture, one of the defining characteristics of the hipster movement is to appreciate things that are not mainstream, to use services that are not well known, or to embrace something before it becomes popular among the masses. With that thought in mind, I have collected a list of tools from Google that the average person may not know about yet.

Of course with any such list, there will be some tools that you do know, but hopefully you will pick up a few new ideas and resources from the bunch. And of course simply by sharing this blog post I am potentially making these tools more well known.

Below you will find my 1-hour recorded webinar covering each of the tools, as well as the session slideshow, and a write-up for each tool with a description and related links. So, jump on them now while it is still cool to say you used these before they were popular!

Video Training (1 hour)

Ngram Viewer is a Google search tool that lets you search for words and phrases in over 5 million books from the 500 years. The results are then displayed as line graphs to show the relative change in usage over time for the different terms.

This can be a powerful search tool for students to explore the popularity of different ideas and topics over time, as well as to see how our perceptions have changed. Students can cross reference changes in word usage with historical events, wars, politics, and more.

To use the tool, do the following:

Go to the Ngram Viewer site at books.google.com/ngrams

Type in the words and phrases you wish to search, separated by commas.

Set the beginning and ending years for the search if you wish to limit it to a certain period in history.

Click the search button.

You will now get a graph showing the change in usage of those words over time.

Google Scholar

Sometimes it is necessary to find scholarly peer-reviewed articles. This can be for a high school student writing a research paper, or for an educator completing graduate work. The content of scholarly articles can be challenging enough on its own, so thankfully Google makes the process a little easier with a tool called Google Scholar.

Google Scholar is a search tool that lets you look specifically for scholarly articles. Here;s how:

Go to scholar.google.com

Type in the terms you are searching for.

You will now get a list of matching scholarly articles.

If you need to narrow down the results, click on the little down arrow in the search box to open the advanced search options.

If you find an article you like, you can also click the "Related articles" link to find more that are similar.

If you want to keep a list of the articles you have found, click the "Save" link.

Finally, if you want the proper citation format for an article, click the "Cite" link and then pick the format you want (APA, MLA, Chicago, etc.)

Instant Search Cards

We all know Google is a powerful search engine. However, in addition to simply providing search results for our queries, over time Google has been adding interactive "Search Cards" that give us much more than just links to websites.

For example, if you need a timer for a class activity, simply run a Google search for "Timer" or "10 second timer" or "stopwatch". This will give you a live, interactive countdown timer to use in class.

Or if you need to graph an equation, you can simply search for that equation, such as "y=2x-3" or "graph for x^2" and you will get an live, interactive graph of that equation.

There are way more instant search cards available through Google search. See my earlier blog post " 20 Instant Google Searches your Students Need to Know" for many more examples that you and your students can us.

Google's Image Search at images.google.com is a powerful tool to find pictures, including many helpful tools such as searching by color, size, usage rights, and much more. However, one of the lesser known special features is the ability to do a reverse image search.

Instead of looking for an image, what if you already have a picture and you are trying to find out information about it? Here's how you do it:

Go to Google Images as normal at images.google.com

Drag and drop an image onto the search box.

Or click the "Search by image" button to upload an image.

Google will now compare the image you provided to every image on the internet to try to find a match and provide you with more details.

This can be useful in many ways:

Learning more about a historical image.

Finding the location of where a photo was taken.

Determining what an unknown object is.

Fact checking a questionable image.

Google Trends
Google processes billions of searches every day. As valuable as the results are, there is also a lot we can learn from the searches themselves. Google Trends at trends.google.com is a tool that lets you see what people are searching for. You can even limit the data to certain categories (Business, Entertainment, Health, etc.) or by country.

One of the best parts of the Google Trends service is the Visualization page. This page gives you a grid with real-time top search terms. You can adjust the size of the grid as well as which country the searches come from. For example you can access a 5x5 grid of search topics from the United States at this link:

This can be a great tool for students to see what topics are currently trending in the news in their country, or in other countries around the world. Students can click on any of the search topics to open a Google search for that term to learn more about that topic and why it is in the news.

Although Google's search engine is a powerful tool for finding information, what if you need that information more than just once? To help with that, Google provides a service called Google Alerts that will periodically run your search for you and email you any new results.

This can be useful for a student doing a research project to get the latest updates each day on any new articles or posts related to their topic. This can also be valuable for school administrators to see anytime their school district or school building gets mentioned in the news, so they can stay on top of public interest and concerns.

To create a Google Alert, do the following:

Go to the site at www.google.com/alerts

Type your search term or phrase in the search box just like you are making a normal Google search.

Note: Be sure to put quotes around your search phrase as usual if you want to make sure those words appear in that specific order, such as "Canton City Schools".

Click the "Show options" link if you want to tweak how often you get updates and which sources to search.

You will see a preview below showing you representative results.

When done, click "Create Alert".

You will now begin receiving emails with matching search results based on the settings you chose. You can always return to Google Alerts to edit or delete an alert.

Power Searching with Google

A simple Google search can get you millions of results. But what if you aren't looking for that many? How can you find just the best matches possible?

One way is to learn how to become a power searcher! Google offers two free video courses to teach you all of the tips, tricks, and tools for making the most out of the Google search engine. The courses are:

You and your students can work through these self-paced video classes at: http://www.powersearchingwithgoogle.com/

As awesome as the Internet is, we need to make sure our students are educated on how to use it properly. To help with this Google created " Be Internet Awesome" which "teaches kids the fundamentals of digital citizenship and safety so they can explore the online world with confidence."

This amazing resource can be found at https://beinternetawesome.withgoogle.com/ and includes:

Interland - A free online game students can play and explore to learn about privacy and security, what's real and fake, guidelines for sharing, and appropriate online behavior.

Be Internet Awesome Curriculum - Free downloadable lesson plans covering digital citizenship and safety.

Google Dictionary

As more and more great content is available on the web, our students will be turning to web pages, rather than turning physical pages, to learn new content. But what happens when a student comes across vocabulary they are not familiar with? Do they get stuck and stop there? Do they skip over the word without understanding? Do they need to find an adult for help?

One other option for students is to use the Google Dictionary extension for Chrome.

With the Google Dictionary extension installed, students can simply double-click on any word they are not sure of when reading a web page. The extension will open a pop-up window with a definition of the word. For many words, it will also include a speaker icon to pronounce the word aloud. This can help students to learn about a word they are stuck on.

Additionally, students can click on the extension and type in any word they would like a definition for.

Google Dictionary can be installed from the Chrome Web Store here: Google Dictionary extension link

Google Maps have a wide range of uses outside of simply finding directions. One extension of Maps is the game Smarty Pins. This is a fun activity for an individual student or the entire class to practice research skills and find locations on a map to match the clues given.

To use Smarty Pins, do the following:

Go to the website at: smartypins.withgoogle.com

Choose a category if you want to limit the questions to specific topics, or click "Start a new game" for a variety of questions.

The game will now begin and a clue will be given.

Students may already know the answer, or you can have them do some Google research to find the answer.

When ready, the user drags and drops the marker on what they believe is the correct map location.

The game then tells you how far off from the correct location your are, and subtracts those miles from your score.

When you run out of miles, the game ends.

Google's Tour Builder let's you tell a story with maps! Built on Google Maps, this tool allows you to put together a sequence of locations from anywhere on Earth. For each location, you can add content including:

The address of the location.

The Google Maps view of the location (overhead, Street View, etc.)

A name for the location.

A slideshow of images and videos.

A start date and end date.

A detailed description (including links).

After all of the locations have been put in Tour Builder, you can share the final product with others who can "play the tour" to visit each location and view the content connected to each.
This can be a fun and different way to tell a story, explain events from history, explore geography, visit the sites from a book, and more.

Tour Builder can be accessed at: https://tourbuilder.withgoogle.com

In the past Google Earth was a downloadable program that you could only run on a PC or a Mac. Now Google Earth is available online in your web browser. This means you can use it on any device including Chromebooks, PC's, Macs, Android phones, iPhones, and iPads.

Google Earth provides you and your students with a full 3D model of the entire world. You can explore any location on the planet, learn about each location, and even take pre-made tours through the Voyager feature.

Google Earth can be accessed online at: https://earth.google.com

Mapping tools can apply to any subject area, including math. One great connection between maps and math is shapes. Maps can be a great way to find or demonstrate different types of angles, polygons, and more.

A fun Google tool to try this out is Landlines. This is an interactive site that lets you draw a shape, and then Google searches through loads of map images to find a feature in the real world that matches the shape you drew.

This can be a neat way to explore geometry, but also to see how shapes show up in both the natural world and in man-made constructions.

You can play with Landlines at: https://lines.chromeexperiments.com

Google Earth Engine Timelapse

Not only can maps help us find where we are going, they can also help show us where we have been. Google has been collecting satellite imagery of the world for decades. With their amazing Timelapse site from Google Earth Engine, you can see how our world has changed from 1984 to the present.

Simply go to the Timelapse site at: https://earthengine.google.com/timelapse

Search for a location, or choose one of the suggested locations at the bottom of the screen.

You will now see an animation showing the changing satellite images from 1984 through the present.

This is a powerful way to see the impact people have on our world, the development of cities, changes to rivers, glaciers, and other natural formations, and more.

Google Maps Planets and Moons

Google Maps is not just limited to Earth. Using imagery from NASA and the European Space Agency, Google has also created digital versions of many of our solar system's planets and moons, including Mercury, Venus, Mars, Pluto, and more. You can zoom in and out, spin the planets and moons around, and explore many marked features.

To access the planets and moons you can start at the regular Google Maps and simply zoom back and back until you go into space. Or you can go directly there by using the link below:

https://www.google.com/maps/space/

Access Mars

To get an even closer view of the 4th planet from our sun, you can go to Google's Access Mars site. Using images taken my the Curiosity rover, a 3D model of Mars has been created. You can explore all of the places Curiosity has traveled just like you are using Street View here on Earth.

While moving around the 3D terrain of Mars you can click on points of interest to learn more about each location. This tool was built using WebVR so you can experience it on your laptop, phone, or virtual reality headset.

To start exploring head to: https://accessmars.withgoogle.com/

The font you choose for your text can add a lot to the feel of your words, whether that is professional, funny, adventurous, or spooky. Thankfully when using Google tools you have over 800 fonts to choose from to find the perfect match for your message. Also, since these are web fonts, your text will look that same no matter who views it or in what format.

You can access Google's Fonts in two main ways...

First, you can go to the Google Fonts website

Go to: https://fonts.google.com/

Here you can browse and filter through over 800 font families to find what you need.

You can even type in your own sample text to see better what the end result will look like.

The Google Font site also lets you download the fonts to your local computer if you with to use them in non-Google projects.

Second, you can access all of the fonts from inside of Google tools such as Docs, Slides, Drawings, and more.

From inside of a Google Doc, click the font choice menu in the top tool bar.

Choose "More fonts" from the drop down menu.

This will open up a "Fonts" window where you can browse, search, sort, and filter over 800 available fonts.

When you find a font you wish to use, click on it to add it to your "My fonts" list.

You will now be able to use that font in Docs, Slides, Drawings, Sheets, and such.

Another fun game from Google is Quick Draw, This is an artificial intelligence game where you are given 20 seconds to draw a simple item on the computer. While you are drawing, Google's artificial intelligence is trying to guess what you are drawing.

Each game lasts for six pictures. At the end of the game you can click on what you drew to learn more about how Google made its guesses, as well as how other people drew that item.

You can access and play the game at: quickdraw.withgoogle.com

Although the game can be played just for fun, it can open up some good discussions in different content areas:

1. Art - What are the essential elements of design? What makes a thing a thing?

2. Language - How do we communicate with others? How do our preconceived ideas and past experiences influence our communication.

3. STEM - What is artificial intelligence? How is Google using this game to "teach" the AI? What applications could this have in our future?

AutoDraw is a very simple and easy to use drawing tool, with most of the normal features such as drawing, filling colors, resizing, adding text, and more. However, there is one big twist. AutoDraw includes Google's artificial intelligence to help you draw by taking your squiggles and doodles, and offering to replace them with professional images.

Some possible uses might include:

Sketch notes

Infographics

Illustrating a story

Creating a scene

Desktop publishing (flyer, poster)

Creative drawing

You can access AutoDraw at: http://autodraw.com/ (and for more details see my blog post here).

Toontastic

Toontastic is a fun 3D storytelling app for kids, This Google app runs on mobile devices so you can use it on Android or iOS phones and tablets, as well as Chromebooks that support Android apps.

With the Toontastic app you can:

Create 3D animated stories, reports, and more.

Choose from lots of pre-made characters.

Draw and insert your own characters.

Choose from several themed environments.

Add your own narration.

Save and export your final creation.

You can learn more about the program at toontastic.withgoogle.com and you can download the app for free for Android (and some Chromebooks) and for iOS.

3D design is easier than ever now with tools such as TinkerCAD, Tilt Brush, 3D printers, and more. Even though you can start from scratch when designing, you don't have to.

Google's website Poly is a online database of loads of 3D designed objects in categories including animals, architecture, food, nature, people, technology, transport, and more. When you find a object you like, you can download it as a GIF or in OBJ format to import into your own projects or to edit to make your own version.

You can access and browse this awesome database of 3D objects at: https://poly.google.com/

Google Drawings

Although Google Drawings is one of my favorite tools, and I think everyone should be aware of it, I often find that it is still a little-known program for many folks. So for now I will include it on this list of Hipster Google tools, in the hope that soon it will be so well used that it can be removed from the list.

Google Drawings is a design tool where you are given a canvas, on which you can insert shapes, images, text boxes, hyperlinks, lines, and much more. The items can be moved, rotated, ordered, grouped, and edited in many ways. This makes Google Drawings a great tool for:

Everyone loves Google Expeditions. They are immersive virtual reality recordings that let students feel like they are at Versailles, swimming in a coral reef, or climbing a mountain. At the moment though, Expeditions are just for experiencing, not for creating.

Hopefully Google will eventually release an Expeditions Recorder so anyone can create and share their own Expeditions. In the meantime, Google has given us the next best thing with the mobile app Cardboard Camera (for Android and iOS).

With the app you can record a full 360-degree panoramic recording of any location you are. Additionally you can record your voice narrating the experience to go along with the visuals. When done, the VR recording can be shared with others as a link. People can then click the link on their phone, drop their phone into a Google Cardboard viewer, and move around in your 3D VR recording while listening to your narration.

This is a fantastic way for students to create VR reports for famous locations, cultural experiences, field trips, art performances, athletic events, science experiments, and so much more.

You can get the Cardboard Camera mobile app for Android or for iOS.

This tool uses Google's artificial intelligence engine to help you create a meme just by talking to it.

Meme Buddy can be accessed two ways:

Here's how it works:

If you are on the Meme Buddy website, click the "Preview it here" button.

If you are using the Google Assistant app, say "Talk to Meme Buddy".

Now you can say something like "Make a meme of George Washington that says founding fathers know best."

If it does not turn out the way you want, you can just talk to Meme Buddy with natural language to tell it what you want such as "Change to a different picture of George Washington."

When done you can save your image by right-clicking on the picture on a computer, or by tapping "Save Image" on a mobile device.

Androidify

Students can use this website or Android app to create an animated Android-style avatar for themselves for for anyone. This could be a fun way to:

Make a version of themselves to add to a project

Create fun animated versions of characters from history or stories they have read

Make characters for stories they are writing

And more...

Androidify can be accessed in two ways:

This tool is a Gmail lab, which means it is something you have to choose to enable in your Gmail settings. The Canned Responses tool allows you to save commonly used blurbs of text, and then insert them easily into Gmail messages when composing or replying to an email.

I use this tool to save time whenever someone is traveling to my work office to meet with me. I have a Canned Response saved that gives them my address, where to park, which door to enter, and how to locate me in the building. Rather than type this use every time it is needed, I simply insert the pre-written text through Canned Responses.

To install this Google tool, do the following:

Go to your Gmail as normal.

Click the gear icon in the top right corner and choose "Settings".

On the "Settings" screen, choose the "Labs" tab.

Scroll down to locate the lab titled "Canned Responses".

Click the "Enable" option to turn it on.

Finally click "Save Changes".

Once installed, you can save and insert canned responses from the down arrow menu in the bottom right corner of your "New Message" window.

Google Translate Mobile App

Google offers translation options in many of its tools. You can translate a Google Doc into other languages. You can use the Google Search translate tool for quick translation of words or phrases. You can use the Google Translate website at translate.google.com to work on large portions of text or entire web pages.

However one of the most powerful tools is Google's Translate mobile app. It adds many additional features that aide in live, on-the-spot translation. Here's how it works:

First, download the Google Translate app for Android or iOS.

Next choose the language you speak and the language you wish to translate to and from.

You can now use the microphone icon to speak in your language and the app will then speak the translation.

Or you can use the doodle icon to hand write in your language and the app will translate and speak in the other language.

Or you can use the camera icon to point your device at any printed text (such as a sign) in one language and it will translate it live into your other chosen language.

Share to Classroom

If you use Google Classroom then you already know what a time saver it can be, and how it can increase communication and collaboration in your class. To take things one step further, Google created the "Share to Classroom" extension which makes it even easier to create assignments, announcements, and questions, as well as pushing websites out to your students.

Here's how it works:

Install the "Share to Classroom" extension: Chrome Web Store link

Once installed, go to the webpage you want to share with your students.

Next click the extension icon and choose the Google Classroom you want to work with.

Now choose how you want to share the website.

Create Assignment - Make an assignment for the class with the website link included.

Ask Question - Post a question to the class stream with the website link included.

Make Announcement - Post an announcement to the class with the website link included.

Push to Students - If the students also have the extension installed, you can make a new tab open up in their Chrome browser with the chosen website loaded for them. This can be an easy way to help all students get to the same spot for a class activity.

If the students have the extension installed, it also works the other direction. Students can share websites of interest with you. The sites will not automatically open on your computer, but instead will get collected in the extension in the section titled " Received from students".

Google Cast for Education

Another great way to increase collaboration and communication in your classroom is with the " Google Cast for Education" app. It is becoming increasingly common for students to have their own devices in school, whether from a 1:1 program, off of a shared cart, or BYOD. When this happens, a shift occurs in your classroom.

The front of the class is no longer the front of the class.

Students now have in their hands a portal to the collected knowledge of all humanity. That may be a lot more interesting that the dry erase board up front. So as students come across an interesting website, or create an informative slideshow, or find a great subject area video, they should be able to share that with the entire class.

The "Google Cast for Education" app makes it easy for students to display their computer screen on your computer screen, which is then displayed through the projector for the whole class to see. Here is how it works:

First, install the "Google Cast for Education" app - Chrome Web Store link

Next run the app to enter the settings and sharing options.

For "Receiver name" you can enter the name you want your computer to be seen as, such as "Mr. Curts' Computer".

Next click the "Share" button to set up who can share their screen with you.

In the "Add people" box add the Google Classrooms or email addresses for your students.

Save your changes.

As long as you have the app running, students can request to share their screen with you as follows:

The student brings up the page the wish to share in Chrome.

Next they click the "three dots" menu button in the top right corner of Chrome.

Then they choose "Cast" from the drop-down menu.

They will now see a list of computers they are allowed to cast to.

Simply choose the device and a request will appear on the teacher computer.

Another fun Google tool is the educational game Spell Up. In this game students are given increasingly difficult words which they must spell by speaking them aloud into their microphone. If needed you can change the settings to allow keyboard input along with the microphone.

Each correct answer builds their tower higher. As the game goes on the student can unlock additional features such as coins, power-ups, definitions, translations, and more.

You can access and play Spell Up at: spellup.withgoogle.com

Keep has been around for several years, but still is not widely used by many people. Basically Keep is an online note-taking, list-making, organization tool. Besides keeping your grocery list in order (which is a good thing) Keep provides many awesome features for educators and students.

Here are some tips for making the most out of Keep:

You can access Keep on its website at: keep.google.com

You should also get the mobile Keep app for Android or iOS.

On the website or mobile apps you can can add notes, lists, images, or hand-made drawings.

On the mobile app you can also record voice notes which Keep will also translate into text for you.

If you add an image that has text, Keep can pull the text from the image so you have an editable copy of the text.

You can share any of your Keep notes with others for collaboration.

Google Keep also integrates with Google Docs. Anything you save in Keep, you can pull up and insert into Docs. This can be a fantastic ways to save banks of frequently used comments for grading, feedback, lesson plans, standards, or more. To use these notes in Docs:

Click "Tools" in the top menu bar.

Choose "Keep notepad" from the drop-down menu.

This will open a panel on the right side of the screen with all of your Google Keep notes.

For more details, see my blog post " Using Google Keep for Grading Comments in Docs".

Office Editing Extension

Although you are using Google Docs, Slides, and Sheets, you may still have to interact with some files that are saved in Microsoft format. These may be some of your old files that would not convert well into Google format, or perhaps they have been sent to you from someone else who needs you to add some info and then send them back.

Instead of having to convert such files into Google format, or having to use the full version of Microsoft Word on your computer, there is an in-between option. Google provides an extension for Chrome called " Office Editing for Docs, Sheets & Slides". With this extension installed you can open Microsoft files in your Google Drive and do light editing on them while they are still in Microsoft format.

You won't have all the tools of Word, nor will you have all of the features of Google Docs, but you will be able to open the files, do some minor edits, and save them again, all the while leaving them in Microsoft format.

If you have a Chromebook this extension is already pre-installed. If not, you can install it from the Chrome Web Store using the link below:

Office Editing for Docs, Sheets & Slides - Chrome Web Store link

For more details on managing Microsoft files in Google Drive, see my webinar: " Using MS Office in Google Drive"

Google Arts & Culture

Google Arts & Culture is a website from the Google Cultural Institute dedicated to collecting and sharing art, photographs, and primary source documents from all over the world and throughout history. Items are organized by themes, artists, mediums, movements, historical events, historical people, places around the world, stories of the day, and more.

With Google Arts & Culture students can get closer to works of art and historical artifacts than they ever could in a museum. The digital items were scanned or photographed by Google using an ultra-high resolution camera so you can see every brush stroke, letter, or detail. Some of the collections even feature 360-degree videos and photos to immerse you in the experience.

This is a fantastic site for students studying art, culture, history, geography, and more. The site can be accessed at: www.google.com/culturalinstitute

Mystery Animal

This fun, online game from Google allows you to play 20 questions with a computer. Google randomly picks an animal, and you have to ask it "Yes" and "No" questions by speaking into your microphone. Google will then answer you back as you try to narrow down the mystery animal.

On one hand this is a fun game for students to test their knowledge of animals, as well as develop their critical thinking skills when formulating the best questions and processing the clues. At the same time, this is an awesome demonstration of artificial intelligence as Google machine learning engine parses your questions to determine how to answer you.

You can play online at https://mysteryanimal.withgoogle.com/ or with any Google Home device.

Analyzing data is a skill all students need to develop. We want our students to be able to collect data, look for patterns, make predictions, and draw conclusions. Better yet, if the data can be real-world data, collected by the students themselves, it will have more meaning and relevance.

One great tool to help accomplish this is Google's Science Journal app. Science Journal is a mobile app that runs on Android devices, iOS devices, and newer Chromebooks that can run Android apps. The app uses the sensors built into your device to collect real-world data. Student can:

Collect data with sensors for light, sounds, motion, direction, magnetism, barametric pressure, and more (depending on the device).

Take notes to go along with the data collected.

Export the data as a CSV file to open in Google Sheets (or other programs) for additional analysis, charts, and graphs.

You can download the Science Journal app using the links below:

In addition to the apps, Google also provides a collection of activities and lessons to use with Science Journal.

Conclusion

Although you may have known of some of these Google tools, hopefully a few will have been new to you, or you have been encouraged to dig a little deeper into some less used tools. If you have suggestions for other Google tools that I left of my list, please take a moment to share them in the comments below.

Post by Eric Curts. Bring me to your school, organization, or conference with over 50 PD sessions to choose from. Connect with me on Twitter at twitter.com/ericcurts and on Google+ at plus.google.com/+EricCurts1

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Hipster Google - Google Tools You Probably Never Heard Of

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Google is well know for certain tools and services - Search, Gmail, Calendar, Drive, Docs, Slides, Sheets, Maps, Chrome, and such. These are all powerful and useful tools that are transforming teaching and learning in schools around the world.