Thing 12

The first Google application I tested out was the Google Calendar because I am an avid scheduler. I am constantly making lists and calendars for myself to keep myself on top of my assignments and daily activities and work. It is a really easy program to use and I generally love anything Google comes out with. I was able to place in my work hours that I work each day and put in my classes that I attend Thursday nights and Saturday. Since it is a public calendar, I decided not to put in my personal schedule that I attend to in between school and work, and I did not put in my work name. This is just a precaution for personal safety. In Google Calendar, you are able to label your event as detailed as you would like to, make it repeatable so that it continues each day or every other day or only weekdays, and you can also color coat it so different events stand out.
My Google Calendar

The next application I decided to explore was the Google Alerts. This was an application that I have never even heard of and I think it is AWESOME! I am a huge sports fan and I love sticking with my hometown teams, so I watch the Tennessee Titans and the Nashville Predators. So, with Google Alerts, I was able to set up alerts where anytime there was breaking news on either sports team, Google will send me alerts about it and I can sync it up to my phone so they come straight to it. Along with that, I put alerts for special education news and educational jobs so that anytime there is news or information on either, that will be sent to me as well. It reminds me a lot of RSS but a little more friendly and less confusing at points but also a lot more broad. I could not find where I could share my alerts or make them public, so I took a screenshot of my alerts.

The educational uses for both of these are endless. The Google Alerts can be used to keep track of everything and anything that is going on with education. You can also type in educational activities or projects and every day you will be notified when new posts are made. The Google Calendar can be used by teachers to put up a schedule of their daily classroom routine and make it public so parents are able to access it. You can adjust for field trips or fluctuations in the schedule so parents know when kids are engaged in activities and when they are playing. One important thing that comes to mind is it can help parents to know when children are busy in and classroom and it may not be a good time to pick them up early or they can use the calendar to help them schedule doctors appointments and other scheduling.