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Evaluating Sites on the WEB:

Helpful to use the following with students as you help them develop a literacy for the WEB.

accuracy –  Does the site list the author and institution that published the page? Is there a way to contact the author?

credibility – Is the information on the site from a news organization, television station, news magazine, or trusted publication?

validity –     Do different sources report or list the same information?

objectivity – Is the main objective of the page to provide information? Is advertising limited? Are the author’s opinions evident?

current –     Is the page current and updated regularly? Do the links work?

purpose –    Is the purpose of the site is clear ? Is the site information useful?

Other Google Tools:

News: Search and browse over 6,000 news sources updated continuously. Quickly browse top news stories, search for a specific topic, get "news alerts," search archives, create timelines, and personalize your newspage.

Groups: Collaborate with others; join a group that interests you; create a group for your students - teachers & students, students & peers, classroom to classroom! Share information, work together online, post ideas, exchange files, conduct discussions.

Docs:

 1) Docs & Spreadsheets: Online word processor & spreadsheet editors that allow you to create, store, share, and
      collaborate. Students can work together on assignments. They can use the Draw feature and import images they create
      themselves. Teachers can create assignments and push them out to students.

 2) Presentation: Publish slide presentations on the WEB. Use Google's presentation creator, or import existing Power Point
      or Keynote presentations from you computer. Allow "real time" viewing of presentations in browsers.

Blogger: Start a class blog with this Google Blogspot. Blogs are simple WEB pages of frequently updated posts. Use it to have students post ideas, thoughts, reactions to units you are studying. They can discuss novels, political events, and have ongoing discussions about class assignments. You can even post pictures. Start generating feedback with students or colleagues in minutes! Google blogs can be connected to Google Analytics to better understand where visitors to your blog come from and what they read on your blog.

Sites: Create and publish WEB pages.. No need to know html. See how your page will look as you type right in the browser window. No software to download, and Google hosts your page on its servers. You can add text, links, images, videos, maps, calendars, and more. Teachers can use Sites websites to augment Google Classroom. While Classroom is set up for assignments between teachers and students, class websites can be so much more. Class websites can offer resources for parents, guardians, and students to access, links to resources on the WEB, announcements for parents/guardians to see, permission slips to download and sign, class expectations, and posting of students' projects. Students can use Sites for ePortfolios and project-based learning.

Google Books: (also known as Google Book Search) -Search the full text of more than 10 million books. Google will find content that contains a match for your search terms. You will be able to see everything from a few short excerpts to the entire book. The books come from two sources: publishers and libraries. Once you find a book, you browse online, search within the book, buy the book, or find it in a library.  Users have access to free, public domain e-books.
    Note: Searches can be done by title, author, ISBN, or keywords

Personal Book Lists: (accessed via Google Books) - You can create a personal book list using Google Books. From the Google Books page, click "My Library." You will go to a page where you can create "bookshelves" of books you've searched for.
    Example: Click here to see a bookshelf made public to share with students, which contains novels related to the American
                    Revolution. In many cases, students can click on the books and go to specific pages, especially if they are in the
                    public domain. If books are in the public domain, the entire book will be available to students for viewing.

Scholar: This allows you to search for scholarly literature from across many disciplines. Examples include peer-reviewed papers, theses, books, abstracts and articles from academic publishers, professional societies, universities and other scholarly organizations.

SketchUp for Schools not a Google product but designed by Trimble Inc. for schools, to replace Google's SketchUp, and is an updated version of SketchUp. "SketchUp for Schools" works with Google Workspace. It's a modeling software that allows users to create 3D designs. Students can construct models of buildings, trees, cars, maps, etc. Can be used as a stand alone tool or with other applications such as Google Earth and 3D Warehouse.

Translate: Translate WEB pages or pieces of text. Copy and paste the text into a box in the browser window or add a url for an entire page. Choose the language, and click the "translate" button. You can even add a browser button that translates with a single click. There is also a mobile app for this that works on Android and iOS.

Maps: Google provides dynamic, interactive maps that are draggable. You can choose between "map view" and "satellite view," which uses satellite imagery and aerial photography. See 360° street views. No need to click and wait for graphics to reload. View maps and get driving directions for driving, walking, biking, and, public transit. Search "within" areas, even neighborhoods; locate a business, or type in a generic word like "pizza" and get a listing of pizza places in that area.

Google Photos: Post photos and videos online that you can share with your students, other educators, and other classes. Create albums and upload photos that others can view and download. You can edit, organize, and even add captions and comments to photos. You may have the former version of this which was called Google Picasa. Google has moved onto Google Photos. You can also access Photos at: https://photos.google.com/

Features:

• post your photos to public web albums and easily share with others

• store photos/images to use in projects

• use as a "stand alone" application

• "Map Your Photos" - lets you show people "where" you took the photos. Click on photos and see a map that locates the exact  place the photos were taken.

Google Earth WEB: No need to install software on your device. Google Earth WEB plays in the browser. It will render 3D images of just about any place on Earth. It uses satellite imagery and aerial photography and allows users to zoom to street level. Explore every country; see famous landmarks and locations; "fly" over places such as the Grand Canyon; create your own virtual tours or use ones created on interesting educational topics. Choose to show boundaries, bodies of water, roads, geographic features, etc. This tool is great for lessons and student projects.

Features:

• "Fly" to your own home; type in your address and go directly to your street

• "Fly" to famous landmarks, museums, national parks, cities, and more.

• See 3D terrain and buildings

• Tilt and rotate the Earth to get different views

• Change map styles to suit your needs

• Measure distances between places

• Use pre-made tours in the "Voyager" section

• Create your own custom tours complete with text, images, hyperlinks, and videos

Featured Content:

• National Geographic Magazine

• Nature - changing forests, sources of energy, wildlife, national parks, air pollution, sea levels, migrations, and more

• NASA

• Discovery Network World Tour

• Culture

• Education - geometry in architecture, historical events, U.S. Congress, the planets, coral reefs, electricity, and more

• Travel

• Layers - timelapses, satellite imagery, hurricanes, glaciers, watersheds, tsunamis, volcanoes, and more

Documents and Resources To Supplement Tools:

Websites:

Google Sky: Allows users to explore the sky, constellations, and planets. Read "About Google Sky." See views of the night sky. Find positions of the planets and constellations. There are a number of different ways to explore the universe.

Google Sky Map - Use this link to see the sky, Mars, and the Moon. There is a search icon for finding specific things. 

Note: This is an older site by Google, but it is still available. If you are using the newer Google Earth WEB, the sky feature is not available. You can download an app version that works on mobile devices.

Google News: Browse news sources updated continuously; customize your news page -bookmark articles you want to save, share links to articles with others, find similar articles, follow certain topics, and more

Google Sites: Create and publish websites. Interacts with the other Google tools, allowing users to link to/embed Docs, Spreadsheets, Slides, Forms, etc. Use for teaching lessons; use with students for projects and ePortfolios.

Google Docs: An easy-to-use online word processor that allows users to create, store, share, comment, and collaborate.

Google Maps:  Get directions, view satellite imagery, locate businesses, and more with interactive mapso

Google Groups: Collaborate with others; share information; collaborate on documents simultaneously

Managed Teams : Use Google Workspace to collaborate with video meetings, chats, shared files, and online Docs. Set up and manage your team.

Google Photos: Organize, edit, and post photos online; share with others

Google Blogger: Generate feedback and discussions on any topic; use as a class blog on pertinent units of study

Google Scholar: Search for scholarly papers, abstracts, articles, etc. from across many disciplines

Google Book Search: Search the full text of works in the public domain; find books you're looking to buy

Handouts For Classroom Ideas

Google Earth 3 Instructional Ideas - explore seismic hazards, meteors that hit Earth, places in Jules Verne's Around The World In 80 Days

Google SketchUp in the Classroom - empower students to be 3D designers

Google Blogger in the Classroom - post to a simple webpage to instantly publish blogs, class discussions, resources, and more

Google Scholar - handout with screenshot of a search result using Scholar, with explanations

Google Book Search - handout to use with students - find books in 3 easy steps