For the past several months, we’ve been working to implement a digital library (powered by Overdrive) in our district. Venturing into the ebook world has been quite an experience, let me tell you. Multiple devices, incompatible formats, DRM restrictions – a person has to really WANT to read in digital format because it’s not always easy getting what you want to read on the device that you have.
The introduction of Google eBooks may change all that.
This is the way digital reading should work!
You may have noticed that Google made some changes to the search results page recently. Check out this video to find out what they’ve done:
If you’re thinking of putting an e-reader like the Amazon Kindle or the Barnes & Noble Nook on your Christmas list, you might want to wait. Google is about to enter the e-book game, possibly rendering both of those devices obsolete.
Live Science reports:
On Oct. 15 Google announced plans to open an electronic book store. Unlike Amazon’s strategy with the Kindle-only format, Google plans to deliver eBooks to any device with a web browser. Google has not announced a format, but it is likely Google book downloads will only require a browser plug-in to read books on any device with a screen.
If Google is successful, hardware will be moot, any screen will do, and the largest collection of reading material in the world will be available to anyone and any institution with a screen.
Read the full article here.
From The Official Google Blog…
In February we invited U.S. kids to exercise their creativity by participating in our second annual Doodle 4 Google contest. In response, we received more than 28,000 doodles from kids representing all 50 states, a 70 percent increase from last year. Inspired by this year’s theme, “What I Wish for the World,” kids have expressed a variety of wishes, ranging from a world with a pristine environment to a world where imaginations can run free. We were impressed by the incredible spectrum of artwork we received this year, but even more amazed by the artistic talents of the kids who created them.
The Doodle 4 Google contest encourages students to play around with Google’s homepage logo to see what they can come up with. Here is last year’s winning doodle, Up in the Clouds by Grace Moon, Canyon Middle School in California.
Beautiful, right?
Today, Google announced the 40 regional winners for 2009 that were selected by a panel of expert judges. The winner, though, is selected by popular online vote. Take a look at all the beautiful and creative doodles submitted by students across the country, then vote for your favorite!
Google Earth has a cool new layer – Ancient Rome!
In the Ancient Rome 3D layer, you can:
Here’s a demo:
For their 10th birthday, Google asked 10 of their top experts this question: What’s going to happen in the next ten years? How will this phenomenal technology evolve, how will we adapt, and (more importantly) how will it adapt to us?
Here are some of the predictions made:
In the next decade, around 70% of the human population will have fixed or mobile access to the Internet at increasingly high speeds, up to gigabits per second. We can reliably expect that mobile devices will become a major component of the Internet, as will appliances and sensors of all kinds. Many of the things on the Internet, whether mobile or fixed, will know where they are, both geographically and logically. As you enter a hotel room, your mobile will be told its precise location including room number. When you turn your laptop on, it will learn this information as well–either from the mobile or from the room itself. It will be normal for devices, when activated, to discover what other devices are in the neighborhood, so your mobile will discover that it has a high resolution display available in what was once called a television set. If you wish, your mobile will remember where you have been and will keep track of RFID-labeled objects such as your briefcase, car keys and glasses. “Where are my glasses?” you will ask. “You were last within RFID reach of them while in the living room,” your mobile or laptop will say.
Pretty incredible, huh? For more predictions, read the whole post here.
Google is always creating and doing cool things, and their interactive timeline is no exception. Another little project created to celebrate their 10 year anniversary, the timeline tracks company milestones, products released, definitions of Google terms, statistics, and the development of Google “culture.” Especially fascinating are the year end looks at Google search trends. Who knew pokemon was so popular in 1999?
Photo citation: Its Future is in our Hands, uploaded on July 8, 2007 by aussiegall.
Last week I started seeing blog postings about the new templates on Google Docs, but I didn’t have a chance to look at them until today. As a person who likes to create good looking documents, spreadsheets and presentations, but has little artistic ability, I love templates! As a busy person with lots to do, I also like the idea of not having to start something from scratch. Templates are a life-saver when you want to create something professional looking and don’t have a lot of time.
In the Google Docs collection, there are templates for business of course, but there are also templates for students and teachers: academic calendar, science fair project outline, research paper, lesson plan, grade book, book report, class schedule, you name it – right there waiting for your own customization!
On the personal side, there are templates for wedding planning, sign-up sheets, packing lists and lots more.
I’m always using the templates in Microsoft Office – it’s nice to know that Google Docs has that option now too. Browse through the whole list here.
The Official Google Blog featured a significant post for educators this week: Our Googley advice to students: major in learning. (thanks to Cool Cat Teacher for the link.) Written by Google’s Senior VP of Product Management, the post outlines the qualities Google looks for in a prospective employee.
What are they looking for?
“At the highest level, we are looking for non-routine problem-solving skills. We expect applicants to be able to solve routine problems as a matter of course. After all, that’s what most education is concerned with. But the non-routine problems offer the opportunity to create competitive advantage, and solving those problems requires creative thought and tenacity.”
So what does that have to do with libraries? Plenty. The ideal school library program is one that serves as a learning playground where students learn to answer questions posed, solve real-world problems, create their own solutions and have fun doing it.
Students who have learned how to learn = Google quality employees
A thriving school library program will help students develop the qualities that Google and other businesses are looking for, which are these:
* analytical reasoning – To solve problems, the Google employees start by analyzing the data and discussing what they know, rather than what they think they know.
Library research projects that are developed around a real-world scenario can help students develop their analytical skills by requiring text evidence be used to support conclusions.
* communication skills – Google maintains that having the evidence is no good, if you can’t effectively communicate your solutions.
There are many activities that can be done in the library to help students develop communication skills – presenting conclusions drawn from research, reading poetry aloud, reader’s theater – these are all ways of practicing the skill of communicating. Students can also learn about effective product design in the library – this is part of communicating findings too.
* a willingness to experiment – Google looks for people who try various ways of solving a problem before coming up with a definitive answer.
Libraries have a multitude of resources for students to use when researching. Which one is best to answer the research question? Sometimes the first one selected doesn’t work and you have to try another one. I think this is where learning tenacity comes in. Library research projects should require that students try lots of resources, comparing and verifying the information found.
* team players – all work at Google is done in small teams.
This is also a great way to tackle a research project. Designing a project this way, allows students the opportunity to solve not only the academic problem presented, but also any social problems that may arise.
* passion and leadership – at Google, this means “be[ing] motivated by a sense of importance about what you do.”
When planning a library research experience for students, this is a substantial piece of the puzzle. Students who are presented with a thought-provoking question to answer, invariably get a sense of importance about the work they are doing.
Did you realize that by working with teachers to design challenging but fun learning experiences in the library and teaching students information skills you were also helping them develop invaluable life skills? When you stop to think about it, it’s pretty amazing all of the learning that can be packed into a research project.
As we look toward the start of another school year, I urge you to be firm in your resolve to create these kinds of experiences for your students whenever possible. You’re not just teaching information skills, you’re teaching important life skills – you’re teaching kids how to learn.
I’m going through my Google Reader today and finding some items that might be of interest to you. Here are the links (in no particular order)…
Top 10 Obscure Google Search Tricks (via Lifehacker)
100 Useful and Free Library Videos (via Stephen’s LIghthouse)
Key Differences between Web 1.0 and Web 2.0 (via Stephen’s Lighthouse)
Online learning reports to read (via California Dreamin’ by Rob Darrow)
