google ninja school coming right up

Google Ninja School – Coming Right Up

by

I noticed that Matt Bowman of My Tech High will be teaching a Free Google Ninja MOOCover on the Canvas Network that looks like it will be a great learning experience for all involved.  The Course starts on March 10th and it’s free! I believe My Tech High usually charges $350 for a course with similar content, so this is a deal (although the student to teacher ratio will be much higher in the MOOC). Our district has been using Google Apps for Education for over 3 years now and I’ve lead many workshops over the years in a variety of settings. Although, I’m a certified Google Apps for Education Trainer, and use Google tools all the time, I know for sure that there is a lot I still don’t know. It seems like, I am always discovering a new trick or learning about a super creative use of a Google tool that I would never have thought of before.

The great thing about using Google tools is your not alone. Help is everywhere and it doesn’t take much effort to find some amazing resources that will help you sharpen your skills. In the spirit of sharing some Google Goodness, here is my Top 10 List for learning Google Tools and Google Apps for Education (GAFE).

  1. Google it- Whenever you want to know how to do something in Google or anything else, why not do a Google search for it? You don’t even have to be that good a searching. Just type in you question and see what happens. More than 90% of the time you can learn how to do what you want to do by doing this. Example: Google- “How do I make a Google survey?” and even though I didn’t use the right word (which is form not survey) the search results return several great tutorials on how to do this.
  2. Get Better at #1 by Learning Some Power Searching Skills- Take a self-paced course made by the best in search biz. See http://www.powersearchingwithgoogle.com/
  3. YouTube Search it– If you’d rather see a video than search for your question on YouTube.
  4. Use the Google in Your Classroom Page– This is pure awesome. Try a Mini-Google Course on some of the different tools, they even have built in review questions and classroom application suggestions.
  5. Take an EduCourse– Free, self-paced courses that cover all the basics.
  6. Join a Google Education Community– Why not give it a try and share some love.
  7. Become a Google Educator or Trainer- If I can do this, you can do it too.
  8. Check out these Resources– Some hidden gems in here.
  9. Go to an EdTechTeam Summit for Google in Education- Super awesome!
  10. Follow the hashtag #GAFE on Twitter- Read a couple of the resources shared each week and you’ll be a pro in no time.

The hard part, but most important part, in all this is that in order to be a Google Ninja you must practice and apply the tips you learn about. The real learning comes by doing and doing something to push yourself forward is always Learn Worthy.

Leave a Comment