Google Resources

Google offers a multitude of terrific tools that can be used to enhance both teaching and learning. The tools are powerful, user-friendly, and FREE! In future posts, I will be highlighting some of these tools and will share ideas of how they can be used in the classroom.

In order to take advantage of Google’s resources, you will need to have an account. To create one, you just need a valid email address. You could use your school email or a personal email account, if you prefer.

To set up your teacher account:
1. Go to http://www.google.com/
2. Click the “Sign in” link in the upper-right corner:
3. Click the “Create an account now” link at the lower-right:
4. Follow the on-screen prompts to create an account.
Note - the hardest part will most likely be the word verification where you will have to decipher the word and type it.
5. Check your email for a message from Google. It will include a link that will verify and enable your account.

TikaTok

TikaTok is an online site that helps students imagine a story and create a book. The site includes a wonderful tutorial which explains the process of writing, illustrating, and publishing their book. Students can share their books with their classmates online, or they can choose to purchase a hard or softcover book.

Visit http://tikatok.com/ to get started! Click on the "take a quick video tour" link on the right-side of the site for complete details. Also, take a look at the Tikatok Blog: Uncommon Brainstorming Ideas, Part I - http://nightly.tikatok.net/2008/writables-uncommon-brainstorming-activities-part-1/. Here, you and your students will find uncommon brainstorming ideas to spark creativity and get the story ideas flowing.