Technology Medley

Salem City Schools recently added Google Apps for Education to its list of technology options. Google Apps provides a free alternative to Microsoft Office products for students in the secondary schools to use. Teachers can easily create and share documents and calendars with each other as well.

I have created several files explaining how to use the various features of Google Apps in Salem. The plan is to add gmail this summer to replace our current mail system. Even though some of the information is specific to Salem teachers, others may find it useful. You can access the pdf files from these links:

Your Dashboard

Start Page

Contacts

Google Calendar

Google Docs Overview

Google Documents

Google Presentations

Google Spreadsheets

Google Forms

Google Sites

Have you noticed the new options that show up when you do a Google search? Typically, you search for a term, reach the main Google page, and start clicking. But now you have more information right at your fingertips! First, click on the Show Options link at the top of the search results page.

You’ll notice numerous new options on the left side of the page. Now you can narrow your search by the most recent pages, forums, videos, etc.  Take a look at the Wonder Wheel near the bottom.

When you click here, Google gives you a visual of related links that may help you narrow down your search results. (The actual search links still show up on the right side of the window. If you click on one of the spokes of the wheel, Google will display a new wheel of related topics. Each of the former wheels moves to the bottom of the screen, so you can always return to your original search.

Another interesting option is the Timeline link. Clicking on this option when searching for Salem yields the following results:

So, the next time you’re searching for something in Google, check out all of the options in the left sidebar. Hopefully, these will lead you to your desired results in record time!