Google Goggles & Google Search

Bring the information from the web to real life...

One of the most underused apps on most Apple devices the Google Mobile Search app. This app not only lets you search the web but let's you search by voice. My wife and I often have contests to see who can Google the fastest. She on her laptop and me on my iPad. We'll be watching an episode of NCIS and she'll ask "How old is Marc Harmon?" Then the race is on. Thanks to this little app I don't have to keyboard anything, I speak "How old is Marc Harmon?" 9 times out of 10 it understands me perfectly...which is more than I can say for my beautiful wife :)

All kidding aside, this app has gotten some upgrades that I have to write about. For about a year, Google has had an Android app called "Google Goggles". Goggles searches the web for you based

on images. You take a picture with the app, Google compares it to similar images on the web and gives you a Google search based on your picture. WHAM! you are instantly taken to links with limitless information on that item. The Google Goggles app has now been fully integrated with the Apple IOS Google Mobile Search App.

But perhaps the best part is that the app doesn't just scan images. It also scans barcodes & QR codes.

Here is my experiment with the Google Mobile app from my iPad:

1. Select the camera 2. Take the picture 3. Choose the site you want to look at.

QR codes:

1. Scan your QR code 2. Go to the site of video linked in the code.

The QR code above comes from a book trailer project by our librarian.

According to Google's info on this feature you scan any of the things below.

This type of app is what geeks call "Augmented reality", basically you bring the limitless information of the web and mix it with reality. It's a fantastic new technology and our students can do so much with it...if we let them.

With our students being allowed to bring their own devices to the classroom next year. Stay tuned for many tech projects based on these apps and QR codes.

To recap the apps are:

Android: Google Goggles

IOS: Google Mobile search

Civil War Newscasts: Part I

Since the end of the year is upon us, I wanted to finish with a bang. This, in nerdy tech/history teacher terms, meant a major collaborative project. My goal was to create an assignment that went into detail in many aspects of the Civil War but also incorporated different pieces of technology that are available to students at our school. Ultimately, I decided to have the students pretend like there were televisions and news stations during the Civil War Era and create a newscast based on some of the particulars of the time.

My goal for this post is to begin to break the project down into parts so any teacher could incorporate this into whatever your subject area may be. So here goes...

The first day was simply going over the project with the students. Each student was given a group, each group a topic, and each topic an instruction sheet and checklist. Here is a teacher information sheet to guide you as well.

The second through fourth days is what I'd really like to focus on in this post. This is the script writing process. Students were made aware that they could not begin filming until all scripts were complete.

The first piece of tech integration shows up in the script writing. Students used Google Docs and their checklist to create their scripts. Google Docs allows for the utmost in student collaboration. Each group created a Google Doc for each of the scripts before they even started. Immediately, the students were asked to share the document with each of their group members and their teacher. This allows for each group member to edit the document at any time from home or school. For more information on Google Docs please click here.

I have to share a one story about our Google Docs experience to show you how cool it is. I had one group that had two of the three group members out while we were writing our scripts. In the past, that one remaining student would be stuck with a lot of work. With gDocs, the students that were out sick were actually working on the script at home at the same time as the one student that made it to school. VERY COOL STUFF!

Many students used their former notes, textbooks, or the internet to research their topics as they were typing their scripts. I was able to read the scripts as the students were typing. Another nice feature of Google Docs that I used was the insert comment feature. I typed several comments on each script during the class period as the students were working. This freaked them out at first that "big brother" was watching their every word being typed. In the end they found it helpful, and they were very excited that I could add some insight before the scripts were officially due.

I'll share the remaining parts and tech integration of this project in future posts. They will appear on my blog at Teaching History with Tech. If you enjoyed this post please consider joining my PLN @HistoryandTech. And finally, I'd like to thank @techforschools for allowing me the opportunity to guest post.

Have a great summer...the next school year will be here before you know it!

Regards,

Andy

Job Interviews using the iPod Touch Lab

In my Career Investigation classes we have been talking about interviewing for jobs and the importance of being professional and prepared. We did moc interviews in class and used the iPod Touch lab to record the interviews live. Not only did my students love doing the interviews and using the technology, they also learned that they needed to work on their interview skills if they wanted to get a job in the future. Many of the students commented on how shocked they were at how silly some of their answers were and requested a second chance at the interview to improve their answers. It was an awesome learning experience for them that helped the students realize that the "business world" is much different than their "social world". Here is a quick summary of the lesson:

Objective: Students participate in a job interview recorded using iPods and Audioboo.

Procedure:

• Discuss with students common interview questions asked


• Pair students up and distribute I Pods and a list of interview questions to ask


• Each student gets a turn being the interviewer and the applicant


• Students publish the interviews to the teacher account on Audioboo


• Once published, students go back and listen to their interviews and critique themselves as well as their partner's interview. They have to decide if they would actually get a job based on their interview.


• The teacher listens to the interviews that were published and decides which students would get a job and which would not based on the recorded interview.


• As a class, discuss some of the "good" and "bad" things from the interviews (playing specific examples with student permission)


• Students get a "call back" interview where they can improve their answers and interviewing skills.

This lesson was fun and actually really easy to do, and I am NOT very saavy when it comes to technology! There are so many things you could do with the Audioboo App and the iTouches, please don't be afraid to try something new. My kids loved it and I had a blast watching them learn and try to improve their skills.

Posted by Mrs. Baker of Hunt M.S.

Shakespeare SMS/Twitter project...

The Shakespeare Twitter Project

Objective: Students give presentation of Shakespeare as if it happened over Twitter

Procedures:

• Students study a scene/act of a play
• Convert the major parts of the scene/act into sms or tweets & write them down
• Create a Todaysmeet.com wall for class project
• Students give oral presentation to class about their scene/act
• Presenting group members sign in as their respective characters
• While presenting, the group is broadcasting their tweets on behalf of their characters, to the rest of the class.
• The class watches the presentation while also watching the twitter stream. Students could use any internet connected device to follow along.

This lesson comes from Liz S. @ Hunt MS.

Destructive vs Productive Students...

One thing I hear over and over is how tech savvy our students are. Too often this statement comes from self-defeated teachers who all but give up becuase the think their students know more than they do.

The problem is, most students know more about causing problems with technology than they know about being productive with technology. This is why educational technology is so important. It is our role, as teachers, to teach our students how these tools can help them be more than they are without them. More time effective, more efficient, more communicative, more proficient, more productive.

So when I have students who would rather disrupt class by messing with our device settings or finding ways around the security in place, I tell them...

"Any Punk can be DESTRUCTIVE. It takes real skill & discipline to be PRODUCTIVE."