Google Certification

As part of our professional development, the technology integration specialists in my district have decided we should all become Google Certified Educators. I love everything Google, and I am really excited about this opportunity. I have been working towards preparing for the test to get my certification and thought I would share some resources that I have come across for anyone else who might be interested. Would you have any interest in becoming a Google Certified Educator? Why or why not? I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Level 1 - Capacity Matrix

This resource is my favorite. I found it on ShakeUpLearning.com. It is a table with the different Google apps or concepts and resources to click on for each to familiarize yourself with them. There is a section where you can also mark your comfort level, so you know which apps you should review or spend more time on before taking the test. 

Skills Checklist - Certified Educator Level 1

This link is exactly what it sounds like, a checklist of all the skills you will need to master before taking the certification exam. 

How to Pass the Google Certification Exams

This blogger shares her Google Certification process. 

Google Certified Educator Practice Exams

I haven't actually taken these practice exams yet, so I don't know how helpful they will truly be. They are free, so I plan to try them out in the near future.

Google Training Center

This link is probably the most trusted and reliable resource as it is straight from the source. Google offers trainings to prepare you for the exam. There are thirteen units with multiple lessons including videos and other resources to help you be successful when taking the exam. 

Love to Link

I have been at the P20 Conference for educators in Twin Falls, Idaho for the past two days. It has been awesome connecting with other educators and gaining new tools and ideas for the upcoming school year. I thought I would share a few tools to involve and get feedback from an audience or your students during a presentation. I had heard of and used a couple two of these sites before, but the other two are new from the conference. Each tool has a similar purpose, but all are different. Try them out to see what works for you.

TodaysMeet

• Provides a link audience members can follow and can respond to a question. Everyone can see responses in real time.

Dotstorming

• Dotstorming is similar to TodaysMeet, but participants can vote on each other's responses. 

Mentimeter

• Allows audience members to respond to a variety of question types. You can see results in a word cloud or a variety of charts.

Poll Everywhere

• Really simple to use. Ask students a question, collect responses, and see the data in real time.