Thing 12

Almighty Google.  Google does it all, from searching the web to providing directions on your phone to translating text.  Although Google has tons of useful products,  I chose to explore Google Scholar and Google Translate.  These two items seem like the ones that will be most useful in my classroom in the future.  Google Scholar is an easy and quick way to search for academic articles.  Teachers need to stay current on research in their field, but it is sometimes difficult if you are not a student with easy access to periodical databases.  Google Scholar is a way to still search for academic material, but it is free for everyone.  Google Scholar is extremely easy to use, as it is identical to Google.  Google Translate also contains endless possibilities for use in the classroom.  This service is also free and quickly translates text into another language.  In our increasingly global culture, Google Translate can help a teacher with ELL students greatly.  If a student speaks and reads only Japanese, it is difficult and unfair to give them a test only in English.  The test is not longer over the content area, but is now a test of the student's English language skills.  With Google Translate, a teacher can translate a test or other material into a student's native language.  Although Google Translate does not always perfectly translate text, it can ease the burden of learning a new language on a student. Google still does it all! There are so many useful (and free!!!) services available on Google that can make someone's life easier, but are also useful in the classroom.