Google tools for educators
Google have recently released their Google for Educators site, containing links to 12 of its web-based applications, along with information about how they can be used to support education.
No surprises with the tools and applications they've assembled here, but useful to have access to all via the one website. The menu provides links to a teacher's guide to 12 Google products, including basic information about each tool, examples of how educators are using them, and lesson ideas.
Google's moves are part of the company's strategy to assemble a suite of applications that are tied to an internet connection instead of a single computer's hard drive, and is yet another indication of the growing movement toward the use of software that can be accessed via the web from any internet-connected computer--even productivity applications such as word processors and spreadsheets that traditionally have been tethered to a desktop machine. (see recent eSchool News article).