Thing+14

= Welcome to Thing 14! =

You will be learning
 * advanced searching features on Google
 * how to use Google Forms
 * some of the advantages of Google Drive (formerly Docs)

Overview
Everyone is familiar with the basic Google search, but Google has many more tools that can assist you in your career and classroom. There are many hidden features and underutilized tools that Google has to offer. There are several search secrets you can use within the basic Google box to get more relevant results. Take a look at the list from the Google page about how to narrow your search. Another list of search options allows you to request specific types of results like images, articles or blog posts. Google Forms and Google Drive are very useful free tools available. By creating a free Google account you can access these features in the menu at the very top of the Google page. Google Drive allows you to share a document with others and work on the document simultaneously. You would no longer have to email a document back and forth to collaborate. Google Forms allows you to create surveys. Check out this list of 71 Ways to use Google Forms in the Classroom. If this link will not work, try this one: 71 Interesting Ways to Use Google Forms in the Classroom (only now it's 81!)

This 9 minutes tutorial takes you step by step through the process of creating a Google Form. Also - if you are doing this activity on your school laptop, you will find it works better on Mozilla Firefox or Google Chrome browsers. Our version of Internet Explorer is not supported.
 * NOTE: In the video, the tutorial gives the web address for Google Docs. Since this tutorial was written, the web address has changed. To access Google Drive (formerly called Google Docs) go to:** @https://google.drive.com

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Ideas for the Classroom

 * help students find relevant resources for projects using Google
 * collaborate with teachers and allow your students to collaborate with Google Drive
 * quiz students or survey parents using Google Forms
 * look at the other 71 ideas for using Google Forms

Your Task
For this thing you will be creating a Google Form. Log in or create a Google account to get to the Google Drive option. Create a Google Form of your choice. Post a comment on Edmodo about what kind of form you created and one idea for using this in your classroom. Provide a link to your completed form.

Extra Credit
Google Forms can be a timesaver for you. Check out this post about how to create a self-graded quiz using Google Forms. Try Google Drive the next time you need to collaborate on a document with another teacher. Teach your students the Google search tips before beginning a research project. For lesson plans on using Google search features try this site. Check out some of the other useful Google tools such as Google Calendar, Google Books and many, many more. There is more to Google than the search box.

-Tamara Cox