Google Resources and Features

Key Gaming Idea: Integrate those specific Google resources and tools that connect with 21st century skills.

Below you'll find a quick list of the features and options in the world of Google. Notice that some of these options require a Google account and others don't.

Google Menu Choices. The Google menu bar has changed recently. Here are the current options.

Google Everything Search - Google Advanced Search
Google Images. Search for images.
Google Maps. Search for maps.
Google YouTube. Search for video.
Google News. Search for news.
Gmail. This item requires a personal account. Manage mail.
Google Docs This item requires a personal account. Manage document.
- Google Docs Demo. Even if your students don't have Google accounts, they can still use the Google Docs demo version.
Google Calendar. This item requires a personal account. Manage calendar.
Google Translate. Translates languages.
Google Mobile. This item contains mobile information.
Google Books. Search for books and magazines (free, previews, and sales.
Google Music/Play. This item requires a personal account. Manage media.
Google Offers. Only available for some areas.
Google Wallet. This item requires a personal account. Manage money.
Google Shopping. Search for items to purchase.
Google Blogger. This item requires a personal account. Manage blogs.
Google Reader. This item requires a personal account. Manage RSS feeds.
Google Finance
Google Picasa Web Albums. This item requires a personal account. Manage photos.
Google Videos. Search for video.

Google Projects

Google Art Project. Locate museum artwork.
Google Business Photos. Build photos into places on Google Maps.
Google Code. This site provides developer information and ways to create new projects while learning code.
Google Correlate. Use Google Correlate to find real-world data, compare time series, and compare US states in terms of searches.
Google Elections. Use the Google Elections page to explore up-to-date information about the US Election.
Google Hotel Finder. Locate hotels in cities around the world.
Google Life Photos. Locate photos from Life magazine.
Google Mars. Explore Mars. Enhanced version in Google Earth.
Google Moderator. This tool allows people to post a series of questions and answers. This item requires a personal account to participate.
Google Moon. Explore the moon. Enhanced version in Google Earth.
Google Public Data. Explore public data.
Google Blogs. Search blogs.
Google Books. Search books.
Google Flights. Find flights.
Google Fusion Tables. Visualize and publish your data as maps, timelines and charts.
Google Patents. Search for patents.
Google Panoramio. Search for a place and see photos.
Google Photography Prize. Join this contest. Or, explore the entries and winners.
Google Recipes. Search for recipes.
Google Scholar. Search for scholarly articles.
Google Science Fair. Join a science fair.
Google Sky. Explore the night sky. Enhanced version in Google Earth.
Google Trends. Use this tool to find out what people are searching around the world.

Google Downloads

Google Earth. This is a 3D view of the world.
Google Sketchup. This is a 3D modeling tool.

Google Topical Projects

Google.org. This website is the philanthropic program of Google. It provides support for important projects worldwide.
Google Alerts. Sends you email alerts related to specific searches.
Google Crisis Reponse. This area is activated when there is a disaster. It is used to assist first responders and others in organizing during a crisis. Design a local disaster simulation. Select Google Tools that could be helpful during a disaster.
Google Custom Search. Provide a custom search for a website. Check out a class example.
Google Dengue Trends. Tracks dengue trends.
Google Earth Outreach. Explore how Google Earth is used visualize causes and tell stories.
- Google Lit Trips. Read a novel and explore a trip.
- One World, Many Stories. Explore stories around the globe. Pick a project.
- Sea Turtle Conservation. Pick a sea turtle. Who do you think will win? Track the turtle and post on a bulletin board.
Google Family Safety Center. Go to the center to learn more about safe searching, settings, and privacy. Are you practicing safe computing?
Google Flu Shot. Search for a location near you that has a flu vaccine.
Google Flu Trends. Tracks flu trends.
Google Green. Explores how Google is addressing green efforts.
- Create a Green Scrapbook focusing on current trends in environmental searches.
Google Public Alerts. This site provides important alerts from across the web.
Gooru. Google is one of a number of sponsored for this new educational site.
Google Transparency Report. Check to see what countries are censoring the web.

Related Topics

Google Information and Blogs
- Google Blog Directory. Check out the latest information from Google's blogs.
- Google+ Pages Directory. This is a great way to find what's happening with specific areas of Google such as Blogger or Chrome Apps.
- Google Blog. This is Google's main blog.
- Google Inside Search. Focuses on searches in Google.
Google Experimental. Join the current experiment. You can only join one at a time.
Google Gadgets

Other Tools. Google is reaching beyond it's traditional search options. Explore some of the new opportunities within Google.

Chrome Apps. Go to the Chrome web store to search for thousands of great apps.
Chrome Experiments. This is a place to share cool projects created in HTML5 and JavaScript
- World Population. This example requires Chrome.
Google Groups. Create mailing lists and discussion groups. The old version is going away. This item requires a personal account.
Google Mobile. If you work with mobile devices, you'll find lots of cool resources specific to these devices.
Google Play. Like iTunes, it's a place to organize your music, books, movies, and more. This item requires a personal account.
Google +. Get involved with social media. This item requires a personal account.
- Google Students. This is a Google + page for students.
Google Sites. Create your own website. This item requires a personal account.

Resources for Using Google

Search Blogs
- SearchReSearch. Explores student search skills and ideas. This is a great source for lesson ideas. It has lots of examples of sample searching.
Google Guides

small block Try a couple of the Google tools that you haven't used much.
How could they be useful in accessing information?