Wednesday, February 13, 2008

Thing #7 Cool Google Tools

The most frustrating thing for me about Google is not anything to do with Google itself, but the fact that I love so many aspects of what Google offers (I use so many of these tools already) and I can't use them from 5 a.m. to about 5 p.m. most days. Our district has restricted almost every aspect of the best Google tools since they require you to be logged into your Google account to use them. From alerts (sent to your email) to the notebook (linked to your account) to the calendar (which would be great if I could use the widget that integrates Outlook's calendar with any other iCalendar--like Google's calendar).

Oh, and a thing that's coming up soon is also blocked: StumbleUpon. I wonder what the benefit is for students when the restrictions are so strict. I'll add some sharing of my Google like my Picassa Web Album in Thing 7, Part II which will be coming to a blog near you soon.

For now, feel free to read this article reaffirming the need for school librarians.