Category: Google

My Google Drive FAIL

Bitsy GriffinLeave a comment

files-1633406_640.jpgThis morning, I’ve been going through my google files. What a mess! I’m a fairly organized person, but keeping up with digital papers is apparently a ridiculous task for someone who touches so many areas of the curriculum. And I’m a jack of all trades with interests in soooo many things. And this is not a problem I have with items I can hold in my hand. Those I can evaluate and toss.

When I taught math and the occasional science course, I could divide things up in courses and then units. There was overlap, but not like this. I had created an archeologist nightmare. I could dig for days to find related files in multiple folders.Virtually identical files were everywhere. Folders were in folders that were in folders. I felt like Alice exploring Wonderland looking at the baffling and unexplainable.

Some decisions have to be made. Topical, seasonal, type of lesson? What made me think I could do all three? Why do I have five copies of this same file? Is this a library skill or a literary skill? Have I ever used this? Will I ever use this? Why in the world did I keep it?

*sigh*

Well, muchis gone now – at least for this moment. But this is truly a digital problem – maybe just mine, but I suspect I’m not alone. I can easily keep it, so I do. At what point will my drive resemble the internet?

I guess I should confess I have the same problem with pictures, but that will have to be tackled another day.
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Google Power Searching Course

Bitsy GriffinLeave a comment

I meant to post this earlier and flat out forgot! Google is offering a free course on Power Searching. I just finished the first class and learned enough to make it worth my while I’m sure. I was surprised that only 10% of people use the find feature of a browser, but that’s why we learn things. If you are interested, I’ll see you on their forum.

Power Searching with Google …a short course on becoming a great internet searcher

Google Search makes it amazingly easy to find information. Come learn about the powerful advanced tools we provide to help you find just the right information when the stakes are high.

 

 

Sharing through your feed

Bitsy Griffin4 Comments

Bill mentioned this in his collection of posts – see bottom of page. His shared google feed. Still would like to know how you got the big picture at the top???

This piqued my curiosity. I have hit the share button on my feed knowing no one would see that item because I had no idea where they’d go. Well, I found it on my google profile yesterday. Here’s mine. It’s more education than anything right now, but it is that time of year for me to uber-think about my field.

Here is how you find it if like me you didn’t / don’t have a clue. http://www.google.com/reader/shared/insert_your_user_name_here.

Now, we all subscribe to many of the same blogs, but we also subscribe to different feeds too, and I’m confident that you might share something on your feed that I’d never see on my own – something not quite worthy of posting about (or time lacking, yet) but thought provoking none-the-less. There is even a comment feature so a discussion could be held on the feed.

So, I’m asking you to think about making your shared items feed known for others to subscribe.

Google Maps Gets a (Much-Needed) URL Shortener

Bitsy GriffinLeave a comment

Great idea!

We typed an address in Manhattan to try the new feature out. With the Short URL feature turned off, our shareable URL for this address was “http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=41+11th+St,+New+York,+NY&sll=40.745612,-74.008065&sspn=0.010794,0.020707&g=41+11th+Avenue,+New+York,+NY&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=41+W+11th+St,+New+York,+10011&ll=40.734925,-73.997099&spn=0.002699,0.005177&t=h&z=18.”

Ouch! When we navigated into Labs and checked the box to enable Short URL, it became a simple “http://goo.gl/maps/2cl8.” That’s much better.

Google Maps Gets a (Much-Needed) URL Shortener.