Google Certification Level 2

Around the New Year, I took Google's Level One certification test. Here's what I wrote about it at the time. Today I took and passed the Level Two Test.

The basic details:

• It costs $25.
• One has a week to take it from the time of registration.
• Once the test is started, the taker has 3 hours to finish the test- no pauses or breaks.
• The test-taker needs to have a camera on his/her computer so Google can monitor the test-taker.

The test has two segments. The first part is a 25 question test. The questions come in a variety of forms. Some questions have two correct answers, other questions ask the test taker to put a series of tasks in order. Other questions are essentially matching questions. I found this section to be difficult. There were a couple of questions (I signed an agreement not to share content so I can't give details) on which I simply guessed.

The second part asks the test-taker to use the full Google suite of tools. One has to be able to use Sites, Gmail, some Extensions and Add-ons, Drive, Scholar, Docs, and all other things Google. The questions were fair, but I found the test challenging enough as it took me 2:54 to take the test. And the end, I was "fried" enough that I didn't even take advantage to the chance to review my answers. I simply clicked, "submit".

Within minutes, Google will tell you if you pass or fail. I've heard that one needs to get 80% correct to pass. I don't know if that's true. And one does not get to see which questions one gets right and wrong.  I probably found out in a minute that I passed.

It is definitely harder than the Level One test, but it is not significantly harder.

Google Expeditions Pioneer Program

Last summer when Google Expeditions Pioneer first announced itself,  I at once signed up to pilot the program. Then to my disappointment, they announced they were only in select cities. This repeated itself 3 more times, with a request from Google to sign up only to be told by Google that they were not in my city. I even emailed Google asking why keep asking folks to sign up if it wasn't available. Google Expeditions leverages Google Cardboard to create virtual reality tours in 3D for students. Right now, the images are only still images with no sound. Video and audio are in the works. Currently there is, at least in theory, a zoom function, but Google has for now disabled that feature as it causes Expeditions to crash. Three weeks ago, Google emailed me on a Thursday saying they were in my area and could they come on Tuesday. I scrambled like crazy to get that day together. After a frantic weekend trying to get the day in order, Google asked if they could come later in the month. I was both chagrined and relieved. In the three weeks I worked with Google setting this up, I worked with three different project managers. Majorly annoying. In fact, Google emailed two days before their visit asking if they could postpone for a second time. I got close to pulling the plug on the whole day. I was surprised by how Google seemed to be flying by the seat of their pants. Cutting to the chase... later in the month ended up being this past Thursday. I organized for 26 different classes to experience Google Expeditions. The results? Google Expeditions are going to be awesome. They aren't yet. They have some glitches both big and small. I have some reservations beyond tech glitches and organizational snafus. Right now, the Expeditions are still teacher centered. I led the expedition for my students. Brand new tool. Old paradigm. I'd love for Google to think more about letting students explore and teach themselves. Better yet, Google should offer both options for their tours. Still, despite my complaints, the promise is truly extraordinary. I think these pictures of the students at my school capture how amazing the technology truly is. You may click the link above or scroll through the pictures below to see the wow factor on the faces of teachers and students.

Tech Tip- Google Add-ons and Extensions

Extensions are Chrome browser based. Extensions are small programs that add useful functionality to the browser. I have too many. I can't even see all of them in my menu bar. (Note to self: delete the ones you thought would be cool but don't use.) But some I find quite essential and use them regularly. They make my teaching job easier and my classroom more dynamic.

My favorite is The QR Code Extension. By simply clicking on it, I make a qr code of the current page I am viewing. 

Other favorites I click often are an add on for flipboard, a tag cloud generator, and the save to google drive add on.

Explore the vast array of extensions As you can see, everyone seems to have their own list of favorites. 

Within the google apps for school, add ons are small programs that add functionality to my use sheets, docs and forms. I use grammar check add-ons for docs and add on I've found most useful is the sitemaestro add on in sheets. I used this today to send out personalized google sites to 62 students. 

Leveraging Google Earth

So, tagging Google Earth isn't a new idea. A half dozen years ago, I had students map the travels of Art Spiegelman, the protagonist of Maus using Google Earth. This project/ site takes the idea a bit further. It is a repository of created Google Earth Lit Trips. Its relevance to the classroom is self evident. This isn't one of those tech tools which needs its relevance explained. If you teach Literature, Language Arts,nHumanities, Classics, Social Studies or History, you should find this useful. Take a look. Google Lit Trips

Using Slides to Create a Presentation

My students are studying the rather archaic and difficult to understand Ancient Chinese Philosophies. To make them more accessible, I asked them to find movie lines and song lyrics that best capture the philosophies on Confucius, the Legalists and the Taoists. I feel that being able to put find connections across centuries and being able to put these philosophies into contemporary language helps make meaning. Take a look. I thought it well done.

Search Google Using an Image- aka reverse searching

So, sometimes I come across stuff that I bet all my students know and I just figured out.
Do this:
1. Go to google images and search "Paris"
2. Drag an image of the Eiffel Tower up into the search bar and drop it there.
3. Viola!

be amazed like me.