Posts Tagged ‘google’
Don’t be a Glasshole
Posted on: May 19, 2013
If Google Glass takes off, we might need PSAs like these.
Hmm, come to think of it, there should be PSAs for pervasive things like Twitter and Facebook upon signup. Like “How not to be a TWITter” or “Don’t judge a Facebook by its cover”.
There actually are a few online already. But they are not as funny or punny as the one above.
Who nose?
Posted on: April 28, 2013
We laugh now at Google’s April Fools joke, Google Nose Beta. But who knows what the future will bring?
Take the ingredients of creativity, innovation, and humour, and the future dish smells nice.
Sharing your view is a plus
Posted on: January 30, 2013
Today CeL is organizing e-Fiesta 2013 with the tagline “Say Open Sesame to Open Learning”. All of us will be way too busy to think straight.
Fortunately, I found this video and am scheduling this entry to be posted around the time we conduct the unconference segment of e-Fiesta.
The video is about how one photographer, John Butterill, started virtual photo walks to benefit folks who could not go on photo trips, particularly those who were bedridden or in hospital. He attached his smartphone to a camera, and with the help of Google Hangouts, video-conferenced with others.
I like how the video ends: Sharing your view. That’s a plus.
That is Google’s marketing tagline. But it is also relevant to promoting open learning processes and products. We must want to share our views with others openly.
Doing so is a plus to those who receive. The issue is convincing the givers to share more openly and freely. They will ask why and what-do-I-gain.
Thanks to the open Web, I can share a resource like this that provides answers to those questions. There are many other reasons and resources, of course.
One only has to search. You will find because someone has opted to share openly.
When form meets function
Posted on: October 2, 2012
I will be the first to say that the teacher in the video could have used some other tool and method to get her students to open up to her.
But while Google Forms was not the most important ingredient, it was essential. That said, it was a caring teacher who thought of a way to leverage on Google Forms to get her students to tell her their stories.
Our students are already telling their stories. They leave digital trails in Facebook, Twitter, blogs, and other online spaces.
The Internet can connect people, but sometimes people put barriers up in school to prevent those connections, e.g., no mobile devices, Internet filters, systems like SSOE.
Form must meet function. If the function is to connect, the form must change.
Block head
Posted on: April 23, 2012
This ZDnet author thinks that Google+’s best feature is the power to shut fools up. He goes on to describe how to follow only the people you want to hear from and how to block those you don’t.
As I read the article, I wondered if blocking on Twitter did not do the same thing.
I have mentioned before that I actively 20 to 50 block people and “people” everyday. This results in a loss of 600 to 1500 potential followers every month. It is a good thing I do not play the numbers game.
I block because people are following the wrong @ashley and I do not want to lead them astray. I block because some followers are spammers or bots. I generally block those who are marketers, have private accounts, or do not have anything to do with education.
Call me a block head if you wish, but I think that is part of responsible Twitter account management.
Hanging out
Posted on: February 27, 2012
Earlier this month, I had the best excuse to try Google Hangouts. I had to video conference with Google folks in the USA and Australia.
I did a trial run with a few folks at CeL and was pleasantly surprised how easy it was. Just how easy? Almost as easy as sending email.
If you have a Gmail account, you need only click on your Plus profile and start a hangout by selecting the people you wish you meet. Of course each person needs an Internet-connected device like a laptop with a webcam or a mobile device like an iPhone or Pad.
I was impressed by how each person’s voice activated the focus. You need only speak up and you would take centre stage. No press-to-talk or hand raising. You can also share and discuss YouTube videos or desktops.
Other video conferencing systems or tools offer similar features, but Hangouts is free and easy. With the exception of FaceTime, it is my favourite video-conferencing tool.
Sign of the times
Posted on: February 12, 2012
Google+ is Facebook minus?
Posted on: June 30, 2011
I don’t know of any techie blog that did not have something to say about Google’s announcement of Google+ project yesterday.
The video below outlines the idea and the link above provides details and more videos about circles, sparks, hangouts and the emphasis on mobile.
Some techie bloggers and writers are wondering out loud if Google+ is positioned to compete with Facebook and Twitter. Even though there are functional overlaps, I don’t think this is the case.
Based only on what I have seen in the videos, I think that Google+ is more like Facebook minus or Groups plus. Or perhaps Twitter on steroids.
You can create separate audiences, groups or collaborators for things that are important to you. You can text or video chat with your groups. You can connect only with people that matter to you.
It’s Facebook minus because you aren’t broadcasting everything to everyone. It’s Groups plus because it includes features that might be useful for a project or discussion group.
I wonder if Google+ will be integrated into things like Google Sites or Docs. If it is, I see great potential for its use in education for cooperative and collaborative work as it will literally add important faces to the artefacts that you are trying to create together.
Google ads
Posted on: November 6, 2010
Googled
Posted on: August 24, 2010
That’s all of us at Google HQ in Mountain View, California. We were there for a 1.5 hour meeting and just before we left for the airport!
The inside of the Google Enterprise office building is what I had imagined creative work places to be like: Open, glass-walled, large areas for play, free food, and happy people!
