The World of Gmail & Custom Search Engines.

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Let's face it. When you want to get online to search for something, what do you say? "I'm going to Google it." Right? In my opinion, Google has cornered the market as the most popular search engine. I mean, it's name has become a verb. But did you know that you can create your own custom search engine? Before this week, I didn't either! It's a super cool feature that Google offers and most people have never heard about. You can watch the video below to learn more about creating your own!



After learning about this tool, I decided to give it a try. Since I currently teach students ranging from ages 3-5, using a search engine isn't a classroom task they can do independently. However, they are learning to use technology, and by example I can show them how to search for information they may need or want to know in the future. I created a search engine directly linked to websites for kids that have to do with animal facts -- that way, when they have a question about animals, all the sources we search through are credible and relevant. Take a shot:




This week I also learned a lot about the different functions of Gmail and all the cool things it allows you to do -- did you know you can actually unsend an email?! For real. When you accidentally send an email to the wrong person or forget an attachment, you can quickly undo your mistake if you have the Undo Send feature enabled in your Gmail settings. You only have a short window of time to make this decision, but I think it's the best email trick I learned this week. You can learn more about how to do it on this website. I also discovered the Labs tab under Gmail settings, that allows users to try some experimental features, kind of like beta testing. The good thing about the Labs tab is you can find some really neat tools to use, the bad thing is they can disappear without notice. The features in this area of Settings are constantly changing as new discoveries are made.

The more I learn about the different aspects of Google, the more I realize how helpful they can be, not only to my teaching life, but also to my personal life. Let's see what next week teaches me!

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About Me

My name is Megan, I live in Overland Park, KS, and I'm a Head Start early childhood teacher. I love music, art, and I'm a little bit stuck in the 90's. This is a blog about useful Google features & technology tools that can be applied to any classroom setting. Teach on!

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