Thing 29 - Google Tools

Search tools: I looked at the SearchWiki tool and thought it was interesting. But I don't think I would take that much time to customize a search. In fact, I actually use Clusty more than Google because of the clustering results that suggest other possible topics to look under. In other words, I appreciate the "feedback" I get from this site in comparison to Google. By limiting my search results with SearchWiki, I would think that I might miss some information that I didn't think of originally, or new content that has come online, etc.

I do have to add that during a training I learned about a Google search tool that I found very useful. It's called Google Special Searches. A user can take a topic and choose the websites that are used during a search. I like this tool for students because I find that sometimes students get carried away by interesting, but extraneous content and end of clicking off topic. Or else they may start on a credible site, but end up on one that is questionable. By reviewing the sites ahead of time, computer research time can be much more productive and efficient. I should mention that I would use this search tool when the purpose of the search activity is to get good research content, not for learning about credible content.

Productivity: I have a GMail account for professional activities (used for all those account logins). Having this account was a requirement for using Google docs as well and made communication during this process convenient. I also think that it is helpful that a user can click into the calendar, reader and document features from this account. I finally went into the Theme and Lab settings (I hadn't looked at these before). It was nice to be able to set the theme - I didn't like the default look. I also added a few Lab features such as the attachment reminder. While I will not be getting rid of my personal email account (through another provider), I did appreciate these options in GMail.

Given all the tools that Google has, it would be interesting to participate in their Google Teacher Academy.

Thing 28 - customized home pages

As I have mentioned previously, I like the look and features of Pageflake, but I honestly did not want to create another account. When I joined Flickr, I simultaneously registered with Yahoo. So I went with this previously existing account. I have noticed that other participants have commented on the amount of accounts needed for the various 23 Things activities. I see advantages and disadvantages to all of these accounts. Disadvantages of course are the many accounts to remember. Advantages include the extra security of not having everything connected. However, I'm not sure how much hackers really want to know about my widgets and gadgets. I have also been careful about not adding personal information. Therefore, I can see that in the near future, connectivity will most likely be greatly improved. It has already gotten better since the first 23 Things.

That being said, the initial set up of my page was time consuming. I had been previously bookmarking favorite sites, and noting which content I was interested in. But now I had to get it all organized. Not to mention the fact that there are so many content options to choose from. Now that my page is finished for the time being (I'm sure I will be adding and updating in the future), I can see how much easier it will be to keep up with topics that I have been neglecting - out of sight, out of mind. I can see that it will be helpful to set aside some set times for reviewing all this great content. I also feel that this tool will be key in helping me to better keep up on professional topics. Yahoo!