Exploring Google Photos, Calendar, and Keep
This week I dove deeper into Google Photos, Calendar, and Keep. I have been a long time user of all 3 of these Google features and I have been quite familiar with them. Each feature has the ability to be accessed on multiple devices and shared with others. If you have never tried any of them you should definitely do so; here's why!
Google Photos:
This Google tool is probably my most valued tool. I can't even begin to tell you how many pictures I take of my daughter with my cellphone. I used to get error messages on my phone saying that I was "running low on storage space" and I would have to remove data in order to store more pictures. Google Photos totally saved me! I synced my cellphone with my Google account and the rest is history! Now I have the ability to automatically upload my cellphone pictures to my Google Photos. I changed the setting so it deletes the photo from my cellphone - essentially creating an endless amount of photo storage space! Once the pictures are uploaded, Google automatically organizes them by date. You can create albums by selecting certain photos. This tool would be great for educators to use because albums can be shared. Here is an album I created for my Student Council trip to Children's Mercy South Hospital. I could easily share this calendar with other staff members from my school or even the students! Check out this video to learn more about Google Photos and everything it has to offer. Click here to go to Google Photos.
Side note: I recently became a customer for Google Fiber (Internet & TV service) - by connecting my Google account to my Fiber account I received a TERABYTE of storage! Now I definitely don't have to worry about running out of storage space for all of my videos and pictures.
Google Calendar:
Tired of using the outdated spiral-bound planner? Google Calendar is your avenue into the 21st century (click here to go to Google Calendar). The calendar tool has many different features that allow you to stay organized and keep track of everything! Here are some of the cool features Google Calendar has to offer:
- Create multiple calendars for different groups/activities/classrooms
- Share your calendars with certain people or groups
- Sync with other devices through your Google log-in
- Access events and make changes while offline (will not sync until back online)
- Create recurring events with start and end dates
- Set reminders for events or activities
- Embed your calendar onto your website (great idea for educators)
- Check out this article for more tips for using Google Calendar for educators.
Take a look at this calendar I created for my school district's important events/dates!
Google Keep:
Keep is a great tool to help you stay organized (click here to go to Keep). It can be accessed through your Google Drive and it is also an app that you can download on your cellphone or tablet. Like most other Google tools, this one syncs to all devices and it allows you to share your notes, lists, and reminders with others. If you are a "checklist" person, this is the tool for you! My favorite way I like to use Keep is for creating grocery lists and to-do lists. I can share these lists with my husband so he can pick up items from the store if I don't have time. He can also access the to-do list and check items off as he finishes. That way we can BOTH see what is done and what still needs attention. To "Keep" my lists sorted I color code them (pink = work notes; blue = grocery lists; and green = to-do lists). There are so many neat features to Google Keep. Check out the video below for a tutorial!
As always, I hope you find these tips helpful and inspiring. Google has so many fantastic features that can all be applied to the classroom. Stay tuned for next week. Until then: Keep Calm and Google On!
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