Thing 12

Well, I've reached the halfway point in this journey to understanding technology, and I can now put Thing 12 on my list of things I never knew that I never knew.

For this activity, I was immediately drawn to Google Calendar.  I love calendars and I'm constantly updating my calendar on my phone with even the smallest things that I don't want to forget to do.  This goes hand in hand with my list obsession :)  However, Google Calendar was quite different.  The function that I appreciated the most was the fact that you are able to share your calendar with friends and family, along with using Google Calendar to send out invitations for events.  I am always put in charge of organizing family get togethers, and one of the hardest part of that is simply finding a date when everyone is available.  Google Calendar will be put to use from this point forward in any family event that I am put in charge of planning!  As a teacher, I could definately use Google Calendar to update parents on class activities, parent teacher conferences, field trips, etc. 

The other resource that I was drawn to was Google Translate.  As a Spanish major in college, I know first hand how unreliable online translators can be.  In fact, the very first day of class, my Spanish professor warned us not to use an online translator to complete any of our assignments.  She said she would know and it would result in a failing grade on the assignment.  Needless to say, one student did end up using it to translate his entire report and as promised, the professor knew!  After playing around with Google Translate, I can tell how she knew.  Although the translate function was able to convey the general meaning of the English phrases I put in, there were quite a few errors.  However, I could see using Google Translate or another online translator to help a student whose first language wasn't English.  It is a great way to quickly translate something that a student might not understand.  I also like that there is a voice option that will read the translation.  I could see this being particularly helpful for the younger learners who might not know how to read yet.  Although it's not a perfect substitute for speaking a foreign language, it is a great tool to use in a pinch to get your point across.