Google Zeitgeist 2012 Review

I don't know about you, but I find it hard to recall all that has happened in the past month, let alone an entire year.  An end of a year is often my favorite time because it offers a time of reflection and remembrance.  Thanks to the incredible amount of use that Google search gets, we can actually look back on a year just by looking at the trends and hottest searches done on Google.  Through the Zeitgeist 2012 Review from Google users can watch a video of highlights (which I have embedded below), see the trends for searches, the top searches in various categories (which can also be downloaded), break down searches by country by drop down or on a map, and if so inclined discover what you searched for the most (if you enabled web history in your Google profile. 

When we all head back to school in 2013, this might be a great video to show at the beginning of class and allow students to reflect on people and events they recognize or that has been discussed in class.  As mentioned above, you can download a copy of the list.  This could be a helpful classroom resource to use in the classroom through the years showing changes and similarities in Google search trends. 

Apps for the 12 Days of Christmas - Summary Post

I hope that everyone has had a Merry Christmas and are enjoying their holiday time with family and friends and not concentrating on work during this time.  A lot of the posts for the 12 Days of Christmas posts were set on a schedule, so I don't think I am missing any time with my family for these.  Anyway, I wanted to have a quick summary post of all 12 in one place, so here it is. 

Edcanvas - Helps users organize content into a central link and location.  Provides ability for various content, from PDF, to PowerPoint, to YouTube.  All your unit plan resources in one place.

Cubby - The next option in cloud storage with a little twist.  Get 5GB free, and 1GB for every person you refer with up to 25 GB total for free.

NextUp - Set a schedule, stick to your agenda, and let other see how much time is dedicated to each part of your lesson.

Otixo - With the increase ins cloud storage options out there, it will be important to be able to track and organize them all.  This site does just that.  All your cloud storage in one place.

Listango and Quicklinkr - Two bookmarking tools with two different purposes, both with features worth checking out.

EduClipper - Think of it as Pinterest with an emphasis for educators.  Share and find resources, articles, links, lesson plans for use in the classroom.

Share My Lesson - A website for sharing and finding lesson plans, videos, activities, games and other resources for use in the classroom. 

PodBay - A Podcast search engine and player.  Provides lots of information about the podcast station and also an iDevice app as well.

Quotebook - An App for storing, sharing, and reading quotes from books, websites, magazines, etc.

Slide.ly - A photo story tool that does a lot of the animations for you and allows for easy sharing with others. 

Themeefy - A digital magazine for creating and sharing information, videos, and resources from the web.

ClassBadges - A website for creating and sharing digital badges for students when they succeed in the classroom.

In between all these posts, I also write a piece discussing the 20 EdTech Critical Vocabulary Terms most people here and provided short descriptions and examples when applicable.  Worth checking out and sharing with teachers new to EdTech.