My Primary Colors of November

What do I love about Google. Let me count the ways...

• Its free for Education
• Seamless integration amongst apps
• If you have a need, Google probably has a tool
• Extensions and add ons for customized functions
• They keep innovating
• Access across any platform
• All my stuff is in one place

I could keep going (but I won't).

November has been a very Google-y month for me. It started with my application to become a certified Google Trainer. I found this process to be much more fun than the teacher certification and it gave me the opportunity to be creative. The application process consists of an online test, a 3 minute self-promotion video and finally the application itself. My fingers are crossed as I wait to find out if I'm selected!

This month our district hosted the CenTx Google Summit. Thanks to +Amy Mayer and her group from @friEDTECHnology for organizing such a great event. I presented an advanced session on the autoCrat add-on. autoCrat adds useful functionality to Google Sheets and Forms. I use it to manage form workflow for online course enrollments. As expected, I had a small group of attendees which was perfect for meeting the needs of individuals and answering questions specific to the contexts in which this tool would be useful. I had a district AP who has a need in which autoCrat would be a perfect tool and I'm looking forward to supporting her with this. I'm hoping I can convince her to share how she is using autoCrat with other administrators at this year's Fusion conference in Hays CISD.

Google just updated a couple of features which I'm very excited about: the capability of uploading a document in a Form and the newly designed Google Sites. Both of these changes offer teachers more functionality in tools they can use with students. I will be encouraging teachers to use sites as a publishing  tool for students to give them an authentic audience. The simple interface means students will spend less time on the technical aspects of building a site so they can focus on the content.

I will continue to post month updates on how I'm showing off my favorite color pallet and my mission to Google-ize Hays CISD!