Google's Omnipotence

                Now with pictures… or something like that. I understand, both as a lover of art and as a visual arts major, that pictures are visually pleasing, but I do enjoy reading walls of text at times; there is just a kind of gratification that is felt when I finish a huge box of text, like finishing a box of cookies, but I digress. Anyway, although the title is quite an exaggeration, Google is still a powerful tool. It seems, despite the lack of hands, it is much handier than even the best handyman. Unfortunately I also happen to be a lover of horrendous, distasteful jokes. But seriously, even though Google is so convenient, I rarely see it used in a classroom setting. I had never even thought about it until this week’s class when my professor introduced me to Google Drives, which I had barely used in the past. I was astounded. Google Drives provides blank documents, spread sheets, and forms. These are essentially watered-down versions of Microsoft Word and Excel. I asked myself, “Why did I install Microsoft Office?”

                Like Charles Cooper, I completed switched over to Google Drives. It’s just that much more convenient. Microsoft Word has constantly been updating interesting feature, however I find that a vast majority of users never used more than the fundamentals; fonts, text customizations, spell and grammar check, and simply typing up papers. The majority of the users are casual, and therefore the amount of people who actually need the advanced features are questionable. On the other hand, Google Drives is simple and straightforward. It uses the same fundamentals as Word, with the exception of being completely free. As a miser, I find it completely unnecessary to pay for something that I could simply use for free.

                Google Docs and Sheets aren’t all that Google can offer. Google has uses in educationaltechnology as well. Unfortunately I have never seen teachers apply this technology in a classroom setting before now, and my feelings are generally positive. Google Drives provides three main features that contribute to education:
               

Hangouts

Teachers and students are able to meet outside of the classroom using this feature. It is extremely helpful during bad weather and teacher absences.

                Circles

Teachers are able to create sharing circles to provide students with efficient, up-to-date material.

                Google Plus

This feature is essential for group work. Students are able to work together on projects, in real time, without even having to meet up in person.

Lastly, Google has updated another efficient feature specifically to help people break language barriers.  This feature is the well-known, trusty Google Translate. I personally am not a big fan of this feature because it played a crucial role in helping me score significantly lower on my high school Spanish quizzes. However, this feature is a step forward for those who travel often and those who wish to learn new languages. The update allows users to aim their phones at texts of different languages and translate them on the spot, without internet or data. I still remain skeptical due to some iffy and awkward translations that can occur, but overall I believe the update has the potential to be quite successful.