ALERT! (Using Google Alerts as your research robot.)

Do you ever Google things?

Google alerts will crawl the web looking for your specific topic. It will then email you once a day or once a week depending on how you set it up.

I have used this for when Eddie Bauer pants go on sale, when people post about iPads in K-2, anytime someone uses Colin Davitt or Davitt.

Why do I want an email about when the pants go on sale?

I hate shopping. I hate looking for sale items. Google can send me an email when there is a sale.

Why an email about iPads in K-2?

We had some trouble finding information about iPads in the primary grades. We turned over the research to Google and let it find us solid links. This saved us about 15 hours worth of pointless Googling.

Why the Colin Davitt or Davitt search?

I wanted to be alerted when someone was posting about me. I want to keep tabs on what is happening on the web so I can react if needed.

How could you use it?

for new lesson ideas
tips for parent teacher conferences
new streaming videos on Netflix
new restaurants in St. Louis

The alerts you create are almost limitless.

Note: Not all alerts will magically return amazing results.

Follow these steps to activate your first Google Alert.

1. Make sure you are logged in to a Google account.

2. Google - Google Alerts (or go to google.com/alerts)

3. Create your alert.

4. Select alert options.

5. Click the blue button to start the process.

This simple process has increased my overall efficiency by 17% on a daily basis.

How might you use this in your daily life?

Comments

Who is emailing me? The Blue Man Group??? (Add an image to your Google account.)

WHY It is always nice to put a face with a name. Sometimes we need a tiny little reminder of what someone looks like because we don't see them very often. Follow these steps to add/change the image associated with your Google account. HOW Open your email. Click your image. It might just be a blue circle if you have not added something already. Click Change . Find an image you like. Your amazing new image will appear. From now on everyone can put a name to a face!

Embed an audio clip into a Google Form!

Are you looking to embed an audio clip into a Google Form? Below you will find a list of things you will need ready and a video to walk you through the process. Needed: A single PowerPoint slide. Movie Maker. (Already on your computer.) A Google Form. Watch this video for the steps to follow.

Setting Your Gmail Away Message

You will be away from your classroom for a bit and probably won't be checking email on a regular basis. Wouldn't it be nice to have Gmail respond for you alerting whoever is emailing that you out enjoying your summer? Setting up your vacation responder is pretty simple, a few clicks and a save. Start by clicking the gear icon in the upper right corner of Gmail. Scroll way down the page. Look for the vacation responder section. 1. Click to turn the responder on. 2. Add your first and last days away. We would recommend adding something short and to the point for the subject line. 3. Whatever you add here will be the body of the email you are automatically sending out. It would be a good idea to tell them when you are planning on returning and who to call if they need immediate assistance. We also recommend not checking the two buttons at the bottom. 4. Save changes . That is it. Now your inbox will automatically alert people that you are not in your...

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