Wanda

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Changes Coming to Google Educator Certification Program

Google Kool-Aid Yum!Since I attended the Google Teacher Academy in December, 2014, I have done everything possible to spread the word about the various certifications Google offers related to Google in Education. I had been a “Google Qualified Individual” and then that program changed to “Google Educator”. I went through that process and learned so much about Google Apps for Education in the process. I then applied to the “Google Education Trainer” program and was accepted. I hold training sessions for the teachers at my school as well as present at conferences. Following the GTA in Austin, TX, I was able to add “Google Certified Teacher” to my list of recognitions (although I didn’t do it for the label).

I got the information below yesterday and am passing it on to anyone interested, mainly because I have been doing sessions at conferences about getting certified and this changes a good chunk about what I have been sharing. Specifics haven’t been released yet and it appears that they won’t be until June. I’m not sure what I’m going to do about the certification sessions I have planned in the meantime but, hey, Google is all about change. Anyone who can’t go with the flow of “launch early and iterate” may want to stick with Office 365. LOL!

<speculation>I expect that the changes are coming because we hear rumors that the Google Certified Teacher label is going to be changed to something like Google Certified Educator to make clear that it also includes school administrators and support staff. If that IS the new label, it would definitely be confusing to also have Google Educator floating around out there.</speculation>

So, here is the bulk of the email I got on the topic. I know no more than what is here. I anxiously await more details about the changes.

This from Google:

We are currently updating our certification programs to provide a better learning and assessment experience for educators and people who train educators. The content in the exams will remain the same so please continue to use the learning material available at google.com/edu/training to prepare. The main change will be in the name of the certificate.

If you have purchased the exams as a step to become a trainer, you do not need to worry about any changes to the certificate. However, if you have purchased the exams in order to become a Google Educator, we’d like to share some important dates given the certificate name change:

April 7 – Final date for individuals to purchase new exams. All exams already purchased will continue to count toward a certificate. If you have started your certification but have not purchased all of the exams needed, please purchase them before this date.

June 27 – Final date to complete all 5 exams in order to achieve a “Google Educator” certificate.

June 28 – Any exams passed on or after this date will count toward a new training certificate. The name is still to be determined.

As a reminder, in order to achieve a certificate, you need to pass the 4 required exams (Gmail, Drive & Docs, Calendar, Sites) and a minimum of 1 other elective, such as Chrome. If you begin your exams between April 1st and June 28th, you will have 180 days to complete the full set (extended from 90 days to account for the time the exams are unavailable).

Any exams completed after June 28th will still achieve a training certificate that is valid for 18 months. This training certificate will meet the requirement for those applying to become Google Education Trainers, but the certificate will not be called “Google Educator”.

In summary:

  • If you’d like to receive a certificate that says “Google Educator”, you need to pass all 5 exams by June 27th, 2015.
  • If you’re taking the exams to become a trainer OR you don’t care whether the certificate says “Google Educator” or another training certificate, then you can take the exams whenever it’s convenient for you.
  • If you fail an exam, you will not be able to purchase a new exam until June 28. However, we will be extending the certification period to 180 days which should give you enough time to retake the exam. If this isn’t enough time, please contact us.

Questions? Email gfe-certifications@google.com

FAQs

1. What do I need to do to achieve my certificate?

You need to pass the 4 required exams (Gmail, Drive & Docs, Calendar, Sites) and a minimum of 1 other elective, like Chrome or Chromebooks. Once you pass the first exam, you have 90 days to complete the other 4 exams in order to achieve the certificate.

2. If the exam content changing – do I need to study something different?

No. The product exams will continue to reflect the content available in the current Learning Center at google.com/edu/training.

3. What happens if I pass all 5 exams on or after June 28?

You will achieve a valid Google for Education training certificate, but it will not be called “Google Educator”. It will still be considered a prerequisite for applying to the Google for Education trainer program.

4. How long does my certificate last?

All certificates expire after 18 months.

5. I am taking these exams to become a trainer, what should I be worried about?

Nothing! The content in the exams will continue to be targeted towards individuals who want to deliver Google for Education product training to others and the exams will still be prerequisites for applying to the Google for Education trainer program.

6. I am taking these exams to get certified as a Google Educator, what should I be worried about?

As long as you pass 5 exams by June 27, you be certified as a “Google Educator”. If you’re unable to to complete by this date, you will still receive a valid Google for Education training certificate. This certificate will identify you as an expert in Google for Education products, but will not be called “Google Educator”.

7. What will be the name of the new certificate?

The name of the certificate will be announced at the end of June. Because the content in the Learning Center has been historically focused on product training, the certificate will be geared for those who deliver training.

Google’s Research Tool Gets Personal

I was in a fabulous session, Revolutionary Research in Google Drive, at this past weekend’s TN Google in Education Summit. In the midst of showing the Research Tool to the group, Adam Seipel got almost as excited as Joe Cantore got hearing thunder snow.

When using the Research Tool, in addition to having access to everything on Google Search, Imanges, Scholar, Quotes, and Dictionary results, you now have access to PERSONAL results. It searches items in your Google Photos, Drive, and more. Awesomesauce!

“Personal results include documents, presentations, and spreadsheets from Docs, Sheets, and Slides, as well as images from Picasa and posts from your Google+ stream. By clicking Preview you can quickly glance at the content, and for presentations you can click Import Slides to choose slides to insert into the current presentation. You can also click Insert Link to insert the item’s URL and title. In documents only, you can insert a footnote citation with the link by clicking the Cite button.” (Source)

Check it out!

Research Tool Gets Personal

Have a Mac and No Ethernet Port?

When I purchased my latest Macbook Pro many months ago, I wasn’t happy that it had no Ethernet port. Sometimes, you just need to get the speed a network cable provides. So, if you have a Macbook Pro or Macbook Air that doesn’t have an Ethernet port BUT you have a USB port, consider doing what I did. I purchased an iLuv USB Ethernet Adapter. I got the one with two USB ports built in so I wouldn’t lose out on USB options. Here is the one I purchased (not an affiliate link – I make nothing off directing you to their site). They have other products but I haven’t tried them. I am, however, very pleased with this adapter. It allows me to wire up when needed (like my room at work that doesn’t get good WiFi) and the quality of the product is very good. I highly recommend it.

iLuv USB Ethernet Adapter
 

Hot, Hot, Hot!

Verizon, Lollipop, and My Samsung Galaxy S5

While not directly related to education, this situation is affecting my workflow and me so here I go.

My wireless provider is Verizon Wireless. Several months ago I made the switch from being a long-time iPhone user to the Android OS on a Samsung Galaxy S5. Until recently I found the switch to be good for me. The device plays better with my Google Apps workflow. The cost was reasonable. I added additional storage and know I can change my own battery if needed. I still use iOS on my iPad so apps purchased were not done in vain.

Last week the upgrade to Android Lollipop was released to Verizon Galaxy S5 devices. I had been watching the reviews other users have had over the last many weeks. It seemed fairly stable and so I upgraded with little hesitancy. The upgrade process was fairly quick compared to some iOS updates I’ve had in the past. Sadly, the problems became evident just as quickly.

Hot, hot, hot!Suddenly my phone was always hot. Not just warm. HOT. I am honestly surprised it hasn’t burst into flames.

The charge on my battery (which usually gets close to empty around 3 pm since I work in a building that blocks cell signals like crazy) ran down at an incredible rate. For a recent example, I sit at Starbucks typing this post and entered less than one hour ago with a fully charged phone. It’s now at 68%. The last several days my phone was completely drained by about 10 AM. Not acceptable.

When the problem first showed up, I hit the Verizon forums and found that other, many others, were having the same issues. I was reassured it was not all in my imagination but am not happy at all that, after 6500+ views, Verizon still hasn’t addressed the issue. If they would just come out and say they have discovered the problem and are expecting to have a fix soon, I would not be so frustrated.

The consensus is that a significant part of the problem is the Wi-Fi. The phone is constantly dropping and reconnecting to the Wi-Fi resulting in apps quitting and restarting which contributes to the heat and battery drain. However, even with Wi-Fi turned off, my phone is still experiencing the high battery drain so I tend to believe that the Wi-Fi issue may be increasing the heat which would, in turn, contribute to the battery drain (and eventual battery damage). I have noticed that as long as I have the phone on me and I’m moving about, the situation is worse. Whether that is from the pedometer (which is now turned off even though I like to use my phone as a pedometer) or if it is an issue with the accelerometer, I don’t know.

All I know is that Verizon needs to let their customers know what it going on. I shouldn’t have to have the Wi-Fi and pedometer turned off OR fear that my phone will spontaneously combust. Verizon certainly doesn’t hesitate to contact customers when they want to sell us something. Let’s see the same veracity from the customer service department as we do from sales team!

 

Southern Summit and My Dissertation

  • February 1, 2015
  • IDT

I’m about to go to day 2 of the Google in Education Southern Summit. This summit in 2013 was my first ever and it became my latest addiction. If I were to win the lottery, after taking care of my family and bills, I would go to every GAFE Summit I could get to. It’s like getting innoculated to the drag that the educational system has become. Being around all these folks who are excited about learning and getting fired up about new and interesting ways to help kids is refreshing.

Dissertation Getting Closer

I started grad school (EdD in Instructional Design and Technology at The University of Memphis) this past August and they start us early narrowing down topics for our dissertation. Still in the preparing the proposal stage but here is what I am considering. I would LOVE comments and opinions from anyone as I continue to focus on the final proposal.

Being a degree in IDT, I will be designing an instructional unit, implementing it to gather data, and then use that data to address my research questions. The unit I have in mind would explain how exploring all kinds of informal learning (especially the building of a PLE/PLN) and guide them through getting started.

Informal Professional Development: An Antidote to Teacher Burnout?

The Problem – Teacher burnout is a serious issue. Formal professional development (PD) is often focused on the latest mandates (e.g., evaluations, standards, testing) and is not differentiated for varying teacher needs and interests. Emerging technologies have led to an increasing number of methods for informal teacher PD and learning. Educating teachers about the different methods of informal PD could contribute to a more focused and productive personal learning environment (PLE). Learning methods for managing the flow of information may lessen the overwhelming nature of an active personal learning network (PLN).

Research Questions: 

  1. How do participants currently utilize various methods of informal professional development?
  2. How are participants currently impacted by teacher burnout?
  3. When comparing participant understanding of informal PD before and after unit completion, in which areas was the greatest and least improvement demonstrated?
  4. What are the current participant perceptions of informal professional development?
  5. How did participants’ perceptions about informal professional development change, if at all, upon completion of the unit?
  6. In what ways, if any, are participants considering using knowledge gained through completion the unit to impact their own informal professional development?

 

What do you think? I’d love feedback on either side of the discussion. Still very early in the construction of the proposal.

 

 

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