Google Scholar- A great search tool for effective research

Doing research is a common activity found in every classroom today. In the schools I work in, most of that research is being done digitally, on Chromebooks or tablets. With the overwhelming amount of resources out there, how can one be sure they are effecting researching? A great starting point is found within Google called Google Scholar.

Within Google Scholar users can freely search an abundance of scholarly literature consisting or articles, references, citations, patents. case law and more. A great feature of Google Scholar is that users can create "Alerts" for search queries and receive an email when something comes up. Secondly, within the "My library" section users can save articles for later use. There's even a My Citations section that will search and find and save any articles written by you, the user!

To get up to date information regarding this topic , follow their blog here: http://googlescholar.blogspot.com/

The latest craze- Live Video Streaming Apps

"Explore the world through someone else's eyes" is the catch phrase of 1 year young Periscope app, recently acquired by Twitter. This is just one of the many latest craze live video streaming apps. The concept is simple, create an account and login. From there you can search and follow users of the application.You can opt-in for mobile notifications so when a user goes live you can view their feed in real time. 

You too have the ability to stream live video yourself. Each app has a simple to setup option to start your own video feed. Give your video a name, choose your audience, and begin broadcasting at the touch of a button. Private broadcasting is usually an option if you're not open to the public.

So far I've tested 4 apps: Meerkat, Periscope, YouNow, and of course Google Hangouts. Each of these I have really enjoyed trying. I quickly browsed through the feeds that were live and watched a few that interested me. In the comfort of my own home (in bed to be exact) I was watching the Jets game on tv and catching a live feed from someone inside the stadium. Next, I watched an upcoming artist sing out everyone's comments (in most apps you can interact with the streamer by making comments and likes which are viewed by all, live). Lastly, in one app there was a map of where live streams were occurring so I browsed outside if the US; I actually got to walk through the streets of a small community in Africa where a man was exploring a local food market. In just a few short minutes I had been to a football game, concert, and another country. How cool is that?









These are just a few of some really fun ways to step into the lives of other people all around the world. I really see this concept of live video streaming becoming a new way of the future. It allows user to instantly explore a greater world then they have physical access to, at their own comforts. Famous celebrities and artists are even jumping on the band wagon. You can view the group U2 as they prep before a concert or Jimmy Fallon as he prepares a monologue for his next late night show. The possibilities are endless! 

Here is a list of the most common live video streaming apps:

• Meerkat
• Periscope
• Ustream
• Twitcam
• Livestream
• Google Hangouts
• Snapchat Live
• YouTube Live
• Streamup
• YouNow

I  encourage you to download some of these apps and give them a try, I really think you'll be entertained, and maybe even learn something new! 

New document protection features added to Google Docs

Google recently came out with a feature we've yet to see, that allow you to prevent people from downloading and/or printing your Doc. Basically, you can set it so that they can only view it online. This feature is only available for the actual owner of the doc and, as of now, it is only available on newly created Docs, not past Docs. 

Below, I've copied and pasted Google's specific directions for how to access these settings. You too can find this if you click on share (in a new Doc), then click on advanced and you will see the options at the very bottom of the doc. There you will find these exact directions linked to the text "learn more."  Here is what it looks like:

I hope you find this to be helpful!

From Google:

To prevent people you share with from being able to download, print, or copy your file or folder, turn this setting on.
In Google Drive

1. Go to drive.google.com.

1. Select a file or folder.

1. At the top, click the share icon .

1. In the bottom right, click Advanced.

1. Next to "Disable options to download, print, and copy for commenters and viewers," check the box.

1. Click Save changes.

Docs, Sheets, or Slides

1. Go to a Docs, Sheets, or Slides home screen.

1. Open a file.

1. In the top right, click Share .

1. In the bottom right, click Advanced.

1. Next to "Disable options to download, print, and copy for commenters and viewers," check the box.

1. Click Save changes.

Note:

• People with "edit" permissions will still be able to download, print, and copy your file or folder, even if this setting is on.

• If you turn this setting on, all options to download, print, and copy will be hidden from Google Drive, Docs, Sheets, and Slides.