Google isn’t just a place for googling. It’s also a place for apps.
Although a simple search engine may always be the first thing that students think about when Google comes to mind, Google’s other applications can be valuable tools for balancing school, work and life.
For example, Google Docs provides a place to create, store and edit documents, presentations and spreadsheets. You can create new documents within the site or upload one from your computer. But the best thing about Google Docs is that you can invite others to edit and view your documents, making it ideal for group projects. No more countless emails with multiple versions of the same document.
If you’re doing research and don’t feel like rummaging through hundreds of thousands of search results, Google Scholar can help. Google Scholar searches your search terms among scholarly literature like books, theses, articles and court opinions.
When the members of your group project are having a hard time finding a time to meet, you can use Google Groups. With Google Groups, you can start a discussion group that meets in one place, like a private chat room. You can also share documents and Web sites with group members.
You can create a Web site for a project with Google Sites. Google Sites lets you create and customize Web sites for free. You control the content and who is able to edit it.
Perhaps the most valuable tool that Google provides is Google Calendar. With Google Calendar, you can organize your appointments, due dates, to-do lists and reminders in an easy-to-use, color-coded format. You can even attach documents to events and send reminders to your cell phone.
So don’t limit yourself to just “googling.” To Google and beyond.
