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Christopher Dawson
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Google is your friend

By | October 7, 2008, 10:13am PDT

I know there are those among us who lack my love for all things Google. Sure, it shows our kids ads, keeps track of the searches coming out of our buildings, displays naughty thumbnails that only the best of content filters can block, most kids don’t look beyond the first three hits (two of which are usually sponsored), etc., etc.

Sure, that’s all true, but Google is a lot more than search. I don’t think I’m off base in saying that Google provides the largest, free set of Web 2.0 tools available to the general public, meaning that our users can access them at home or school and generally across platforms (including Linux in most cases). One of our after-school programs is taking digital pictures of various flora and fauna out in the woods, uploading the pictures into Picasa, capturing the location at which the pictures were taken using a GPS, and then “geotagging” that location in Google Earth.

This says nothing of Google Docs, Blogger, Knol, Sites, calendaring, SketchUp, and more. As much as kids like Facebook, it’s important to understand the real value of Web 2.0 technologies for social, academic, and professional collaboration. I maintain that kids will get more out of blogging about a field trip and being able to add thoughts and comments to their peers’ blogs than they would by writing an essay about the field trip.

Want to create an online photo album or website about the field trip? How about take a survey that dumps data in a Google spreadsheet about kids’ favorite parts of the field trip? Create an online presentation and then interact live with digital pen pals while they watch the presentation? All possible for free with Google.

Don’t kill Google because of some naughty 1″x1″ pictures. Let the teachers be responsible for enforcing school policy and turn on Safe Search. Instead, use Google for everything it offers beyond a pretty fine search engine.

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Google Inc., Web 2.0, Internet, Christopher Dawson

Chris Dawson is a freelance writer and consultant with years of experience in educational technology and web-based systems. In 2011, he became the Vice President of Marketing for WizIQ, Inc., a virtual classroom and learning network SaaS provider.

Disclosure

Christopher Dawson

Christopher Dawson is the Vice President of Marketing for WizIQ, Inc., by day and a freelance writer and educational technology consultant by night. Well, most of his colleagues at WizIQ are based in India, so really he's working with them whenever he can stay awake. He has worked for his local school district as a teacher and technology director, for the Johns Hopkins University School of Public Health, and for Biogen, Inc. (now Biogen-IDEC, Inc.). He has also consulted with STATNet and Cytyc Corporation and retains close ties with X2 Development Corporation (now owned by Follett Software, the supplier of the student information system he administered for several years). Follett is paying him a monthly honorarium to act as a presenter for their "SIS Voices for Student Achievement" community (he produces occasional blog posts and hosts a monthly webinar on the use of student information systems to inform data-driven instruction and school-wide change. He regularly purchases and/or recommends Dell hardware. This is because Dell makes good hardware and has truly committed itself to education in innovative ways, particularly with their "Connected Classroom" initiative. It isn't because he has dealings with the company through his role at WizIQ (which he does) or because they have provided him with long-term loans of a variety of equipment for in-depth testing (which they have). Intel (reference designer for the Classmate PCs he has implemented in his local schools) has provided him with long-term loans of Classmate PCs for testing, as have Dell and Lenovo with their educational offerings. He may report on any of these companies as his experiences with them have direct bearing on educational technology; positive reports are not necessarily an endorsement and he receives no direct financial compensation from these companies or any others. Intel paid all expenses for his attendance at the 2009 Intel Classmate PC Ecosystem Summit which he attended as the sole representative of the technology press. He was invited to attend in 2010 but his wife would have killed him if he spent 3 days in Vegas geeking out and left her home alone with a new baby. Acer provided him with a 50% discount on an Aspire One netbook in early 2009 after he tested it for 30 days through their educational seed program. He liked the netbook at the time but it has since broken and sits unused in his office. Canonical sent him Ubuntu lanyards, t-shirts, and mousepads for his kids. He stole one of the lanyards and proudly hangs his keys from it and occasionally features his 8-year old wearing an oversized Ubuntu t-shirt on his Facebook profile. Gunnar Optiks sent him a pair of computer glasses to evaluate for a holiday gift guide. He is wearing them now as he types this because they never asked for them back and they rock out loud. Seriously - they work brilliantly and make it much easier to spend 20 hours a day staring at an LCD. If they ever asked for them back, he would fork over the $99 and buy a pair. Microsoft gave him 2 free copies of Office 2010 professional, a desktop clock, and a useless book on Office 2010 when he attended the launch of Office/Sharepoint 2010. He occasionally uses the SharePoint lanyard they gave him instead of the Ubuntu lanyard for his keys, but feels dirty afterwards. Adobe provided him with a pre-release version of the CS5 Master Collection for evaluation and ultimately provided a full, licensed copy for ongoing testing of educational applications of this admittedly expensive software. Like the Gunnars, if the license expires or they come out with CS6, he'd actually go out and buy it himself. Which is saying something, because he's actually pretty cheap. Any other companies wishing to send him cool things to evaluate, wear, or otherwise adorn his kids are more than welcome to; he promises to disclose it here if he keeps any of the stuff. Finally, because WizIQ is a virtual classroom and learning network provider, Chris, as VP of Marketing, frequently interacts with, seeks out deals with, and directly or indirectly competes with a whole lot of LMS, SIS, and other Education 2.0 companies. In general, he'll limit his reporting about these companies to news that does not impact his relationship with them or with WizIQ. If he reports on them, it's because what they are doing is newsworthy or worth the attention of his readers and not because he's trying to broker some deal, damage competition, or otherwise advance his position in his day job. LMS and SIS companies, along with other online learning communities, are a pretty important part of Ed Tech. If he stops reporting on them completely, there won't be a whole lot left. He'll be sure to call out any overt conflicts of interest if they are unavoidable. Finally, Follett Software Company pays him a little tiny honorarium every month to present on their SIS Voices webinars and to write the occasional blog or discussion thread for them. Since Follett recently bought X2 (maker of an awesome web-based SIS that Chris just happened to have used, served in advisory groups for, and frequently reported on), this is probably also worth disclosing.

Biography

Christopher Dawson

Christopher Dawson grew up in Seattle, back in the days of pre-antitrust Microsoft, coffeeshops owned by something other than Starbucks, and really loud, inarticulate music. He escaped to the right coast in the early 90's and received a degree in Information Systems from Johns Hopkins University. While there, he began a career in health and educational information systems, with a focus on clinical trials and related statistical programming and database modeling. This focus led him to several positions at Johns Hopkins, a couple-year stint in private industry, teaching high school math and technology, and 2 years as the technology director for his local school district. Most recently, he started his own consulting business and is now the Vice President of Marketing for WizIQ, Inc., a virtual classroom and learning network provider. He lives with his wife, five kids (yes, 5), 2 dogs, and a hateful cat in a small town in north-central Massachusetts. Although he is no longer teaching, his roles with WizIQ and ZDNet allow him to continue helping students and teachers add value to education with technology rather than merely adding to the bottom line.
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RE: Google is your friend
jfreedle2@... 11th Oct 2008
I don't use Google & never will use it.
View in thread
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Contributr
Google is NOT your friend
mkrigsman@... 7th Oct 2008
This post reflects a truly warped and demented perspective happy
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Give some arguments as to why you disagree. Just saying he is "warped"
DonnieBoy 7th Oct 2008
is pathetic. I happen to feel he is right on. There are tons of things that schools can do with NO budget, and, at the same time, they are learning Web 2.0, which is about 100x more useful than teaching them the technologies of the LAST century for communicating - fat office suites for printing on 8.5x11 paper.
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Wow. When you have nothing to say
GuidingLight 7th Oct 2008
you continue to say nothing.

which is about 100x more useful than teaching them the technologies of the LAST century for communicating - fat office suites for printing on 8.5x11 paper

It would appear that the majority of the world disagrees with you.
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Tools designed for printing on 8.5x11 that are not designed from the
DonnieBoy 7th Oct 2008
ground up for sharing and publishing on the web are on their way out. The faster we can stop teaching fat office suites for printing on 8.5x11 paper and local file storage, the better.

That is so yesterday.
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Is that so. Then why do so many companies
GuidingLight 7th Oct 2008
that use Microsoft Office, Word Perfect Office, Open Office, Star Office, ect, ect, ect, still print on paper?

When you purchase a house, do you sign paper or a computer screen? Where do you store your conformation of a purchase? Are Automobile titles printed on paper, or just available on the web?

The faster we can stop teaching fat office suites for printing on 8.5x11 paper and local file storage, the better

Businesses seem to disagree. They do not trust data on the web, and out of their controll, and for good reason.

I am starting to believe that you most likely have nothing of any real importance, so risking it all on the web is not a concearn should it be stolen.
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We are in a transition where we print things less and less everyday. Heck,
DonnieBoy 7th Oct 2008
before email, we had the secretary type up a letter, and send it via snail mail. We used to format manuals for printing, now, they are almost all electronic. We used to print up news letters and send them out, now we email the news letters and/or publish them on web sites. Really, we are left with legal documents that must be printed and signed, but that too will go away with electronic signatures.

But, I am an old fart. Wait for the next generation that uses web 2.0 technologies from the git-go. They will be telling their grandkids about these things called "printers".
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Some foresight, please....
ezflow321 Updated - 7th Oct 2008
I completely agree with the author of this column's feelings towards Google. Google is powerful, friendly and convenient and provides free and useful applications to the masses. It is about time that we had an American company on the people's side and is clever enough to be profitable for itself. Nothing in life is free (at least in America), but the only thing Google asks of most users is to glance to the side at an ad. Not a big price tag if you ask me.

Attending a local college here in Arizona, I have to point out that a lot of desktop applications are being phased out in the students' interest. Google applications are being not only encouraged but being taught. For example, Google SketchUp is widely used because it is a free CAD application. CAD applications tend to be very expensive when considered on a single-application platform. However, I highly doubt that there is any concern for personal information concerns.

On the other end you're right: Large companies seem to love office suites. I admit, I use Microsoft's applications a lot more than I use Google's applications. With Microsoft Exchange servers as powerful and secure as they are it is no wonder that companies opt to use these systems.

There are many applications that corporations use that are completely unknown to the vast majority of people. Invariably, when we get a new job we're introduced to an application that we've never seen before as well as applications with which we may be very familiar. This is work-as-usual and standard practice.

I just bought a cordless phone, today and it boasted a feature that I'd never seen before. A service offered by Google, "GOOG-411" is what this feature is called and it offers free directory assistance at the push of a button. Google is entering our non-internet-connected devices and Google is therefore growing as a corporate power. When Microsoft started charging for POP3 access to their Hotmail service Google quickly picked up the slack with Gmail's free POP access. Microsoft already charged me for Outlook XP, 2003 and 2007; why are they now requiring I pay to receive my email with Outlook or any other Microsoft email client? That's what bothers me most.

I can understand the idea that there "is no such thing as true altruism". In the light of Google's virtual altruism I have doubted them as well as anyone else has doubted them. I also feel that this nation is in the grips of a terror campaign driven by a National Security crisis. I think this scare is fueled by marketing by other corporations such as "LifeLock" and the credit situation. For the most part we as a people should be cautious with our personal information; however, allowing the fears driven by some shouldn't get in the way of one's reason and sensibility.

If Google was a true security threat our government would have shut them down a long time ago. If not the government(s) then some watch-dog organization or simply a very intelligent and wary person. The bottom line: if you're a cautious and careful person who thinks a corporation is using the internet to take over your identity then you really should think twice about connecting to the internet in the first place. After all, the internet's basic paradigm is that it is a massive network in which all computers connected to it are connected to one another. If your identity is in danger you'll fall victim to identity-theft - with or without Google's help.

It's up to each of us to decide what road to drive on and you can't blame the world if we get into a wreck.

(be kind - Microsoft Word's spell-check isn't 100% accurate, and neither am I wink
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Permanent vs. interactive (duh)
ozzie_tech 8th Oct 2008
The argument is NOT that paper is ALWAYS unnecessary, but that it sucks as an interactive medium. If you don't value or understand the value of web 2.0 interactivity, that is your loss. Technology has made the computer screen a dynamic open (interactive) window on the world, and worrying about whether interactivity can be stolen is like ****ing in the wind.
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Take issue with you both.
bernalillo 7th Oct 2008
The point of schools is not to teach last centuries technologies or even this century's technologies (unless yo are a vocational school) Teh point is to teach the fundamental underpinnings of the society and technologies and how they fit together. Students wil learn techologies as needed. Far more difficult is to teach "The point". I person's ability to use Word's most advanced features but has no understanding of when and why is of no use to them self or others.

The three B's of k-12. Basics Basics Basics.
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Agreed, but, if you teach a student to write, he MUST use some technology
DonnieBoy 7th Oct 2008
to do the writing on, and hand it in.

The options are: do it by hand with pen and paper, do it with a typewriter and paper, do it with a fat complicated office suite, do it with a light-weight writing tool (still on computer), or use one of the many Web 2.0 technologies.

Not sure you can get away from teaching at least one technology for recording written assignments - unless you want to revert to pen and paper.
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And that was never the argument
GuidingLight 7th Oct 2008
The issue here is that DonnieBoy beleves that Google should be above reproach. He is of the group of people that will speak out against anything that Google competes with, in this case, Office suites.

But you must also realize that if Google where to offer up a locally installed office suite of their own, something in the flavor of Open Office, DonnieBoy would be singing the praises of how brilliant Google is for understanding the needs of those that do not have affordable or reliable internet connections.

Now you can see where his argument originates. The true solution is a mixture of both, where your needs are not dependent on outside influences
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Google is not above reproach, and there ARE other options for Web 2.0 that
DonnieBoy Updated - 7th Oct 2008
schools could use. But, in ANY case they should not be taught last century technology for printing on 8.5x11 paper, that is, by they way, VERY expensive still. Better to teach them what they already need on the job, and what is free - and that is how to use Web 2.0 technologies.

Printing is so yesterday.
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Contributr
Blogged my reasons
mkrigsman@... 7th Oct 2008
Here's the link:

http://blogs.zdnet.com/projectfailures/?p=1059
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Agreed and God I hate the term Web 2.0...
TheBottomLineIsAllThatMatters 8th Oct 2008
it means nothing. One word - phone lines cut - oops...no class for a week.
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Contributr
RE: Google is your friend
zwhittaker 7th Oct 2008
I agree with you Chris - Google can't be held 100% accountable of how people use it. If someone goes out and murders someone after typing in a random name on Google - that's not Google's fault. Sure, there's still some bits to do for web safety, but it's down to individual institutions and security policies.
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Not clear...
bernalillo 7th Oct 2008
It seems to me that you just made a solid argument for shutting google off...
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The underlying principles should determine
GuidingLight Updated - 7th Oct 2008
who is a freind, or who is not.
There is nothing wrong with being a for profit company, which is what Google is.

It would be an entirely different issue should they hide their EULA agreements, or who they deal with, or what they do with your information, or who ultimately controls you own data, behind pretty offerings of photo albums and the appearance of giving back to the Linux community, correct?

Are their motives to maneuver everyone to the web, or to their web? Is pushing taxpayer funded 'free' white space for our benefit, or theirs? Should 'Beta' replace the phrase 'Released for Manufacturing'?

I do not blame Google for someone looking at "dirty pictures", I do blame Google for hording that information to be used against that person at a later date to serve up ads, emails, or who knows what at a later date should their stock drops and they need the money to fund their company.

Keep your friends close, and you enemies closer.
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RE: Google is your friend
groovygirl 7th Oct 2008
I agree. However, as a parent in the technology industry, I try to encourage our school to explore other alternatives as well like GoodSearch (www.goodsearch.com), a search engine that provides searching capability while providing a mechanism to raise funds for the school!!!
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Disagree most premises but agree with conclusion
bernalillo 7th Oct 2008
Kids that will actually use a blog to discuss thier field trip are the rare exception and are not the ones who generally fall through the cracks. Not knowing how to write about a field trip in a thoughful manor needs to be addressed. Putting a pin in a map is pointless if the field trip itself is lost in the drive to see what technology can be atached to it.

On the otherhand I do not see a need to restrict the technology but rather to educate teachers in resisting the lurid come-on of technology to substitute for grey matter investigation and analysis.
I am frequently ashamed of high schools where powerpoints created by internet cut and paste are proudly displayed while ignoring the self evident lack of student understanding of that powerpoint's content.

Garbage in, Garbage out.
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Safe Search Enforcement
dog15bert 7th Oct 2008
Wow, Chris, this is something we both agree upon. While I suspect we don't use Google for as much as you do (not many Google Apps are used internally here) its a great search engine/suite of various apps.

Just want to mention that some Internet filters, like 8e6's R3000s, can force the Safe Search Feature ON to Google (and various other search engines). This occurs even if someone tries to change it on the browser. There is good chance other vendors can do this as well.
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RE: Google is your friend
Sirgwain 7th Oct 2008
I want to know about the "rumors" I keep seeing on the net about Google keeping a history on everyone's personal searches and other data that people use Google for--emails included. They are supposed to be in bed with the federal government, irregardless of what they say, and share that information (database) with the feds. I use Google as little as possible and do my very best to try and avoid it like the plague! Until I se/hear from a legitimate source(s), I will assume this to be true.
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So have you...
suirauqa 8th Oct 2008
brought out your tinfoil hat yet?
And perhaps you should do a Google search to discover that "irregardless" is not a word, at least not in English...
Jus' sayin'...
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Google is your friend
jorjitop 7th Oct 2008
As long as you don't care about privacy and security. If you do care about these items, you should avoid Google apps. I use Search, News, and Maps. But, I would never log in, or set up an account. Google already knows too much about me and many other people in the world to be considerate safe.
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Google is your KGB
joemartn 7th Oct 2008
that knows everything about you!
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The cloud isn't ready for prime time.
ajole 7th Oct 2008
Well, maybe the cloud is, but the infrastructure isn't.
In my rural area, we get about 3-4 outages a year, which isn't too many, but is a real show-stopper when it happens on the day you are trying to get 350 kids into labs to take standardized tests that are only available on the 'net. Or you have that final paper due, and 27 kids that decided to use Google apps on your suggestion suddenly can't access their papers.

I'm not saying we shouldn't use it, but I'd make darn sure I had some local backups and files available; plus a few emergency lesson plans....
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Not being ready for prime time never stopped any other software project
Michael Kelly 8th Oct 2008
so I don't know why this should be any different. At least Google labels their software and services as beta while promoting them as prime time products.
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If Google hadn't decided...
Anton Philidor 8th Oct 2008
... on these web-based programs in a (failed) attempt to diversify away from a 100% reliance on search for revenue, would another company have had an opportunity?

Offering these services in more useful versions might have produced substantial revenues. How much have efforts like Amazon's and Salesforce's been restricted by Google's foreclosure of markets.

Microsoft with its web as ancillary service approach is of course not affected. And the company might have been able to defeat a web-only offering if Google had permitted one. But the current situation assures the web is no threat to Office.

That's Google's benefit to Microsoft in return for all the expense of competing for Google's online search market.
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RE: Google is your friend
bapu.mohapatra@... 8th Oct 2008
Yes, That`s almost right. So far majority of users admit that Google don`t do any malice or have any hidden motive of profit from any outright new user programmes. The motto`Don`t be evil` seems to go on the right way from the beginning to till now.So it`s in discussion in every newpapers now and then regularly. Wish Googlr good-luck for the benefeit of advanced learners and everyone from farmers to the most learned human beings on earth.
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RE: Google is your friend
mikifinaz1@... 8th Oct 2008
Google is your friend, yah, right.
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No Company is your "friend" but Google isn't as bad as many think
gavin.bollard@... 8th Oct 2008
Google's web 2.0 platforms are primarily aimed at the home rather than business user and they do provide the largest and most integrated free cloud computing platform available.

In return for their free services they reserve the right to display advertising and to test upgrades without prior consultation. I use them widely and am happy to accept these conditions.

At this stage, I would not use Google for business applications but the IBM Lotus Collaboration platform, and to a lesser extent Microsoft's sharepoint mish-mash have this covered adequately.

I am watching Google with interest however. If they ever decide to release their platform as an appliance, they'll be in a position to wipe the floor with Microsoft.

Can we really blame a company for being successful if it innovates as much as Google?
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RE: Google is your friend
jfreedle2@... 11th Oct 2008
I don't use Google & never will use it.

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