Thursday, June 12, 2008

Thing 7 Google Tools-Calendar and Earth

I have been working on Google calendar for about an hour and when I compare it to the calendar options provided  in Microsoft IE and  Apple Ical, the winner is Google Calendar. First of all, I easily set up four different calendars, put in my summer activities, and never once did an event get stuck in the wrong calendar, which is my problem with Ical, my home calendar.  IE is ok, but the block for the  information seems too small and I end up using cryptic abbreviations, the meaning which sometimes is forgotten.  And by using two separate calendars I waste a lot of time.  I became a fan of Gmail when it first came out, and Google Calendar will now be my online companion.I wanted to post a calendar on my web, but I didn't think my professional and personal life would be very interesting or relevant to this blog, so I searched for a public calendar of author birthdays and posted it. If all goes according to plan, it should be the element under my blog posts.  
My second Google tool was Earth, which requires a download, and thankfully it worked the first time.  I enjoyed zooming in on literary places, for example the Mark Twain Home and Museum on Farmington Ave, Hartford CT.  I went back to google Maps through one of the icons on top, but Earth has more information immediately available.  There are links to the actual site, as well a useful trip information (weather, lodging, etc). 

3 comments:

Budget said...

Author calendar is a great idea. This gives you the time to focus on the contributions of a particular author. Your ideas will be truly beneficial to the students and teachers at your school.

Liberry Lady said...

I never thought of making an author calendar before I saw your post and fully agree that google calendars are THE BEST. I think you could also incorporate other events like Children's Book Week, etc... in the same calendar and never be at a loss for a quick filler for those 5 minutes after check out time. I'm going to try it.

Blue Eyes blogging said...

Trying to catch up with comments. I have been very slow to catch on to the process of how to reply. Thanks for the tips on using the calendar during the last 5 minutes and on adding other important library events. Great suggestions!