Certified Google Educator

This summer I set myself the challenge of becoming a Google Educator in preparation for applying to the Google Teacher Academy next year. I am pleased to say that after about 3 days of hard work and 5 exams I was successful and can now call myself a Google Educator.

What is a Google Educator?

A Google Educator is someone who has successfully passed the 4 compulsory courses in using Google Apps for Education (Gmail, Docs and Drive, Calendar, and Sites) and at least one other optional course, in my case, Chrome. There are other units available such as Chromebooks, Google Play for Education and Tablet with Google Play for Education.

The courses, which are all free to study, build your knowledge and skills in the Google Apps suite. There is a significant emphasis on how the tools can be used in the classroom and school environment and it is for this reason that I highly recommend the course. In itself, there was a danger that this was just a learn to use Google scheme, but by demonstrating how the tools can be used to support education, the training supports you in learning how technology can change the way you teach and manage your workload. It is a fantastic tool that can transport you in a relatively short amount of time to become a competent user of new technology in your professional practice.

Was it worth it?

I considered myself to be a confident user of Google Apps, having used it daily in my teaching for several years, however I found the course quite challenging, especially the Sites exam as I had not really made use of this tool before now. Even the tools I use every day are more capable and function rich than I had realised and I learned a lot that will continue to support my practice. There is of course, no need to take the exams, this is a decision for each individual, but there is a lot to learn for anyone who uses the suite in their working environment.

Monetarily, the exams cost me a total of $75, $60 for the core bundle and $15 for the additional unit This amounts to about £45, a not insignificant amount of money. Personally, I felt that this was well worth the expenditure for the benefit to my professional practice and the right to call myself a Google Educator on my CV. You might disagree, obviously it is a choice for individuals but as I have already mentioned, you can study the course for free, and you might feel this is enough. Either way, I felt that it was a beneficial use of my summer holidays!

Tips?
Be thorough. There is a lot of material and it takes time. You really need to know it well as the exams certainly feature the spirit of Google's infamous interview questions in terms of the attention and precision expected of the respondent.

Do it as you go. I found that if I read a section or watched a clip, then actually carried out the function in my school Apps, then it really sank in more effectively. I actually built a new site while studying as I found this section particularly difficult but in doing so, passed the course first time.

Help?
Google say that the 4 words learn, share, inspire and empower, sum up the essence of the Google Teacher program. In the spirit of this, having learned the material I am keen to share, inspire and empower. I would be happy to support colleagues who are interested in the Google Apps for Education suite or indeed, more broadly about new technology in education generally. You can contact me through the comments section below or on twitter @MrTwyman5 and Google+  Adam Twyman (look for the avatar)