Useful Features of Google Calendar and Google Photos

This week I learned a little more about using Google Calendar and Google Photos.

Google Calendar

If you are like me, you may have been using Google Calendar for several years. I love using it to coordinate my family's schedule quickly and easily. I can easily add events to my husband's work calendar, like Parent Conference Night. Then he can prevent others from scheduling meetings later on those days so he can get home in time to take care of our kids while I work late. (Clearly, he needs to accept my invite! Luckily, he also has the ability to view my calendar, so anything I add is always noticed!)

You can also use calendars to communicate events with parents, plan lessons, and even schedule those conference appointment times on conference night.

Check out this video from Teacher's Tech on some useful tips on using Google Calendar more effectively.

Google Photos

The next awesome feature I learned more about was Google Photos. This is an excellent resource to store and backup photos without using all of your computer or phone storage. I always knew about that feature, but as I am an Amazon Prime member, I didn't see a need for it since all of my photos back up to Prime Photos.

However, I was WRONG! Using Google Photos can be a great way to easily share a large collection of photos with parents from a class field trip or special event.

Additionally, you can use Google Photos in the classroom. For instance, if you taught your students about states of matter, you could add them as collaborators to your album. Next, students could upload photos they take of those states of matter.

Check out this video to learn more about Google Photos.

It just goes to show that even if you think you really know or understand an application, there is almost always something new to learn about.