Guest post by @GDhuyvetter | Cross posted at Work With Hope - Courageous Education in Frightening Times
As with most disillusionments, this one came on slowly, starting with irritations, growing to disappointment, and blossoming in questioning. Finally, I couldn’t deny it any more, and I said out loud (via Twitter) what I had not yet completely admitted to myself.
“I don’t know if I believe in Google any more.”
Let me clarify. I have loved many Google products. No matter where this googlagnosticism goes, I will still use many Google apps and recommend them to others. Google search is like oxygen for cyber travel (I can’t believe that I used such a lame expression). Google docs is a million times simpler than Sharepoint, and probably the best collaboration tool. I also have always liked Google’s ability to provide free tools for educators, businesses and others.
But two products in particular have shaken my confidence and made me question my love affair, and both have to do with dependability.
1) Google+
I was excited by the release of Google+. I saw in this filterable social sharing tool the answers to Facebook’s weaknesses. The ability to create and broadcast to specific circles is genius, and I saw great possibilities for creating discussion groups with colleagues, or even possibly between teachers and students. Lots of little details, like the ability to edit posts and the ability to create longer posts made me think that this was truly a Facebook killer. I encouraged all my friends to leave Facebook and start using Google+. It was a revolution, a Googlepocalipse.
But what happened?
I notice now that weeks go by when I don’t open Google+, and longer than that without posting anything. This experience is shared by the few friends who have come over. Somehow Facebook and Twitter continue to be a more satisfying and useful experience.
Google put out this exciting new platform, but they haven’t put the time or money into making the case to the general public as to why they should use it. Likewise, Google is yet to make an application that makes Google+ fully functional on the iPad. Interestingly, there is now a Verizon commercial showing how to use circles with the Samsung Nexus, but there isn’t any reference to Google+ (if that is what this commercial is showing).
I am somewhat apologetic to the people I invited over and feel like my credibility has been lessened by this whole experience. Google+ may survive (in a recent development, Google is finding a new and annoying way to integrate your search results with your Google+ account), but there is a perception at least in my circle that this one more WAVE or BUZZ…a great idea going nowhere.
2) Google Chromebook
And what about the Chromebook? A little more than a year ago, in the midst of the netbook craze, Google announced that it was building a lightweight operating system designed to work solely as a web interface. This new chrome operating system would reside on notebook computers called netbooks. By embracing the cloud for all operating functions, the new device was going to be lighter, faster, and with better battery life.
And what happened? First, lots of time passed. Google itself seemed uncertain how the Chrome OS fit in with Android development, and certainly couldn’t make this case to the casual user. Chromebooks are now being released, but the silence behind this release is deafening. No public campaign, no splashy release to schools, no advertising in the mainstream press. So it appears that Google has released a device that solves yesterday’s problems in a form factor that no one wants.
Out of touch?
In general, I have this nagging suspicion that Google no longer has its finger on the pulse of users and doesn’t know how to explain itself to them. When a great product like Google+ dies on the vine, and a product like the Chromebook arrives with a thud, you can’t help but to be wary of jumping on the Google bandwagon so quickly.
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Superintendent of Catholic schools in OrangeCounty, CA. Reluctant iPad convert
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Google+ Hangouts are a terrific and free tool that opens up new ways to teach and learn. The following video provides three examples of ways Google+ Hangouts are being used that might inspire ideas in your own classroom. Below the video I elaborate on how each idea can be used and include the minutes/seconds in the video at which time you can see each idea in action. 
Google Earth - Hold the world in the palm of your hand. With Google Earth you can fly to far corners of the planet with just the swipe of a finger. Explore the same global satellite and aerial imagery available in the desktop version of Google Earth, including high-resolution imagery for over half of the world's population and a third of the world's land mass. 
Google Books - The Google Books app offers access to over 3 million Google eBooks on your iPhone, iPod touch, iPad or whatever device you choose! Take your favorite books with you on the go. Shop in your browser at the Google eBookstore, and read in your app.
Google Translate - Translate words and phrases between more than 60 languages using Google Translate for iOS. You can speak your phrases and hear the corresponding translations. This is AMAZING for travel abroad, or communicating with students or parents who don't speak English.
Gmail - With the Gmail app, you can: Receive notification badges for new messages. Read your mail with threaded conversations. Organize your mail by archiving, labeling, starring, deleting, and reporting spam. Keep track of important messages with priority inbox. Auto-complete contact names as you type. Send and receive attachments. Search through all your mail
Google Currents - Google Currents delivers beautiful magazine-like editions to your tablet and smartphone for high speed offline reading. 
My staff and I incorporate Google into our daily practice because Google contains wonderful tools that are not only unmatched by competitors, they're actually FREE! It seems word is out. As a result, my staff and I are thrilled to have been invited to present at the Google offices in Manhattan to share how and why the schools we are connected with are getting Googley. 
