Name of Web 2.0 Application: Google calendar

URL: http://www.google.com/calendar

Google has so much available! If you sign up for a free google account (this gets you into blogger, a nice e-mail account, and more), you can create a calendar.  Create a special account so you can share the username and password with your class, and you can facilitate group meetings as well as keep the students updated on your office hours, synchronous course elements, due dates, and other important events.

The picture below is a family calendar, another potential use for a busy family. When is David out for spring break? Look it up!

You'll notice that the calendar page has a complete list of links to other Google features, including sync so that you can synchronize what's on the calendar with your Outlook, Blackberry, iCal or Mozilla Sunbird (I have to figure that last one out). The other thing you can do is when your entire office is in sync you can organize office events, do office planning, and auto send messages when new appointments have been made to someone's calendar. This is a work efficiency tool no office should be without.

Features:

• View by day, week, month, etc.
• Printable
• Synchronize with other apps
• Ability to export as a zipped file in .ics format
• Can display all time zones
• Color customization
• Other customization possible including showing the weather, having event reminders, language, etc.
• Searchable

Benefits of use with classes:

• Provide a vital time-management tool with due dates, office hours, etc.
• Facilitate group project meetings
• Link to other Google apps

Onward!

Tamara Fudge

Kaplan University