Using iGoogle Homepages in the Classroom

Just like blogs, I feel like an iGoogle homepage is another great tool teachers can use to help the students in their classroom. I currently have my own iGoogle homepage that I plan to use in my classroom when I become a teacher. Having an iGoogle page allows teachers to post resources for students and parents to view and use at home. Currently I have five different tabs on my iGoogle page. The tabs are titled Home, Personal, Educational Games, Math, and Reading. I use the Home tab on this page to display weather information, a class to-do list, birthday reminders, and date and time information. The Personal Tab has different gadgets that link to the class email account, a Google reader, an online dictionary, and it also has a section for the teacher to type notes to the parents and or students. On the Educational Games tab, I have fun activities for the students to work on at home. For example, the students can find word searches, memory games, coloring pages, etc. if they view this tab. The Math tab on my iGoogle page has four different math gadgets which include math puzzles, drills, and games for the students to look at when having trouble with a certain area of math. Last, the Reading tab has different activities for students to complete that relate to the reading subject area. A few of the gadgets under this tab include the “Spanish Word of the Day,” “Best Selling Children’s Books,” and a “Learn to Read” game.

All of these tabs can be used as tools to help or entertain students while away from the classroom. IGoogle pages are very easy to create, and they can be accessed from any location. The only thing that parents and students need to access these iGoogle homepages are the class email address for the account and a class password. I have really enjoyed creating my iGoogle homepage, and I cannot wait to see how well the resource works in the classroom.