Since becoming a Google Certified Educator, several people have asked me why I did it.
There are several reasons.
I am a self-taught Google nerd. I learned how to do all of the basics and then some on my own, just by playing around, watching YouTube videos, and attending EdTech conferences. The thing about Google tools is that for the most part, whatever you do can be undone. So if you royally mess up…never fear, you can undo it.
Even with all of the knowledge that I have gained I knew there was more out there that I was missing Google is also constantly changing and adding new features to all of their tools OR adding entire new tools for us to use.
Getting Google Certified is FREE!
Google has all of the training courses for both Level one and two for FREE on their website! So even if you don’t take the exam, you can get all of that training for free. I wanted to know if I was missing out on anything so I took the course from start to finish. After doing all of that work I decided that HECK YA I want to be a Google Certified Educator. So, I took the exam. It took my about 2 hours and 45 minutes out of the 3 hours you’re allotted. It wasn’t difficult, but you do need to know your stuff. The most challenging thing was knowing that you’re on a time limit.
You WILL Learn NEW Things:
While taking the course I definitely learned some things that I didn’t know before…especially about Sheets! Sheets are my weakness. I still have a lot to learn about them but I do have some basic knowledge. I’m hoping the Level 2 training will help to fill in some of those gaps. Taking the Google Certification course will help you to become more proficient with the tools you’re already using.
It will build your confidence!
If you’re someone who doesn’t try new things with Google because you’re just not confident enough to use it in front of your students…this course will help. You can work through things at your own speed and try them out with your students as you learn. If you’re hesitant or you think, “I’m not techy, I couldn’t possibly do this!” This is precisely the reason WHY you should get Google Certified. The course will teach you the basics and will give you the confidence to use GSuite for Education with ease.
It Looks GREAT on Your Resume:
Another reason to take the course AND get certified….it’s a great addition to your resume. More and more schools are going digital with Google or Microsoft. Having a Google Certification on your resume shows that you’re competent with EdTech tools.
Finally,
…it felt darn good to finish that exam and get my badge. You can add the badge to your email signature if you want to show it off! Or if you’re more humble you can just store the badge somewhere on your computer or keep it in your inbox but you will know just how awesome you are for taking on that challenge.
LOOK! It’s my pretty Google Badge! Clearly I’m not humble about it. Now I need to get the Level 2 badge…but that’s a job for summer vacay.
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