Monday, July 9, 2012

Google PHL shares online tips for students


This photo courtesy of Holcim Inc.
Other images from Google Philippines

Start your school year right with these online tips & tricks

Online tools can help students manage their workload, collaborate, and be more productive


With a wealth of information online, research on a variety of subjects -- from current affairs to chemistry -- is just a click away. And a look at top current affairs and school related searches in the Philippines shows that many Pinoys may be doing just that.


In 2011, as June wound its way towards the start of the new school year, the top search terms included terms like ‘Spratly islands’, ‘ecosystem’ and ‘Philippine literature’. This year, top searches included ‘branches of physics’, ‘scientific method’ and ‘what is chemistry’.

Here’re the top 10 current affairs and school related searches in early June 2011 and 2012:

2011
●     Spratly Islands
●     DEHP
●     What is communication
●     Ecosystem
●     Philippine Literature
●     Biology
●     Physical science
●     Prose
●     Charles Darwin
●     Differential calculus
2012
●     Branches of physics
●     Impeachment of Corona
●     History of computer
●     What is computer
●     Scientific method
●     Physical fitness
●     Panitikan
●     Tula
●     What is science
●     What is chemistry


Students can optimize their time and collaborate with the groupmates online with these handy online tools:

1. Google Books:  Not sure which books to start your research paper with? Make a list of the books you need before you head to the library or bookstore. Enter your subject and find the titles most relevant to your research.



2. Google Scholar: Tracking down that one reference amongst the many many academic tomes you’re already scoured can be quite a challenge. Especially if you don’t really remember the details or which book you read it in. Simply type in your search term or phrase into Google Scholar to track down various academic publications, journal articles, these and various online repositories.




3. Search omnibox: “Omni” signifies “all” and you certainly can do it all with the Chrome Omnibox. Save precious seconds by typing in your search terms in the address bar or even get quick answers to queries like “convert 50 feet to meters”, “GDP of the Philippines” or even simple math (“40*50”).


4. Google Translate. Researching cultural references but don’t quite understand because it’s in another language? Type in the phrase or text into Google Translate (http://translate.google.com/) to get a quick translation into English, Filipino or 62 other languages.


5. Dictionary: You don’t have to thumb your way through a heavy dictionary anymore. Just type “define: [the word you’re looking for]” and hit enter. You can also get a quick phonetic guide or an audio clip to help with pronunciations.


6. Google Docs: Writing a paper together? You can write, edit and discuss your prose in real time with Google Docs, any time, any place. Burning the midnight oil on group projects just got a whole lot easier.




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