Teach42

One more from the Google category.  And while this contest is for university students, in my mind this is exactly the sort of thing our secondary students (possibly even more advanced middle school students) should be doing in the computer lab as it is.  

Google is hosting a contest for students who create Gadgets for Google (gadgets = widgets).  They can be designed for Google Desktop, or to be ‘universal’ which means they can be embedded in any web page.  They don’t need to be fancy, so long as they serve a purpose. 

1. Create a Google Gadget: Think about what you’d like to see on Google that isn’t already there. Maybe it’s an event tracker for your school, a new game, or a little techno art – use your imagination! Then, get started.
2. Submit your Gadget by November 1, 2006
3. Check out the competition - and the winning gadgets.

Here’s what I like about hte contest.  Students are creating something that people can actually use on their web pages.  The sample idea of creating an event tracker for your school is something that could be put onto your school website whether it wins or not.  It’s real.  It’s not just an excercise that will disappear into the ether when the assignment is over.  It’s an authentic project with an authentic audience.

Will every student be a programmer?  Of course not! Just like not every student will play in an orchestra or become a professional writer or become a chemist.  But it’s darn good knowledge to have and much more relevant than many other programming projects.  XML and API’s are the heart and soul of a huge number of growing web technologies, so this opens up the door to that world.

Don’t know much about XML and API’s?  Don’t worry, you don’t need to.  Point your students in the right direction and if they have questions, help them figure out where to find the right answers.  Remember, you don’t need to master something in order to guide students students along the path to learning.

Oh yeah, if you need somebody to help beta test your students gadgets, drop me a line

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