The (Google) Fundamentals Apply

A little over three years ago, I completed my Google Certified Educator training for both level one and level two, becoming certified as both.

Today, I completed the level one coursework and exam again, so I could re-certify.  (In an ironic twist, Timehop notified me that I passed the certification exam exactly three years ago today!)

I love, love, love how the training has updated itself over the past few years!  (Well, not really updated itself, since someone, or more likely several someones, made the updates!)  

If you are an educator who uses any of the Google tools, you might want to think about the Fundamentals Training.  If you're familiar with the tools, you will find some lessons you can skim right through.  However.  Even someone like me, who uses a plethora of Google's tools all day, every day, learned something new during the first training and again during this recertification training!  (And to be perfectly honest, I learned several new things!)

The 13-unit course is completely self-paced.  Each lesson has an estimated time-spent, and depending on your experience with the content, you may complete it much quicker, or you may use the full time and then some.  At the end of each lesson, there is a review quiz you can take as often as you need until you feel confident.  At the end of each unit, there is a review quiz you can take as often as you need to until you pass. 

The course is so valuable on its own!  Don't be daunted by the certification exam at the end - you don't need to even take it unless you want to get the little badge (like the one on the right side of this post!)  It's icing on the cake for those who want (or who are required to certify by their school or organization), but not necessary to gain the knowledge you'll acquire through the lessons.

(And isn't it the process, the journey, or the knowledge that we're after, not the destination or grade?!)

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