BP3_iGoogle Screen Shots

Well, I feel a little silly. I started my iGoogle homepage a while back and took it, well, nowhere. Really. I didn’t see the point. I didn’t have the time and I didn’t want the distraction or hassle. And come on, what can it possibly do for me?

Turns out it might have been a real time saver, digital personal assistant and project organizer.

This is my iGoogle home page.

Yes, back in December 2010 I was contemplating taking my oldest son out of school, starting up a new Web site, putting an old Web site back on the market, editing the current bevy of blogs as well as running the show at the Elliott Ranch.

We’d only just started talking about maybe going on a big road trip and Chris’ book contract still seemed highly unlikely.

March was a nightmare. The book was picked up by Wiley. We’d been to California for almost two weeks on assignment. Chris had taken Aren on a Disney cruise and Iden to Hawaii. Those assignments were completed but there were trips to Peru, St. Lucia, Colorado and Annapolis on the horizon. All this was managed in email, Google Docs and Google Calendar. Not efficient.

We had to turn down a number of assignments – including Peru – because we just couldn’t manage our traffic. Plus, Iden had a handful more days he could be absent from Kindergarten without being held back. Glad we missed that bullet.

This week, I went back to iGoogle. It was a class assignment. I have to admit to thinking the same thoughts as when I started my account. Why bother?

But somehow, maybe because of the outline to help me get started or the video tutorials, it finally clicked. I finally understand the power of the iGoogle homepage and what it means for me, personally.

This is one of those tools that helps change the size and shape of the boxes that limit us. It does this by helping us assemble tabs on a personal Web space. The tabs act like idea buckets where we drop links to video, websites, newsfeeds, documents, pictures and a host of other helpful related resources via “gadgets” that we can share with others. And they can share back!

Take a look at my FSO/CBR Tab:

FSO/CBR tab is for keeping track of AR resources and important Full Sail contacts.

I am using this page to give me quick links to the information I need to manage my Action Research project that will follow me throughout my Full Sail coursework. I hope to share links and my AR blog with friends in the blogging business as I study the best business models for education blogs. Just looking at the tiny picture you can tell we’ve a lot of work ahead, but soon this page will fill up with shared information and will remain dynamic as we continue to update and add new data and news.

And this is my ETC Tab:

This tab contains links I'll need during my
Emergent Technologies in a Collaborative Culture
class and probably beyond.

See how all the important links, contacts reside in one workspace, not unlike your desk at work. You can find the resources needed to complete assignments here, without wasting time hunting them down. But I can still get to my AR or main page with a click of the tab.

Chris and I already share calendars and docs.  Now we can share links and resources whether we’re apart or together on business anywhere there is a connection. Without this tool I don’t know how we’d manage the educations of 3 children, submissions to the 20+ blogs we contribute to or the organization of our upcoming national family road trip.

Maybe iGoogle can help you as well. If you are interested in something you see in this blog let me know and I will gladly share some gadgets with you. And if you have anything you’d like to share, I will greatly appreciate it!