Google Certified Educator: Level 1

As you may have gathered, technology and I go hand in hand.  Having been raised in a generation where it has always been available, I feel quite at home with a laptop in front of me, a cellphone in my hand and an iPad on my knee - but how do you explain that in your Curriculum Vitae?  What are the implications of this for the students and colleagues that I work with?  How can I show my capabilities in a way that others within the profession can appreciate?

Google provide a great certification programme that addresses all of these issues.  It consists of three stages for educators:

• Certified Google Educator (Level 1 and 2)
• Google Certified Teacher
• Authorised Google Education Trainer

About a year ago I started looking into the Google Certified Programmes for Teachers.  At the time I was advised to wait, as those who had already been through the process knew change was coming.  So I've waited.  These school holidays however it was time to put myself to the test.  I started working through the Certified Google Educator online training programme.  This programme has three sections: Engage in Professional Growth and Leadership; Increase efficiency and save time; and Facilitate and inspire student learning and creativity.  Being quite familiar with the Google Apps Suite I worked my way through these modules quite quickly, and this afternoon sat (and passed) the first exam being awarded by first Google Badge (watch this space, there will be more!)

The exam is limited to 3 hours, and I would recommend putting aside a large portion of that time (even if, like me, you flew through the online course).  I completed the exam in about 2 hours, and then spent another 30 minutes going back through each question to check my answers before submitting.

Google have a great FAQ page related to their certifications, however I thought I would also share with you some of the questions I had and questions that I have been asked, that no one else could answer (being that the exam is still so new).  Naturally, while I cannot and will not share information about the content of this exam.

How is the course structured?
The course is structured into three sections:

Can you do the exam in the weekends and school holidays?  What about if I'm on Maternity Leave?
Absolutely.  You can sit the exams at anytime that is convenient for you, however it needs to be when you have 3 hours with no interruptions and can guarantee you have a reliable internet connection.  There is no way to pause the exam, and if you loose connectivity you will have to retake the exam.

How long does it take for the exam to come through via email after I have paid?
This one surprised me, and caught me a little off guard, so although it is covered in Google's FAQs I thought I'd share a little about my experience here too.  Google recommend that you apply for the exam 24-48 hours prior to the day you want to sit it.  I did this, expecting it to arrive over the weekend (bearing in mind you only have 7 days from when it is sent to you to complete it).  Mine arrived in less than 5 minutes!

How much of the exam is practical vs theoretical?
The whole exam was pretty practical - the 'theory' section comes first, but is related to practical application.  The official line from Google when I emailed them was that it was 50/50 with more weighting going to the practical tasks though.

Are we able to have notes and other browser windows open throughout the exam, or is it 'closed book'?
No you cannot have notes/brain dumps etc with you when you complete the exam - but fear not!  Provided you are familiar with the Google Apps Suite, you really don't need them anyway!  When you log in for your exam you will have an opportunity to read the privacy policy and legal agreement to find out more about exam policies.  You are required to complete a NDA in order to take the exam and have a functioning webcam throughout your 3 hour exam period.  This camera connection is designed to take periodic photographs of you throughout the exam.

How long does it take from the point of completion for the exam to be marked and returned?
Officially it takes 15 minutes to verify your exam once submitted, however in reality this too was closer to 5 minutes.  Once the exam is verified you will get a message on your screen informing you of the outcome, and if successful an email follows soon after with your certificate and digital badge.  If you do not receive a result within 15 minutes, you should contact the team at Google (via email) in case there is a technical issue at their end.

If you are unsuccessful, do you get sent feedback directing you to the areas that require further study?  Is your exam returned to you to look over in preparation for the rescheduled exam?  Do you need to pay an additional US$10?
Google are unable to provide individual feedback on the exams, including your exam score, due to the large number of requests they receive.  They are working on ways to automate the feedback in the system, but do not have an estimate time frame to build this in.  If you are unable to successfully complete the exam on your first attempt, you will be required to purchase another exam for US$10 in order to retake it.

Can you do the course, but not the test?  
Yes you can - but I highly recommend pushing yourself out of your comfort zone that little bit more and paying the US$10 to sit the exam.  The pass mark is 80%, but I think you'll surprise yourselves!