Here Come the Ninjas!

It is not everyday that students get excited about taking tests.  So, I was a bit surprised when I got these series of Tweets from a student when word started to leak out that Ron Ruckman, Cheryl Travis, Eric Makelky and I were starting a Google Ninja program at Pinedale Middle School.  

So what exactly is a Google Ninja Program?  Well, Google has a program for adults to get certified as Google Apps for Education Trainers.  Part of earning this certification is to take a series of online tests on Google Applications.   Given that Google Applications are constantly evolving, Google encourages certification seekers to use any resources at their disposal when taking the tests.  Google is more interested in certifying individuals who are capable of finding information than good memorizers.  

Based on this model, the Google Ninja program was created by Jeff Utecht. Mr. Utecht is an internationally renowned instructional technologist.  The program uses the same 5 tests as the adult program but breaks them down into 20 smaller tests which are more manageable for students.  Mr. Utecht makes the tests available to any school that wishes to use them.  We used the tests to create our own “dojo” for Pinedale Middle School students.  

                                    

Taking the tests is totally voluntary; however, over 140 tests have been taken since we started the program in November.  As students pass all of the tests (80% or higher) for a given category; Docs, GMail, Sites, Calendar, or Search; they receive a Ninja button. Recently two students, Tommy Labuda, and Garrett Lowham, successfully completed all the tests.  Since they were the first Google Ninjas at Pinedale they got the privilege of designing the official Google Ninja t-shirts. Now, as qualified professionals they offer their services to faculty, staff, and students at Pinedale Middle School who need assistance with Google Applications!   

If you know a middle school student who is interested in participating in the Google Ninja program, please direct them to our dojo or have them contact: Ron Ruckman, Cheryl Travis, Eric Makelky, or Glen Egbert.