Google Cloud Platform News

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  Bring your marketing teams closer together with Display & Video 360
  • sorangutan  

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  In July we introduced Display & Video 360, our end-to-end campaign management solution which allows marketing teams to collaborate and easily share insights. Today, we’re kicking off a series of posts to share more about how Display & Video 360 helps media, data and creative teams work together to deliver relevant ads to the right audiences. Each post will cover new innovations for each of Display & Video 360’s five modules: Campaigns, Audiences, Creatives, Inventory and Insights.

  

  Display & Video 360 enables collaboration because it allows everyone involved in planning, executing, and measuring campaigns to work in the same interface. This helps teams stay aligned and deliver insight-driven creatives that resonate with consumers.

  Our adidas teams work together in one environment where we can see audience insights, what creative we’re running and where, how it’s performing, and make changes almost in real time. Chris Murphy
  head of digital experience, adidas

  Stay tuned over the next few weeks as we post deep dives into each of the five modules—we’ll cover Campaigns first. Or if you want to dive right in, learn more about  Display & Video 360 and the benefits of end-to-end campaign management by reading this guide.

  
  
  https://www.blog.google/products/marketingplatform/360/bring-your-marketing-teams-closer-together-display-video-360/
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  A tale of a whale song
  research sustainability • • sorangutan  

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  Like us, whales sing. But unlike us, their songs can travel hundreds of miles underwater. Those songs potentially help them find a partner, communicate and migrate around the world. But what if we could use these songs and machine learning to better protect them?

  Despite decades of being protected against whaling, 15 species of whales are still listed under the Endangered Species Act. Even species that are successfully recovering—such as humpback whales—suffer from threats like entanglement in fishing gear and collisions with vessels, which are among the leading causes of non-natural deaths for whales.
  

  To better protect those animals, the first step is to know where they are and when, so that we can mitigate the risks they face—whether that's putting the right marine protected areas in place or giving warnings to vessels. Since most whales and dolphins spend very little time at the surface of the water, visually finding and counting them is very difficult. This is why NOAA’s Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center, responsible for monitoring populations of whales and other marine mammals in U.S. Pacific waters, relies instead on listening using underwater audio recorders.

  NOAA has been using High-frequency Acoustic Recording Packages (HARPs) to record underwater audio at 12 different sites in the Pacific Ocean, some starting as early as 2005. They have accumulated over 170,000 hours of underwater audio recordings. It would take over 19 years for someone to listen to all of it, working 24 hours a day!

  

  Crew members deploy a high-frequency acoustic recording package (HARP) to detect cetacean sounds underwater (Photo credit: NOAA Fisheries).

  To help tackle this problem, we teamed up with NOAA to train a deep neural network that automatically identifies which whale species are calling in these very long underwater recordings, starting with humpback whales. The effort fits into our AI for Social Good program, applying the latest in machine learning to the world’s biggest social, humanitarian and environmental challenges.

  The problem of picking out humpback whale songs underwater is particularly difficult to solve for several reasons. Underwater noise conditions can vary: for example, the presence of rain or boat noises can confuse a machine learning model. The distance between a recorder and the whales can cause the calls to be very faint. Finally, humpback whale calls are particularly difficult to classify because they are not stereotyped like blue or fin whale calls—instead, humpbacks produce complex songs and a variety of vocalizations that change over time.

  

  A spectrogram (visual representation of the sound) of a humpback whale song in Hawaii.

  We decided to leverage Google’s existing work on large-scale sound classification and train a humpback whale classifier on NOAA’s partially annotated underwater data set. We started by turning the underwater audio data into a visual representation of the sound called a spectrogram, and then showed our algorithm many example spectrograms that were labeled with the correct species name. The more examples we can show it, the better our algorithm gets at automatically identifying those sounds. For a deeper dive (ahem) into the techniques we used, check out our Google AI blog post.
  

  Now that we can find and identify humpback whales in recordings, it allows us to understand where they are and where they are going—as shown by the animation below.
  

  

  Since 2005, NOAA’s Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center has deployed, recovered and collected recordings from hydrophones moored on the ocean bottom at 12 sites. On this map, you can see the spots where more whales were found by our classifier in orange and yellow.

  In the future, we plan to use our classifier to help NOAA better understand humpback whales by identifying changes in breeding location or migration paths, changes in relative abundance (which can be related to human activity), changes in song over the years and differences in song between populations. This could also help directly protect whales by advising vessels to modify their routes when a lot of whales are present in a certain area. Such work is already being done for right whales, which are easier to monitor because of their relatively simple sounds.

  The ocean is big and humpback whales are not the only ones to make noise, so we also started training our classifier on more species sounds (like the southern resident killer whale, which is critically endangered). We can’t see the species that live underwater, but we can hear a lot of them. With the help of machine learning, we hope that one day we can detect and classify a lot of these species sounds, giving biologists around the world the information needed to better understand and protect them.

  

  A humpback whale breaching at the surface of the water. (Photo credit: Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary.)

  
  

  
  
  https://www.blog.google/technology/ai/tale-whale-song/
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  AI for Social Good
  google.org • • sorangutan  

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  In pop culture, artificial intelligence (AI) often shows up as a robot companion, like TARS in “Interstellar,” or some far-out superintelligence. But in reality, AI—computer programming tools that help us find patterns in complex data and make everyday products more useful—already powers a lot of technology around us, and is addressing some of society’s biggest unsolved challenges.

  For the past few years we’ve been applying core Google AI research and engineering to projects with positive societal impact, including forecasting floods, protecting whales, and predicting famine. Today we’re unifying these efforts in a new program called AI for Social Good. We’re applying AI to a wide range of problems, partnering with external organizations to work toward solutions.

  
  

  But we’re far from having all the answers—or even knowing all the questions. We want people from as many backgrounds as possible to surface problems that AI can help solve, and to be empowered to create solutions themselves. So as a part of AI for Social Good, we’re also launching the Google AI Impact Challenge, a global call for nonprofits, academics, and social enterprises from around the world to submit proposals on how they could use AI to help address some of the world’s greatest social, humanitarian and environmental problems.

  
  

  We’ll help selected organizations bring their proposals to life with coaching from Google’s AI experts, Google.org grant funding from a $25 million pool, and credits and consulting from Google Cloud. Grantees will also join a specialized Launchpad Accelerator program, and we’ll tailor additional support to each project’s needs in collaboration with data science nonprofit DataKind. In spring of 2019, an international panel of experts, who work in computer science and the social sector, will help us choose the top proposals.

  
  

  We don’t expect applicants to be AI experts. For any nonprofit or researcher who has a great idea or wants help brainstorming one, we've built an educational guide with introductions to AI and the types of problems it’s well-suited for, as well as workshops in key locations around the world.

  
  

  To give you a sense of the potential we see, here are a few examples of how Google and others have already used AI over the past few years:

  • Wildlife conservation:To better protect endangered whales, we have to know where they are. With AI developed at Google—in the same vein as research by college student Daniel de Leon—it’s possible to quickly scan 100,000 hours of audio recorded in the Pacific to identify whale sounds. We hope one day we can not only better identify whales in these recordings, but also accurately deploy this system at scale to find and protect whales.
    
  • Employment: In South Africa, Harambee Youth Employment Accelerator helps connect unemployed youth with entry-level positions. As a participant in Google Cloud’s Data Solutions for Change program, they’ve used data analytics and ML to match over 50,000 candidates with jobs.
    
  • Flood prediction: Floods affect up to 250 million people, causing thousands of fatalities and inflicting billions of dollars of economic damage every year. At Google, we’ve combined physics-based modeling and AI to provide earlier and more accurate flood warnings through Google Public Alerts.
    
  • Wildfire prevention: Two high school students in California built a device that uses AI to identify and predict areas in a forest that are susceptible to wildfires. This technology could one day provide an early warning to fire authorities. 
    
  • Infant health: Ubenwa is a Canadian company that built an AI system to analyze the sounds of a baby crying and predict the risk of birth asphyxia (when a baby's brain and other organs don’t get enough oxygen and nutrients during birth). It’s a mobile app so it can be widely used even where doctors aren’t readily available.

  We’re excited to see what new ideas nonprofits, developers and social entrepreneurs from across the world come up with—and we’re looking forward to supporting them as best we can.

  
  

  
  
  https://www.blog.google/outreach-initiatives/google-org/ai-social-good/
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  Find Halloween tricks, treats and other goodies in your neighborhood
  • sorangutan  

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  You can find pretty much anything on Google Maps—a restaurant that matches your personal preferences, a place to charge your electric vehicle, or your local farmer’s market. But for those instances when Google Maps itself doesn’t have what you need, Google Maps Platform powers millions of third party experiences to help you find what you’re looking for—using the same map you know and love.  

  
  

  For Halloween, that means Nextdoor’s annual Halloween Treat Map, which allows neighbors to mark their homes with a candy corn icon if they plan to pass out candy, a haunted house icon if they plan to give their neighbors a spooky trick, or a teal pumpkin icon if they plan to pass out non-food treats.

  
  

                                               

  
  

  Wondering why the non-food treat option exists? According to FARE (Food Allergy Research & Education), one in 13 children has a food allergy. For children with allergies, even a tiny trace of their allergen has the potential to cause a severe reaction. Unfortunately, many popular Halloween candies contain nuts, milk, egg, soy or wheat, which are some of the most common allergens in children and adults. By providing non-food treats, neighbors can help create a safe, fun alternative for children with food allergies and other conditions for whom candy may present a problem. And the Treat Map helps parents of those children find the homes in their neighborhood to stop by to make sure they have a safe and fun trick-or-treat experience.

  
  

  Nextdoor is a free and private social network for neighborhoods used in over 210,000 communities across the globe—so chances are you’ll have a Treat Map in your very own neighborhood. To see for yourself, download the Nextdoor app from Google Play or the App Store or find it on the web at www.nextdoor.com.

  
  
  https://www.blog.google/products/maps/find-halloween-tricks-treats-and-other-goodies-your-neighborhood/
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  Make storytime more magical with Google Home and Disney
  google assistant google home • • sorangutan  

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  When I was a kid, I adored storytime. I have vivid memories of my mom’s singsong narration and my dad’s willingness to read me the same story over and over again. While my parents saw this as an opportunity to spend time together (a real treat!), I now appreciate that this daily ritual also helped me develop important language and literacy skills that I use every day as an adult.

  
  

  That’s why we’re making storytime a little more magical with Google Home. Starting today, as you read select Little Golden Books aloud, Google Home will play relevant sound effects and music to bring the story to life. We partnered with Disney, one of the best storytellers in the world, to include family favorites like Moana and Coco. To get started, just say “Hey Google, let’s read along with Disney.”

  
  

  

  We wanted to reflect the way families actually read, so if you skip ahead in the book, Google Home will recognize that change and adjust to match the story. If you pause (because we all know kids love to chime in during storytime), ambient music will play until you begin reading again.

  
  

  Available books include new favorites like Moana, Toy Story 3, Coco and Jack Jack Attack, as well as timeless classics like Peter Pan, Cinderella, Alice in Wonderland, The Three Little Pigs and Mickey Mouse and his Spaceship. We even added a holiday title—Mickey’s Christmas Carol —to help families get in the spirit this season. Look out for additional books before the end of the year.

  
  

  You can find the compatible stories alongside Google Home Mini in the books section of your local Walmart, Target and Barnes & Noble stores starting this week. And remember—Google Home already comes with lots of other Disney games, so you can go on adventures with some of your favorite characters right from your living room. This feature will also be available to more smart speakers and Smart Displays with the Google Assistant built in by the end of the year.

  
  

  For parents who want to give their kids access to the Assistant on Google Home, you can create an account for kids under 13 through Family Link, then link their Google Account and voice to Google Home.

  
  

  So, next time you’re cozying up with one of your favorite Disney stories, let Google Home enhance the score. We’re sure there’s no better ‘happily ever after.’

  
  
  https://www.blog.google/products/home/make-storytime-more-magical-google-home-and-disney/
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  A passion for roasting coffee enables a firefighter to help fellow first responders
  grow with google small business • • sorangutan  

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  Editor’s note: Here’s the story of how Luke Schneider--a firefighter, paramedic and business owner--used technology to grow his coffee business and share his passion with others, while also giving back to his community. Learn more about Grow with Google--our initiative to help create economic opportunities for all Americans--here, and hear more about how we are supporting First Responders Day here. 

  Like so many Americans, seeing the heroic efforts of first responders in the aftermath of September 11th struck a chord with me. Their willingness to put their own lives in danger to save others, their tireless efforts over the following weeks and months, and their dedication to each other inspired me to become a firefighter myself.

  The life of a firefighter can be stressful, and no single day is the same. But I always felt like a part of a family, especially when we gathered around for one consistent ritual: brewing a pot of coffee to get us through long shifts. That comforting, communal feeling was something I always cherished.

  My wife Kate and I decided to start roasting coffee for our friends and family. This shared passion drove us to start our own business: Fire Dept. Coffee.

  Like many small businesses, the beginning wasn’t easy. We didn’t know a lot about marketing and building a brand. But things really took off about two years ago, when we took our store online and started using Google My Business. Our online reviews helped more people find our website, and now almost 100 percent of our sales are online. We’ve also doubled our production in the past 12 months, and we currently employ seven people--half of them former firefighters or veterans themselves.  

  As our business grew, we wanted to do more for the community that had given us so much. After meeting Damien Pereira—a firefighter who was told he would never walk again after a serious spinal injury in the line of duty—we’re starting the Fire Dept. Coffee Foundation. We’ll donate 10 percent of our proceeds to supporting injured firefighters, first responders and their families.

  With Fire Dept. Coffee, I want to continue to serve great tasting coffee to hard working people. But my highest honor is that our business growth allows us to give back to the ones who devote their lives to helping others.

  
  
  https://www.blog.google/outreach-initiatives/grow-with-google/passion-roasting-coffee-enables-firefighter-help-fellow-first-responders/
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  Creepy images on Maps—and why they’re actually not that creepy
  • sorangutan  

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  An extra leg. A super long arm. A shadowy figure. Even a plane in a lake. If you creep around Maps satellite imagery or Street View long enough, you’ll run into some seemingly spooky images. But don’t jump to any quick conclusions—they're never what they seem. Here are five spectacularly spooky snaps and reasons why they’re really not spooky at all!

  
  

  Portal to a different dimension

  

  I’ve never walked into a time portal or travelled between dimensions, but I imagine this is exactly what it would look like right before I’d disappear from reality and reappear in who knows where. At first glance, it’s easy to jump to conclusions, But the reality is a lot less exciting. The colors and graininess of this image are due to something many amateur photographers are familiar with – low light. Lighting is key to great imagery, which is why we make an effort to plan our Street View collects accordingly.

  A tragic disaster

  

  In Minnesota, it looks like a commercial aircraft has plummeted into Lake Harriet, taking its unfortunate passengers with it. But don’t worry—no humans or aircraft were harmed in the making of this image. The reason it looks like the plane is underwater is because each satellite image you see on the map is actually a compilation of several images. Fast-moving objects, like planes, often show up in only one of the many images we use for a given area. When this happens, faint remnants of the fast-moving object can sometimes be seen.

  
  

  Gateway to the spirit realm

  

  One glance at this and you might just be convinced you’ve found the gateway to the spirit realm—and spotted an evil apparition on its way in!  But lo and behold, there’s a perfectly good explanation for this one, too. The darkness and hazy figure are caused by a snafu we’ve all made ourselves – the camera cover is on!  Small holes in the cover allowed just enough light in to capture this scary view.

  
  

  Ghost in the museum

  

  We’ve all thought we’ve seen a ghost out of the corner of our eye (or at least I have) and from this image, you’d think you finally have proof of the other side. Fortunately (or unfortunately if you’re a ghost hunter), these ghostly figures appear rather often in Street View. This is because Street View cameras take photographs as they move. Once the photographs have been taken, they go through computer processing before they're ready for use on Google Maps. This includes stitching the still photos into panoramas. Sometimes when someone or something is moving while the images are captured, we capture only part of that moving object.

  
  

  The dark side in your own front yard

  

  Some super fans might be excited by this image, but others might find it terrifying to see the dark side in their very own front yard. There’s no technical explanation here. This was simply a good old-fashioned trickster who managed to get himself snapped by our Street View camera while taking out the trash—in full costume.

  
  

  So sorry ghouls and ghosts, but these images just aren’t what they seem. Next time you see a spooky image on Maps or Street View, remember that whether it’s a technical glitch or just a person being silly, there’s always a perfectly reasonable explanation...or is there?

  
  
  
  https://www.blog.google/products/maps/creepy-images-mapsand-why-theyre-actually-not-creepy/
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  How do you thank someone for saving your life?
  • sorangutan  

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  When I was a kid, I was in awe of first responders. At 15, I joined the Youth Corps of my hometown ambulance squad to learn First Aid. When the crew answered an emergency call, I rode in the ambulance with them. The best part was when we came to a stop. Once the doors of the ambulance opened, what happened next could be life changing.

  Millions of brave women and men make their living or volunteer their time helping people in crisis, often risking their lives in the process, not once, but over and over—floods, traffic accidents, or pulling someone to safety from a burning building. For the average person, it could be devastating to experience just one of those events in a lifetime. For a first responder, that could be any day of the week. That’s why I’m excited to be part of Google’s announcement today, especially in light of the series of recent natural disasters in the US and around the world.

  We wanted to find a meaningful way to thank first responders, one that would be as valuable to them as their work has been to us. From our research and from talking to organizations that work with these men and women, we know that being brave and strong doesn’t mean first responders aren’t impacted by the stress of their jobs. Many first responders struggle with the memories of those they didn’t save or the traumas they witnessed.

  The First Responder Support Network (FRSN) was developed by and for first responders. Their goal is to provide education and assistance to those still recovering from incidents that impact their day-to-day life and thoughts, such as a child who didn’t make it or a wounded colleague.

  Pat Green, FRSN.org’s executive director, told my colleague at Google: “It’s hard for a first responder to ask for help. I know this from personal experience. Together with our volunteers we provide understanding, hope, and a community of care, letting others know they don’t have to walk this journey alone."

  FRSN’s one-week residential programs offer first responders access to counselors attuned to their unique experiences with a 2:1 ratio of volunteer peers who can share how they coped with similar situations. The waiting list for these programs is up to six months long.

  Today we are granting $1 million to help the First Responder Support Network extend the reach of its programs. We will help expand its operations in Missouri, Arizona and Oregon, as well as help them open in two new locations by 2020. In addition, we will fund 80 scholarships for first responders who might not otherwise be able to attend the program.

  I consider it a privilege to have worked side by side with first responders from my years as emergency medical services (EMS) volunteer to my recent work with the Google.org Crisis Connectivity program. Now I want to say thank you to first responders for all you do to keep our communities safe.
  

  
  
  https://www.blog.google/outreach-initiatives/google-org/how-do-you-thank-someone-saving-your-life/
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  New ways to experience The Met on Google Arts & Culture
  • sorangutan  

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  In 2011, a small team of Google engineers launched the Art Project - a pilot project that had one goal: exploring how to provide anyone, anywhere, with new ways to experience culture. This project was built in collaboration with 17 museums around the world, and The Metropolitan Museum of Art was one of the first on board.

  Fast forward seven years: the Art Project has grown into Google Arts & Culture, an app and website that partners with 1,500+ museums and cultural institutions from over 70 countries to give people access to diverse cultural heritage from around the world. .

  And we have been privileged to regularly collaborate on exciting initiatives with The Met, such as ‘we wear culture’ a project that invites audiences around the globe to step inside the world's largest costume collection - The Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute - and discover its Conservation Laboratory in 360 degrees to see what it takes to preserve these objects for future generations.

  Meanwhile, The Met has remained at the forefront of innovation, continuously exploring the possibilities offered by the newest technologies and at times helping our team to understand how to develop new solutions for museums.

  Today, we are excited to announce our latest collaboration with The Met, as we incorporate The Met’s Open Access program onto the Google Arts & Culture platform, allowing people to discover over 200,000 Creative Commons Zero artworks, including “William” the hippo and “Olive Trees” by Van Gogh. Now, people will be able to use Google Arts & Culture features, like browsing for art by time or color, to explore The Met’s collection.

  • Hippopotamus ("William")

    
    

  • “Snap the Whip” - Winslow Homer
  • The Horse Fair - Rosa Bonheur
  • The Unicorn in Captivity (from the Unicorn Tapestries)
  • Tughra (Insignia) of Sultan Süleiman the Magnificent (r. 1520–66)
  • Marble statue of a member of the imperial family
  • Fragment of a Floor Mosaic with a Personification of Ktisis
  • Still Life with a Ginger Jar and Eggplants - Paul Cézanne
  • “The Dancing Class” - Edgar Degas

  On its own, the addition of The Met’s renowned collection is worth celebrating, but we’re especially excited that this collection will seamlessly grow, thanks to the launch of The Met Collection API, which enables Google Arts & Culture to sustainably integrate The Met collection into the platform, also ensuring up-to-date versions of images and data are available to users.

  To further enhance users’ experience, The Met also offered to collaborate on the creation of a new download option. So whether you teach art or study it, are an enthusiast or professional, or are simply a bit curious -- now you have hundreds of thousands of artworks to download, remix, and share.

  Start exploring by visiting The Met collection on g.co/arts or download the app on either iOS or Android to browse, download, or learn more about over 200,000 works of art from The Met’s collection.

  
  
  https://www.blog.google/outreach-initiatives/arts-culture/new-ways-experience-met-google-arts-culture/
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  Reimagining the Google supply chain
  • sorangutan  

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  Ever wonder how something like the Google Pixel starts out as a design and ends up in the palm of your hand?

  
  

  To make products, like the Google Pixel, and all the technology that powers them—like Search, Gmail and YouTube—we rely on our supply chain. As we create more products and services for you, we also expand the reach of our supply chain to include new places, people and materials. Today, this includes more than 500 suppliers around the world who support our operations and manufacture hardware for devices and data centers.

  As we work to continuously improve the way we design, source, produce, deliver, repair, and recover products, we wanted to share our commitment to create value along the entire supply chain. In our Responsible Supply Chain report, you’ll learn how we are working with individuals, communities and environments to do so. The report highlights our commitments and the progress we’ve made in areas like worker well-being, environmental impact and conflict minerals.

  See the supply chain in action with immersive VR

  If you want to learn more about where materials and products come from and the people and places that help create the devices we use in our daily lives, take a look at two new virtual reality project.  

  In our Made by Me VR experience, you’ll see what it’s like to walk in a worker’s shoes for the day at a Flex supplier factory in Zhuhai, China. With a smartphone and Daydream View, Cardboard, or another VR headset, you’ll be immersed in a 360-degree environment of the factory where you can view the factory floor and scan the faces of workers during an impromptu break-time corner.  

  Next up, in the Journey Of Gold, we will take you to the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) to see how the Nyamurhale mine—which once sold illegally mined, taxed and smuggled gold—has now implemented systems to aid conflict-free gold sourcing.

  Similar to these two stories, we envision a supply chain that equally values people's lives, the environment, and local communities. Through transparency and collaboration, our goal is to unlock new possibilities and advance the technology industry toward a more sustainable future. Learn more at sustainability.google/responsible-supply-chain/.

  
  
  https://www.blog.google/outreach-initiatives/sustainability/reimagining-google-supply-chain/
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  Making creative tools more accessible for everyone
  diversity and inclusion accessibility chrome • • sorangutan  

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  Before I got into the accessibility field, I worked as an art therapist where I met people from all walks of life. No matter the reason why they came to therapy, almost everyone I met seemed to benefit from engaging in the creative process.  Art gives us the ability to point beyond spoken or written language, to unite us, delight, and satisfy. Done right, this process can be enhanced by technology—extending our ability and potential for play.

  One of my first sessions as a therapist was with a middle school student on the autism spectrum. He had trouble communicating and socializing with his peers, but in our sessions together he drew, made elaborate scenes with clay, and made music.

  Another key moment for me was when I met Chancey Fleet, a blind technology educator and accessibility advocate. I was learning how to program at the time, and together we built a tool to help her plan a dinner event. It was a visual and audio diagramming tool that paired with her screen reader technology. This collaboration got me excited about the potential of technology to make art and creativity more accessible, and it emphasized the importance of collaborative approaches to design.

  This sentiment has carried over into the accessibility research and design work that I do at the NYU Ability Project, a research space where we explore the intersection of disability and technology. Our projects bring together engineers, designers, educators, artists and therapists within and beyond the accessibility community. Like so many technological innovations that have begun as assistive and rehabilitative tech, we hope our work will eventually benefit everyone. That’s why when Google reached out to me with an opportunity to explore ideas around creativity and accessibility, I jumped at the chance.

  Together, we made Creatability, a set of experiments that explore how creative tools–drawing, music and more–can be made more accessible using web and AI technology. The project is a collaboration with creators and allies in the accessibility community, such as: Jay Alan Zimmerman, a composer who is deaf; Josh Miele, a blind scientist, designer, and educator; Chancey Fleet, a blind, accessibility advocate, and technology educator; as well as, Barry Farrimond and Doug Bott of Open Up Music, a group focused on empowering young disabled musicians to build inclusive youth orchestras.

  

  The experiments explore a diverse set of inputs--from a computer mouse and keystrokes to your body, wrist, nose, or voice. For example, you can make music by moving your face, draw using sight or sound, and experience music visually.

  The key technology we used was a machine learning model called Posenet that can detect key body joints in images and videos. This technology lets you control the experiments with your webcam, simply by moving your body. And it’s powered by Tensorflow.js—a library that runs machine learning models on-device and in your browser, which means your images are never stored or sent to a server.

  

  We hope these experiments inspire others to unleash their inner artist regardless of ability. That’s why we’re open sourcing the code and have created helpful guides as starting points for people to create their own projects. If you create a new experiment or want to share your story of how you used the experiments, you can submit to be featured on the Creatability site at g.co/creatability.

  
  
  https://www.blog.google/outreach-initiatives/accessibility/making-creative-tools-more-accessible-everyone/
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  Bust ghosts in the newest game built with Maps—Ghostbusters World
  maps arcore google play • • sorangutan  

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  Earlier this year, we introduced a new way for game developers to create real world games using information about the world from Google Maps. It enables game studios to easily reimagine our world as whatever they can dream up and helps them find the best places in the world for players to fuel up or start a mission.

  
  

  With Ghostbusters World™, the newest game built with Google Maps, you can grab your virtual proton pack and bust ghosts—all as you explore a game world built on the Google Maps you know and love. Brought to you by Sony Pictures Consumer Products, Ghost Corps, publisher FourThirtyThree Inc. (4:33), and developer Next Age, Ghostbusters World is available for free on Google Play and the App Store now.

                                                     

  As a Ghostbuster, your mission is to “bust” ghosts to keep the world safe and ghost-free (just in time for Halloween, in case you’re superstitious). Lurking among 3D buildings, landmarks and parks, you’ll find hundreds of ghosts from all dimensions of the Ghostbusters franchise like Wes Pinker, Splat and Achira—in addition to fan favorites like Stay Puft and Slimer. Catch them in your proton beam to drain their energy and then capture them in your containment unit. As you advance in the game, you’ll gain access to the latest in spectral neutralization and trapping technology.

                                                       

  Because some ghosts are just too strong to take down on your own (would you want to face Stay Puft solo?), you can team up with nearby Ghostbusters in multiplayer boss raids. Not a team player? No problem. If competition is what you’re after, just build up your ghost team (the ghosts you capture and store in your bank) and enter battles against other Ghostbusters around the world to gain valuable resources needed to make your ghosts stronger.

                                                        

  For those Ghostbusters who delight in the story—not just the action—there’s an all original story mode featuring your favorite classic characters. And if you’re feeling festive (or daring) this Halloween, there’s an AR Mode (built with ARCore on Android) that lets you blur the lines between ghostly fantasy and reality.

                                                          

  If you want to do your part to make sure your local streets are ghost-free this Halloween, try Ghostbusters World. Download it now from Google Play and the App Store.

  
  

  
  
  https://www.blog.google/products/maps/bust-ghosts-newest-game-built-mapsghostbusters-world/
• 

  Learn and do more with Lens in Google Images
  • sorangutan  

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  On Google’s 20th anniversary last month, we announced updates to make Google Images a more useful place to explore the web through images. One of the ways we’re doing this is by bringing Lens to Google Images. We launched Lens to help you do more with what you see. People already love using it in their camera and on their photos–to find items in an outfit they like, learn more about landmarks, and identify that cute dog in the park. Lens is a natural fit for Google Images.

  Starting today, when you see something in an image that you want to know more about, like a landmark in a travel photo or wallpaper in a stylish room, you can use Lens to explore within the image.

  Similar to Lens in the Google Assistant and Google Photos, Lens in Google Images identifies things within an image you might want to learn about, and shows you similar ones. When you press the Lens button in Google Images, dots will appear on objects you can learn more about.

  Lens in Google Images can also make it easier to find and buy things you like online. For example, you might come to Google Images looking for ideas to redecorate your living room. During your search, you come across a couch you like in an image, but you may not know what style it is or where to buy it. All you need to do is press the Lens button, then either tap on a dot on the couch, or draw around it, and Google Images will show you related information and images. From there, you can learn more about it, or find places where you might be able to buy a similar couch.

  Lens in Google Images also helps website owners by giving them a new way to be discovered through a visual search, similar to a traditional Google Search.

  

  To start, the dots will appear on products and other objects Lens has identified, and in the coming months the dots will appear in more types of images, such as landmarks, animals and plants. You can still draw around anything you’re interested in inside of an image to get more information and see related content.

  Start exploring today. Lens in Images is now live on the mobile web for people in the U.S. searching in English, and will soon be rolled out to other countries, languages and Google Images locations.

  
  
  https://www.blog.google/products/search/learn-and-do-more-lens-google-images/
• 

  Drive better results: An insider's look at the latest Google Ads innovations
  google ads search ads • • sorangutan  

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  With the busy holiday season ahead, we're investing in new ways to help you work smarter and exceed your omnichannel goals. Check out the innovations we unveiled today at SMX East.

  Easier ways to manage your messages

  

  It’s no surprise that messaging has become a big part of our modern lives. If you’re inviting a friend to “Friendsgiving” dinner, you’re probably sending a quick text message. In the coming weeks, we’re rolling out two improvements to click-to-message ads:
  

  • Email forwarding sends text messages to your email, so you don’t need to provide a phone number to use message extensions. Responding to the email will automatically send a text reply back to your customer.
    
  • Automatic reply sends a preset message back to customers as soon as they message you. For example, you can automatically reply with, “Thanks for your message. We’ll get back to you within the hour.”
    

  To help measure the success of your click-to-message ads, we’re expanding message reporting to include message conversions. You’ll be able to define the number of user-initiated exchanges needed to count as a conversion. For example, if it typically takes two or more exchanges before a customer orders holiday dinner from your restaurant, you can set that as your conversion threshold.

  “Using message extensions, we can offer fast assistance when our busy customers are looking for a style recommendation or opinion on fit, and can easily share images and links. Now, message reporting will help us analyze which parts of our campaigns are driving the most in-depth, valuable conversations with stylists, and where we can improve performance.” - Michaella Kurdziel, Director of Experience Excellence & Learning at MM.LaFleur
  

  
  

  Take action on your data across online and offline channels
  

  Most customer journeys still end in store, and 61% of shoppers would rather shop with brands that have a physical location than ones that are online only.¹ Businesses need to measure the offline impact of digital advertising in order to take action on omnichannel behavior: store visits measurement is one way to do that. As a reminder, store visits are estimates based on data from users that have turned on Location History. Only aggregated and anonymized data is reported to advertisers, and they aren’t able to see any store visits from individual website visits, ad clicks, viewable impressions, or people.

  To help you take action on store visits, we're bringing these insights to data-driven attribution and Smart Bidding which use machine learning to help you improve performance. Data-driven attribution helps you understand which keywords, ads, ad groups, and campaigns have the greatest effect on your business goals. You can use this information to drive more conversions using Smart Bidding.

  We’re also adding more ways to measure the full value of your marketing. In the coming weeks, Store Visits in Google Analytics will start rolling out to eligible advertisers to connect store visits to other marketing efforts that bring customers to your website and then to your store.
  

  One example of a business measuring the online to offline impact of its marketing is department store JCPenney. JCPenney had long recognized that digital campaigns led to store visits but wasn’t able to attribute those visits to specific channels. With Store Visits in Google Analytics, JCPenney was able to look at store visits and visit rate by channel to understand which online marketing channels were most effective in driving in-store visits, and efficiently scale investment in those channels.

  We hope these new products can simplify your day-to-day and improve performance across your Google Ads campaigns during the holiday season and beyond.
  

  ---

  1.  Google/Ipsos, “Shopping Tracker,” April - June 2018, Online survey, US, n=2703 adults 18+ who shopped in the past two days. Response based on top 3 box 7 pt scale.

  
  
  https://www.blog.google/products/ads/drive-better-results-insiders-look-latest-google-ads-innovations/
• 

  Meet the Local Guide who’s the king of onion rings on Google Maps
  • sorangutan  

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  Scroll through Tyler Groenendal’s profile on Google Maps and you’ll immediately notice one thing: the guy is really, really passionate about onion rings. He’s written 47 detailed reviews about them at places across the U.S. With his “Onion Ring Standard,” Tyler has definitely found a way to make his reviews stand out—and just in time for National Greasy Foods Day!

  
  

  To celebrate this fun U.S. holiday, we spoke with Tyler to learn more about what it’s like to be an expert onion ring reviewer, his tongue-in-cheek approach to food reviews and his tips on what makes a food review great.

  
  

  You seem very passionate about onion rings! Can you share more about that?

  
  

  My interest in onion rings began in college, when I started to notice a correlation. Restaurants that produced good onion rings tended to be good at making other sorts of food. Gradually, this developed into a system of thought, one that I call the “Onion Ring Standard.” The theory goes that onion rings are simple, and easy to cheap out on—either in quality of ingredients or prep time—and still be passable, from the perspective of most people. However, if a restaurant goes to the trouble of hand-making onion rings, in a quality way with quality ingredients, it's indicative as to the effort they put into the rest of the menu.                                                      

  
  

  What inspired you to start writing reviews on Google Maps?

  
  

  Google Maps provided the largest immediate platform where my reviews of onion rings could impact and inform the most people.

  
  

  What information do you think is important to include in your reviews of onion rings?

  
  

  I review based on four broad categories.

  1. Presentation and appearance — takes into account the plating, the quality of the batter, the color, and so on.

  2. Taste — looks at the overall taste of the onion itself, the breading or batter and any accompanying dipping sauce.

  3. Texture — looks at the overall mouthfeel, the crunchiness of the batter, the mushiness of the onions and so on. This category also accounts for overall structural integrity.

  4. Value—Given the quality and quantity of the onion rings, and the price I paid for them, does it match up to be a good value?

  
  

  Finally, a picture of the onion rings, as they look when they arrive, plated, at my table, is essential.

  
  

  

  What do you look for in the perfect onion ring?

  
  

  Generally speaking, though not exclusively, a perfect onion ring will consist of a thickly cut onion (both tall and wide), a consistent beer battering or more traditional breading, with both the onion and batter fried to an optimal texture and color. That is, they aren't overdone, the onions aren't mushy or too raw, the batter is cooked through, but not burned and the parts aren't separable. Separability of parts is the biggest plague in the world of onion rings today.

  
  

  What do great onion rings tell you about the restaurant you ordered them from?

  
  

  Essentially, great onion rings tell me that the restaurant puts time and care into even the most mundane dishes. I view onion rings as a proxy for the quality of any given restaurant.

  
  

  What do you hope people learn or feel when they see your reviews and photos on Google Maps?

  
  

  First and foremost, I hope that people learn about what (in my opinion, at least) constitutes a good onion ring, and whether or not the onion rings at these particular restaurants correspond to that. The onion ring reviews are written in a unique tone I've developed over the past two years. It's simultaneously tongue-in-cheek and completely serious. The "joke," if there is one, is that I treat this with the utmost care and precision. The hyperbolic nature of the language of the reviews plays into that. Fundamentally, I want people to feel entertained and enlightened at the same time.

  
  

  What information do you wish more people included in their reviews?

  
  

  I wish more people included the value. It's not enough for me to just know the food was "good" or "alright.” How did it match up to what you paid for it?

  
  

  Do you have any tips for writing more helpful reviews?

  
  

  Just like in business, where the ultimate decider is the consumer, so too with reviews. What does your audience want? This will vary wildly from venue, to type of location and even geographic location. Don't be afraid to be in-depth. I think a lot of people are content to slam a few sentences down and call it a day. If you write something quality, even if it's long, they WILL read it.

  
  

  Anything else you'd like to add?

  
  

  Only an appeal to all the restaurants of the world, or at least those that make onion rings. There are two great scourges to this particular cuisine, among many. The first, which I've dubbed "slippage," occurs when a loose piece of onion slides out of the breading or batter, leading to a pile of greasy batter in one hand, and a mushed up onion on my plate. The second, similarly dubbed "shedding," is the reverse, wherein the onion remains solid, but the breading or batter chips off, is rarer, though equally negative.

  
  

  Beyond that, I think that too many restaurants use dipping sauce as a crutch. If you have sub-par onion rings with a pretty good ranch or zesty sauce, ultimately, the sauce merely serves to mask the (lack of) flavor in the onion rings. In extreme cases, the onion rings serve as little more than a vehicle for a delicious sauce.

  
  

  For more greasy food inspiration, check out lists from other Local Guides on Google Maps like French Fries in the Twin Cities, Fried Chicken in LA or where to get the best fish fry in Milwaukee.

  
  

  
  
  https://www.blog.google/products/maps/meet-local-guide-whos-king-onion-rings-google-maps/
• 

  Drug free helpline answers: How do I keep my family safe from opioid addiction?
  public policy google earth • • sorangutan  

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  Editor’s Note: This Saturday, October 27 is National Prescription Drug Take Back Day. Across the nation, people are disposing of their leftover, unneeded prescription drugs at local Take Back events to prevent drug misuse. Google has partnered with the DEA to make these locations easier to find. Enter your zip code in the interactive map below, find a location near you, and make a plan to bring back your prescriptions.

  Earlier this year, Google.org gave $750,000 to the Partnership for Drug-Free Kids to expand and improve our Parent Helpline that supports parents and other caregivers of young people struggling with substance use. As the mother of a child in recovery, I’ve seen firsthand how opioid addiction hurts our loved ones, families and our communities. I also work with the Partnership to help educate about opioid use and addiction, and I volunteer as a Parent Coach – providing peer-to-peer support to other families.

  Today I'm sharing some of the most frequently asked questions I hear from parents about opioid addiction.

  Aren’t opioids legally prescribed by doctors, and therefore safe?

  Even though opioid pain relievers can be prescribed by doctors to manage pain, opioids have high risks of addiction and dependence. While other pain relief options should be explored before taking opioids, when taken as prescribed for short periods of time, opioid pain relievers may generally be safe for most adults. But because opioid pain relievers (which have the same properties as heroin) can produce a sensation of euphoria in addition to pain relief, some people take them for longer stretches and increase the dosage over time – which can lead to addiction.

  What can I do, right now, to keep my family safe?

  1. Ask your doctor about alternatives to opioids to manage pain.
     
  2. Secure all of the medication in your home.
     
  3. Make sure that medications for you and your loved ones are used only as prescribed, and not shared with anyone else,
  4. Dispose of unused or expired medications at a Take Back location this weekend. Enter your zip code or address into the map here and find a local take-back facility.

  

  But my child isn’t using opioid drugs – why do I need to clean my medicine cabinet?

  When surveyed, more than half of teens say that it’s easy to get prescription drugs from their parent’s medicine cabinet, and two-thirds of teens who report misusing Rx medication get it from friends, family and acquaintances. While it’s tempting to keep old prescriptions around “in case you need them later,” it’s safer to dispose of them when the immediate need is over. Proper medication storage and disposal can help prevent misuse even beyond your own family.

  How can I talk to my child about drug misuse?

  While a majority of kids report that their parents have talked to them about avoiding alcohol (81%) or marijuana (80%), only 18% of kids say that their parents have talked to them about prescription drug use. Kids who learn about the dangers of drug use early and often are much less likely to develop addiction than those who do not receive these important messages at home. Conversations about the importance of using medications as prescribed, including not sharing medications or taking anything that hasn’t been prescribed to oneself, are critical messages to convey. Learn more tips for talking about medication misuse.

  What signs should I be on the lookout for?

  Signals range from the obvious, like missing prescriptions and empty pill bottles, to subtler signs like sudden mood changes, isolating from family or friends, and losing interest in hobbies that used to bring joy. Early use can sometimes bring about positive behavior and moods, like being overly motivated or having lively conversations.

  Opioid addiction can also manifest in physical ways: Look for signs of fatigue and drowsiness, pinpoint pupils and dark circles under the eyes, and rapid weight loss. Learn more about opioid medication, including common signs of misuse.  

  What do I do if I find out my child is misusing or abusing opioids?

  It can be scary to learn that your child is misusing opioids, but there are steps you can take to help:

  • Learn about tools to help motivate your child to get treatment.
    
  • Start a conversation, not a confrontation, and always remember to listen.
    
  • Consider your treatment options, including medications that can help reduce cravings associated with opioids.
    
  • As a safety precaution, you can talk to your doctor or pharmacist about getting Naloxone (known by the brand name Narcan) which is used to reverse an opioid overdose.
    

  When I found out my child was misusing opioids, I was scared and felt alone—and felt like I had nowhere to turn. But parents and families don’t have to face this alone. Compassionate, one-on-one support and guidance are within reach. You can connect with a Helpline Specialist at the Partnership for Drug-Free Kids by calling 1-855-DRUGFREE. You can also contact us by text (send a message to 55753) or email at our website at drugfree.org.

  If you are an adult who is personally struggling with addiction, or you’d like information on how to help a loved one, you can find opioid addiction resources through the Federal SAMHSA Helpline: 1-800-662-HELP. 

  
  
  https://www.blog.google/outreach-initiatives/public-policy/drug-free-helpline-answers-how-do-i-keep-my-family-safe-opioid-addiction/
• 

  Google’s Code Next program brings coding education to Harlem
  education diversity and inclusion • • sorangutan  

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  Ninth grader Ayan Cooper’s entire family grew up in the Bronx, and as his mother will tell you, you can often find him playing video games or exploring Harlem, where he attends Promise Academy I High School. But these days, he’s got another space where he’s spending most of his time—Code Next Harlem Alliance, one of Google’s newest programs to help build the next generation of computer scientists.

  
  

  When Ayan shows up to the Boys and Girls Club of Harlem, where Code Next lives, he sees a flurry of activity. He heads over to one corner where two students work together on creating their own emoji with Processing programming language. At a board nearby, Coach Sabrina Victor maps out a sequence of code. Out in the courtyard, a  group of 9th graders chat about plans for their upcoming day of coding.

  
  

  This isn’t unusual. In fact, it’s a typical day at Code Next Harlem Alliance.

  

  Coach Sabrina Victor works with student Devaughn Hood on a coding project together.

  Increased confidence, positive motivation, and hard technical skills, coupled with the access to the people and spaces that can help these students grow, are ultimately what will help diversify the tech ecosystem. Chelsey Roebuck
  Founder and Executive Director of ELiTE Education

  Two years ago, when Google launched Code Next, an initiative designed to find and foster the next generation of transformational Black and Latinx tech leaders, we wanted to expose kids to tech within their own communities. In 2016-2017, we opened up two labs (one in Chelsea, New York and one in Oakland, California) where high schoolers could learn about computer science for free and become their own creators of technology. Code Next supports Google’s commitment to diversity, endeavoring to attract, develop, progress, and retain more underrepresented talent at all levels of Google’s workforce.

  
  

  But we always knew that we wanted to open up more Code Next labs—starting in Harlem. “We wanted to work with community experts who had deep roots in the communities we wanted to serve,” shares Google’s Code Next Program Lead, Peta-Gay Clarke.

  
  That’s why, this past summer, we made a multi-year investment in Code Next Harlem Alliance, a partnership led by the Boys and Girls Club of Harlem, Emerging Leaders in Technology and Engineering (ELiTE) Education, and New York Urban League. Harlem, rich in history and culture, has largely “been left out of the economics and new jobs discussion” according to Dominique Jones, Executive Director of Harlem’s Boys and Girls Club. But Harlem is the next tech frontier, she adds, “making it the ideal place for a technology learning lab.”

  

  Chelsey Roebuck (second from left), Dominique Jones (fourth from left) and Dona Badua (second from right) join Googlers and community members at Harlem’s Super STEM Saturday event

  In June, Code Next Harlem Alliance opened its doors to 43 rising ninth grade students. Throughout the academic year, students dedicate almost every Saturday to learning in the lab, engaging in a collection of STEM activities ranging from 3-D printing to creating online games. Ayan, for example, expresses excitement over learning about p5.js and Processing: “You can type in functions and make shapes. It’s really cool.”
  

  

  Harlem Alliance students engage in a team-building activity in front of the Boys and Girls Club of Harlem with ELiTE Education’s Chelsey Roebuck.

  Code Next Harlem Alliance is just the beginning of what we hope to build—and there are so many partners that make this work possible, from fellow tech companies to foundations to nonprofits. If you are interested in partnering with us, opening up a new lab, or getting further updates from Code Next, sign up for our quarterly newsletter.
  

  
  
  https://www.blog.google/outreach-initiatives/diversity/googles-code-next-program-brings-coding-education-harlem/
• 

  Fresh ways to stay up to date on your favorite places and find new ones
  • sorangutan  

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  Ever wandered by your favorite store just to find out you missed a great sale? Or maybe you’re always the last of your friends to find out about the new hot spots opening in town. With more than 150 million places on Google Maps and millions of people looking for places to go, we made two updates so it’s even easier for you to keep up with the places you care about and find out about places coming soon. 

  Those using Google Maps for Android can now follow places right from the app. Rolling out now, just search for that coffee shop you love or that clothing store you’ve been meaning to pop into and tap the “Follow” button. Once you’ve followed places, news from them—like events, offers and other updates—will appear in the For you tab (where available, with more countries coming soon!). 

                                             

  
  

  And for those of you who want to be in the know about all the new places opening around town, you’ll start seeing profiles for places before they even open on Google Maps for Android and mobile search—just look for the opening date in orange.

  
  

                 
  

  Places that are opening soon can create a free Business Profile that will appear to people up to 3 months in advance of opening—letting trendsetters know ahead of time to mark their calendars. The feature is rolling out over the next few weeks and places interested in making sure their coming soon locations are shown on Maps and Search can get started with Google My Business here. 

  
  
  https://www.blog.google/products/maps/fresh-ways-stay-date-your-favorite-places-and-find-new-ones/
• 

  Version control to Major Tom—keeping track of work in G Suite
  g suite drive sheets docs • • sorangutan  

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  How many times have you worked in a document only to realize halfway through that you’re editing an outdated version? Beyond being frustrating, this can cause confusion and slow down your project. One of the great things about working in cloud-native tools like G Suite is that everything is automatically saved. You never have to worry if you’re working on the most up-to-date version of a document because your apps do that for you.

  But for the times that you need to go back and see changes, it’s simple. Go to File > Version history > See version history and view a complete list of changes to your document in one place. You can restore previous versions of a document there, too.

  Another trick is to simply click the text at the top of your navigation bar that says “last edit was…” or “all changes saved” in Google Docs. If you hover over that text, it will actually tell you what the last change to the document was and who made it. Or if you’re returning to a document, you can click “See new changes” and the Doc will highlight edits that have been made since your last visit.

  Read on for more tips on how to keep track of work in G Suite.

  Take it a step further

  Beyond viewing versions, there are other cool things you can do to keep track of work in G Suite. You can:

  1. Make copies of specific versions. 

  This is great for sharing “before” and “after” versions of your work with your boss. You can make copies of specific versions within version history. Click the three dot icon next to your selected version and choose “make a copy” to have a second record.

  

  2. Name specific versions of your work. 

  In version history, you can keep track of your work by naming individual versions in your list. Because all of your changes are saved in the cloud, it’s easy to go back and change version names instead of having ten different versions of a “Final” document floating in email threads. Bonus points for creative names!

  

  3. See who’s viewed your work and when. 

  If you’ve ever wondered who specifically has looked at your work, there’s a way for you to view activity within Google Docs, Sheets or Slides. Those folks who use paid versions can go to Tools > Activity dashboard and see detail about the number of people reviewing their document, who specifically has reviewed and viewership trends. If you want to get there quicker, you can use this keyboard shortcut to see the activity dashboard: Ctrl + Alt/Option + T, then click Z.

  4. Set up notifications to see when changes are made in Sheets. 

  If you’re working in a spreadsheet to track a project, you may want to see regular updates for when changes are made. You can set up notifications to alert you of changes immediately after someone changes data in a cell. Select Tools > Notification rules and choose the settings you prefer.

  

  Don’t let version issues slow down your work. Use these tips to maneuver past mix-ups.

  
  
  https://www.blog.google/products/g-suite/version-control-to-major-tom-keeping-track-of-work-in-g-suite/
• 

  Driving change with Rolling Study Halls
  education grow with google • • sorangutan  

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  Editor’s note: It’s National School Bus Safety Week and we’re celebrating by telling the story of two incredible bus drivers from Talladega County, Alabama who participate in Rolling Study Halls. This program powers their buses—along with others across the U.S.—with Wi-Fi, devices and onboard educators to help thousands of students reclaim 1.5 million learning hours. As part of our Grow with Google initiative to help provide more Americans with access to the tools and skills they need, we expanded the program across the country this school year. Dr. Suzanne Lacey, Superintendent from Talladega County, authors today’s post to share the impact this program is having in her community.

  Talladega County is home to more than 7,000 students across 17 schools. The majority of our students spend a sizeable part of their day on a bus getting to and from school. In our rural county, many students also face limited access to the internet—and it’s not just an economic issue. In a lot of places where our students live, there simply isn’t access available. For these reasons, Rolling Study Halls has become an important part of our educational program since we became a participating district last April. Through a creative use of commute time, we’re now able to open doors for these students to opportunities they might not have had otherwise. This means our bus drivers aren’t just driving students to school, they’re also helping to drive change.

  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-gAjTI3GVk&feature=youtu.be

  Maximizing opportunities for learning

  Our transportation department is a critical part of what makes our school district run and has proudly maintained a perfect record of performance with the Alabama State Department of Education for over 37 years. Kim Gaither, who drives a Rolling Study Halls bus for Munford Elementary and High School, has said the program dramatically improves her long bus route, which is now quieter due to better student behavior. The best part of all: while Kim is focusing on the road, the kids get to focus on getting more out of their time on the bus. 

  By extending the learning day, everyone benefits. Principal Michelle Head says Stemley Road Elementary teachers have seen student confidence grow, which she and her teachers attribute to Rolling Study Halls.

  Creating time to connect

  One extraordinary byproduct of Rolling Study Halls is the relationship built between the onboard educator and the students. Drew Middle School teacher and onboard educator, Stuart Bently, recently shared with me the story of a former 7th grade student who struggled in class and rarely completed her work. On the bus, he is able to give this student extra attention and have conversations not just about her assignments, but also about what’s going on in her life. He is proud that this student is now completing assignments, participating in class and couldn’t wait to show him her last report card.

   Onboard educator and 2nd grade teacher Jessica Moses provides targeted warm-up activities for students on her bus each morning to get students into the right frame of mind before getting to school. Teachers at her school relish the rare opportunity to have a positive impact on students' learning attitudes before they even walk through their classroom door. We all know how much your morning commute can set the tone for your day, and we think one of the best parts of this program is how it helps students start the day with their best foot forward.

  Inspiring unlikely mentors

  Rachel Betts, Munford Elementary teacher and onboard educator, shared with me how one of her “too cool for school” 5th graders was reluctant at first about doing his homework on the bus. But then one afternoon, he volunteered to help his Kindergartener cousin on her reading. He was sounding out letters, using syllabication and modeling fluency like she had never seen him do in class! She was in awe at his level of engagement and willingness to collaborate. 

  Parents, teachers and bus drivers are eager to see how the program will continue to positively impact our students. As we measure its success, we’ll also investigate methods for expansion. Talladega County Schools always looks for opportunities to maximize learning for our students. Together with Google, we are making a difference for them—and we couldn’t do that without our bus drivers who are behind the wheel, making this whole thing run.

  
  
  https://www.blog.google/outreach-initiatives/education/driving-change-rolling-study-halls/