Have a holly jolly time in Santa’s Village — now open

Santa’s elves are back at the North Pole working to make sure old Kris Kringle is ready for his journey around the world on December 24 — and that means Santa’s Village is now officially open. Each day until the sleigh takes off, we’ll unlock a new experience that’ll get even the biggest grinch into the holiday spirit.   

                                        

From sliding penguins to dancing elves, the residents of the North Pole are having the time of their lives, and now you can join in the merriment. This year you’ll find several new games in Santa’s Village, including four new ones only available on the Android app — including Present Quest, where you try your hand at recovering Santa’s misplaced gifts out in the real world.

                                     

Just in time for CSEdWeek this December 5 through 11, we’ll unwrap three coding games to help kids of all ages learn the basics of coding. In Code Boogie, for example, you can help Santa’s elves learn dance moves by combining patterns and creating sequences.

                                      

Within the gates of Santa’s Village, the new educator resource page is filled with lesson plans and educational games spanning subjects from computer science to geography. Teachers and parents can sort by category to easily find and download lesson plans for use in the classroom or at home.

                                    

Be on the lookout for more holiday cheer throughout the month, and don’t forget to return on December 23-24 (depending on your time zone) to track Santa’s journey around the world as he brings gifts and joy to people worldwide. Until then, make merry with the residents of the North Pole on web (desktop and mobile Android/iOS), Android app, Google Maps (desktop and mobile), Android TV and Chrome.  




via The Official Google Blog http://ift.tt/2gP12j1

It takes a teacher to inspire and be inspired

Announcing Google Play’s “Best of 2016”

As the year draws to a close, we’re thrilled to announce Google Play’s most popular apps, games, music, movies, TV shows and books globally in 2016.

The Force and Harry Potter were no match for a different kind of superhero as Deadpool and “Deadpool Kills the Universe” dominated the movie and book charts this year. Game of Thrones kept The Walking Dead away to once again claim the Iron Throne as the most popular TV show of 2016. Twenty One Pilots had no need to feel “Stressed Out” as their single came in as the number one most streamed song of the year, but don’t feel “Sorry” for Justin Bieber who came in at number two. And, of course, Pokemon GO captured the top trending game spot.

Check out Google Play’s top five lists for the most popular content around the world in 2016 below. For complete local lists, visit Google Play.


Google Play's Global Best of 2016 Lists

TOP TRENDING APPS of 2016

  1. Face Changer 2
  2. Lumyer - Photo & Selfie Editor
  3. Castbox - Podcast Radio Music
  4. Emoji Keyboard Pro
  5. MSQRD

TOP TRENDING GAMES of 2016

  1. Pokémon GO
  2. Clash Royale
  3. Traffic Rider
  4. slither.io
  5. Dream League Soccer

TOP 5 STREAMED SONGS of 2016

  1. Stressed Out, Twenty One Pilots
  2. Sorry, Justin Bieber
  3. One Dance (feat. WizKid & Kyla), Drake
  4. Don't Let Me Down (feat. Daya), The Chainsmokers
  5. Me, Myself & I, G-Eazy

TOP 5 MOVIES of 2016

  1. Deadpool
  2. Star Wars: The Force Awakens
  3. Zootopia
  4. Captain America: Civil War
  5. Batman v Superman: Dawn Of Justice

TOP 5 TV SHOWS of 2016           

  1. Game of Thrones
  2. The Walking Dead
  3. The Big Bang Theory
  4. Mr. Robot
  5. The Flash

TOP 5 BOOKS of 2016

  1. Deadpool Kills the Marvel Universe by Cullen Bunn
  2. Harry Potter and the Cursed Child: Parts One and Two by J.K. Rowling, John Tiffany, Jack Thorne
  3. The Girl on the Train: A Novel by Paula Hawkins
  4. The Art of War by Tzu Sun
  5. Me Before You: A Novel by Jojo Moyes


via The Official Google Blog http://ift.tt/2gZEb4I

Impact Portraits: success stories with Google for Education

Google’s European Growth Engine: 2 million trained and counting

Disable Microsoft Account Notifications in Windows 10 Settings and Start Menu

If you want to get rid of “Sign in to your Microsoft Account” and other similar account-related notifications from Settings homepage and Sta...