Is Google Certification Right for You?

Over the past few years, I have become a huge fan of all things Google, and I’ve seen how their tools for educators have transformed student learning all over the world. Teachers who want to really get the most out of these tools go beyond simply using them—they acquire enough skills and knowledge to become Google Certified Educators, sharing innovative practices online, training other teachers, and helping their students leverage these tools to create, collaborate, and grow as learners.

Certification Levels

Google Educator Certifications are offered at four different levels:

• Level 1 certification is based on knowing the fundamentals of Google tools.
• Level 2 certification is for the advanced user, with requirements to implement tools on a deeper level.
• Google Certified Trainers are qualified to provide training to schools and districts.
• Google Certified Innovators are those who go above and beyond, using Google tools to solve problems all over the world.

Why Would You Want to Get Certified?

Although you can use Google tools in your classroom perfectly well without ever getting any kind of certification, pursuing certification has significant professional benefits:

• Get a more complete set of skills. Even if you’re well-versed in a lot of Google tools, chances are you have some weak areas and gaps in your skills. By pursuing certification, you’ll fill those gaps, building your confidence and making your foundation more solid.
• Learn how to leverage the tools better. Working toward certification will equip you with new and better ways to use these tools to boost learning, save time, inspire creativity, and help students become more responsible digital citizens. And once you know better, you’ll be able to pass that knowledge along to your colleagues and improve learning school-wide.
• Become part of a family. Once you earn certification, you’re part of a huge community of Google Certified Educators. These energetic, open-minded educators will serve as a personal learning network that you can draw upon for years to come for advice, ideas, and resources that will keep feeding your growth.
• Boost your earning capacity. Once you’ve reached the trainer level, you have the credentials to offer professional development anywhere. This can become a whole new source of income for you as an education professional.

How Do You Get Certified?

For Level 1 and Level 2, certification is granted after candidates pass an online test. Each test is three hours long and covers a wide range of information about Google tools. The next level, Google Certified Trainer, has more complex requirements, including submitting a video of yourself as a trainer. Those interested in becoming a Google Certified Innovator must attend in-person cohort events and participate in ongoing innovation work.

Option 1: Doing it on Your Own

You CAN work toward certification completely on your own. Google offers training materials that can help you learn what you need for certification. However, these materials are mostly text-based and there’s no support; going this route will feel a bit like you’re just looking things up in Google’s support center. Still, if you’re pretty tech-savvy, you already have some familiarity with Google tools, and you prefer doing things on your own, this may be the right option for you.

Option 2: Google Certified Educator Academy

These self-paced, online courses, created by Kasey Bell at Shake Up Learning, teach you everything you need to complete the requirements for Level 1, Level 2, or Trainer-Level Certification. These courses offer some things that make this an excellent option for educators who are serious about getting certified:

• Unlike the materials offered by Google, Kasey’s courses are video-based, which makes the content a lot more accessible to most learners.
• Because the courses are self-paced, you can move through them at a speed that works for you. Face-to-face boot camps move way too quickly for some people.
• The courses include a private community where you can ask questions and get support from hundreds of other educators who are also working on their certification.

To learn more about each course, click the images below.

NOTE: AS OF DECEMBER 2022, ALL GOOGLE CERTIFICATION COURSES ARE CURRENTLY IN MAINTENANCE MODE, SO THE LINKS BELOW WILL TAKE YOU TO THE OTHER COURSES AVAILABLE ON SHAKE UP LEARNING. WHEN THE COURSES REOPEN IN A FEW MONTHS, THE LINKS WILL TAKE YOU TO THE GOOGLE COURSES.