Google has opened registration for a free, online, community-based course called Power Searching with Google, as announced Tuesday on the official Google Blog. The first lesson will be released on July 10, 2012.
While Google Search tricks like using the search box as a calculator or finding local movie showtimes are fairly well-known, the course will teach participants how to use the world"s most popular search engine to solve everyday problems. Examples provided include searching for and reading pages written in languages you don"t know, identifying the location of a photograph, and even tracking down a book based on its topic and cover.
The course is comprised of six classes, each 50 minutes long. The lessons will be released on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays starting on July 10, 2012 and ending on July 19. Registration is open from today until July 16, 2012, though Google recommends registering before the first class is released. Course-related activities will end on July 23, 2012.
In addition to the 300 minutes of informative material and interactive activities, the class will also incorporate other Google tools such as Google Groups, Moderator, Google+ and Hangouts on Air to provide a communal aspect to the education. After completing the post-course assessment, users can print out a Certificate of Completion that will be sent through email.
Source: Google Blog, Google Inside Search