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:

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:

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:

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.





Who is Kasey Bell?

A Google Certified Trainer and Innovator, Kasey Bell has done a tremendous job of helping teachers make better use of Google tools over the last few years. Through her popular website, Shake Up Learning, she regularly shares smart, practical ideas that can help teachers use Google apps to improve learning in their classrooms. She is the author of Shake Up Learning: Practical Ideas to Move Learning from Static to Dynamic and the co-host of the Google Teacher Tribe Podcast with Matt Miller. In the U.S. and internationally, Kasey speaks about innovative learning, trains teachers in the use of Google tools, and has helped thousands of teachers become Google certified.

Kasey Bell

Kasey is such a sharp person and always puts out incredibly high-quality stuff, so I feel confident in recommending these courses to you. If you’re serious about taking this step in your professional development, the Shake Up Learning Google Academy would be a solid choice.


Disclaimer: I am an affiliate for Shake Up Learning courses. That means if you sign up for a course after visiting the enrollment page through my link, I will get a small commission for referring you. That’s Kasey’s way of thanking me for letting you know about the courses!