Tip #9--Ideas for Student Use

How students can put Google Docs to use:

• Divide up work:  Students can work side-by-side on the same document, splitting up the work load
• Always have their files:  Instead of emailing files to themselves, students can upload their non-Google files to Docs and then download them at school.
• Record research:  Instead of using index cards to record research for papers or projects, students can create a Google document and share it with their teacher
• Share research:  Students can easily take notes and then share them with other students of their choosing (of course, this could also make plagiarism easier as well)
• Make presentations:  Google recently update their Presentation maker to include things like embedding video files and creating animations.
• Draw:  Use Google Drawings to collaborate on and create charts, diagrams, logos, etc.
• Meet up virtually:  Students can be assigned group work at home (provided they have computers and Internet) and they can "meet" on the web instead of having to physically get together.

One thing that is certain is that those students who are comfortable with technology will always come up with new and unique "tweaks" to use these emerging technologies.

Tip #7-Flipping the Classroom

The concept of flipping the classroom is a hot topic in education at the time this blog post is being written.  Largely pioneered by a website called "The Khan Academy," to "flip" the classroom means to record and store lessons online, to assign students to view them before the next class, and to spend class time helping the students apply what they've learned.  It's called "flipped" because it takes the traditional model of teaching a topic in class and sending the kids home to work on it, and reverses it.

The theory is that instead of sending kids home to grapple alone with what you've taught them, teach them "at home" and then work with them in school to develop their skills.  Below is my first stab at trying this technique.  It is a PowerPoint of background information about Macbeth with narration that I converted to a movie and uploaded to Google Docs, as well as posting it on the blog below.  To share it with the students, I will email them a link from the Google Docs share function:

Full disclosure:  The PowerPoint/video above was made using Microsoft Office 2010 because Office 2007 does not have the ability to save files to video (unless you purchase a third party add on).  Keynote, for Mac, does support saving presentations as video files and has for quite awhile.

Tip #6--Storing and viewing video files

Any video files uploaded to Google Docs can be viewed from within Docs itself, without downloading the files.  One assumes that this feature will be more likely to work on computers outside of school, but one never knows. Also, all copyright laws do apply, and you can be held responsible for any content posted in violation of those laws.

The picture above shows the file name for a video lecture on using the verb "To Be" that has been uploaded to Google Docs.  The "eye" icon above the file will appear when the file is selected.  Clicking on the eye will cause the video to open and play within the browser.  A screenshot is below:

Tip #5--How to upload and download files

To upload files to Google Docs, as we discussed in Tip #4, you need only open Docs and click on the red upload button:

Using Google Chrome, it is possible to upload entire folders to Docs, but we will focus on sending just files for now.  The process is the same for folders.  Clicking on "Files" opens up the box below:

Note that the two boxes marked "convert" are unchecked.  This means your file will upload in the original format.  If you check the first box, Google Docs will convert your document to their proprietary format.  If you check the second box, Google Docs will convert a PDF file into Google Docs format.   Click "Start upload" and a box will pop up in the bottom right corner displaying your upload status.  Once it's done, your files have been uploaded to Google Docs and can be accessed from any computer with an Internet connection:

Downloading files is just a matter of checking the box next to the file and selecting "more" and then "Download."  Once there, a pop up will appear giving you choices about what type of file you wish to download.

 

** Side note:  If you uploaded a PDF file (perhaps one that you have scanned to file) to Docs and converted it, you can now download the file as a Word document that can be modified.

Tip #4--Storing files on Google Docs--The Why

Storing files on Google Docs without converting them to Google's proprietary format:

An under-publicized feature of Google Docs is the ability to upload files to Google's servers and to keep those files in their original file format.  There are other services that do this, such as Dropbox, but using Google Docs is a simple and effective method.

Why would you want to do this?  If you have files that have been created in Microsoft Word or PowerPoint, the formatting does not always convert well into Google Docs.  So, for instance, if you have used multiple, very bright colors and fancy designs in your PowerPoint presentation, they may all be reduced to one, bland web-safe color or disappear entirely.

Below is a screenshot of a folder that contains files that have not been converted to Google Docs format.  The blue W indicates Microsoft Word files and the Adobe symbol indicates PDF files.  These files involve tables and text boxes that would not convert well.  Using this method, each user that has access to the folder can download the files in their original form and utilize them.

A key point:  When you choose to use Google Docs in this way, none of the collaboration or chatting or revision history features will be available.  You are simply making use of Google's server space to store your files.  Theoretically, as long as you were guaranteed a working Internet connection, you could store all of your files for work or school this way and never have to carry a USB drive or portable hard drive with you again.  This is a core idea of "cloud computing."

Tip #2--Document Collaboration

Chatting inside documents

When a shared document is opened by another Google Apps user, a notification appears in the top right of the screen and a different colored cursor shows within the text.  You can then view the changes that person is making as they make them.

By clicking on the notification at the top right of the screen, you can begin chatting with the other editor.  Multiple users can edit a document and chat about it at the same time.

Cloud computing

If Google Apps is in the "cloud," then what is "cloud computing"?

Cloud computing is the current trendy term used to describe services like Google Apps, iCloud, Evernote, Microsoft Skydrive, and more.  Being "in the cloud" is just tech jargon meaning that the actual programs you use are running on remote servers elsewhere in the world, and the user is accessing them over the Internet via a web browser. 

Before broadband Internet, cloud computing was not possible, and it's actually a huge step forward in computer technology.  The advantages are that the user doesn't need to download and maintain software on their computer--the service provider does that for them--and that the user doesn't have to worry about backing up files because the service provider maintains their files for them.   Disadvantages include privacy concerns (how much of your life do you want to store on the Internet?), security concerns (can Google be hacked?), and that a high speed Internet connection is required to reach and use the services.

Google is one of the biggest cloud computing providers in the world, and it operates dozens of data centers all around the world that process more than 20 petabytes (20 million gigabytes) of information per day. And while they try to keep the exact locations of those data centers secret, the map below shows the locations of some of their known data centers.

Overview of Google Apps

Google Apps is a suite of free, online tools that can be used to create documents, presentations, websites, drawings, blogs, and more.  Blogger.com, where you are now, is also owned by Google and is a part of Pennridge Google Apps.

I will use this blog to structure the in-service presentation on "Using Google Apps to enhance writing instruction."  I will also attempt to make you aware of other cool things you can do with Google Apps and of some tips and tricks for using the tools available.