Wednesday, July 9, 2014

Publish Google Docs

There are tons of times when I need to get a website up fast for a training. I have made free sites or added pages to my wiki, but those require additional accounts and I have to leave what I am working on to create in another program. Until recently I was overlooking the easiest solution to my problem, publishing a Google Doc.

For those of you who use Google Docs you know you can share them with others and embed them into other sites, but you can also publish your doc to the web.

Once you have created your document and added the necessary content, choose the "Publish to Web" option under File. Voila! A website URL is created for you and you can share that with whoever needs to see your site. Try it this year!


Tuesday, July 8, 2014

Google Forms are GREAT!!!

I have been a Google Apps convert for several years now. I can't tell you the last time I used a Microsoft Office product on purpose! I love Google Drive because I am seldom working from the same computer. I work at home, at the office, and on my laptop. I take notes from my iPad and iPhone. All of these items can connect to my Google Drive! No more wondering where I left that flashdrive!

One of the tools I like most in Google Apps is Forms. It is a simple tool for gathering data and storing it in a usable format. I have used forms to survey staff, quiz students, create inventories, organize data, and many other ways. What is nice about forms is that the responder does not need an account to respond. They can also submit responses more than once which some survey tools do not allow. There are many question types (multiple choice, checkbox, choose from a list, text, etc) to create questions that meet your needs exactly. It is also possible to create bridging between questions so that the responder is sent to a different question based on their previous answer. What a great way to differentiate for students with different needs! The best part of forms is that the responses populate a spreadsheet which can be manipulated and organized in whatever way works for you!

Google also has add-ons that make forms even more powerful. Use Flubaroo to grade a quiz students have taken in forms. Or try Autocrat to create a mail merge that sends feedback to the email you include as you complete the form you created. Great for peer review, walk-thrus, informal assessments, etc.

Challenge yourself to use Google Forms this year!


Monday, July 7, 2014

Google Chrome is my rockstar!

Google Chrome is by far my favorite browser! I have to admit I am a little biased as I use Google Apps and they work best in Chrome.

The features I like most in Chrome are:

1. Syncing to any device - I just started working for Bay City ISD today. Many times I would have bookmarks on my work computer that I would have to export and save or lose forever. With Chrome I log in to my Google account and all of my bookmarks and recent searches are there for me. This is helpful when you work from more than one computer. I also save bookmarks from my iPad or iPhone using the Chrome app.

2. Accessing multiple accounts - This feature is probably designed for a computer that is used by more than one person, but I like to be able to log in to more than one Google account at a time. I have content in several different Google accounts and being able to navigate between then with a single click makes my life so much easier. In other browsers you have to log out of one account before you can log in to another one. Chrome fixes that issue with the multiple user option.

3. Apps, Extensions, Themes, Oh my! - What girl doesn't like to accessorize?!? We all know the first thing that students do when they get a new computer or device is customize the look. Chrome lets you do just that. The themes customize the look of your browser background while apps and extensions let you customize the functionality of your browser. Work smarter, not harder I always say!

I also like pinning a tab and setting default tabs to often used sites. The omnibox is also a clever time saver. I could probably send several days talking about Google Chrome. If you have never used it, go to chrome.google.com and download it today. You won't regret it!