Using+Google+Apps

"GoogleApps From a Teacher's Perspective" - Jeff Rothenberger, Warwick
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Focus on Google Education Edition. GoogleDocs provides free access to Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.

File Management - Create folders and subfolders to organize files. Upload - Can upload existing document to GoogleDocs for editing, viewing. Google Gears - plug-in - Saves documents, encrypted, in Document folder
 * Allows you to access and work on GoogleDocs off-line
 * Synchronizes when you go online
 * Great for teachers

Document Presentation Spreadsheets Forms Gadgets
 * Similar features to Word (cannot insert video - only YouTube)
 * Can import themes from PowerPoint
 * Embed data
 * Show graphs
 * Can import data from forms and updates graphs in real time
 * Great for surveys
 * Can embed any gadget - often multiple forms of each gadget

Everything is recorded!!! Can keep track of anything that you do or students do.
 * Revision history
 * Can see text that was revised or deleted
 * See who did what work on the project - individual accountability in grading

Use in the Classroom:
 * Collaboration
 * Keep track of data
 * Writing process
 * Create quizzes, tests, surveys - time stamped answers
 * Shared PowerPoints
 * Share lesson plans - collaborative planning
 * Collaborate with colleagues
 * Technology Assessment for new teachers - what technologies do new hires know about, comfort level

Examples:
 * Group PowerPoints - students assigned to different slides
 * Data for Science classes - bring together lab data for whole class
 * Order forms
 * Group collaborations - identify areas of interest

Additional Features:
 * Calendar - assignments, meetings
 * Can combine calendars and only share portions (so you can have personal, class, and department calendars shown for you, but students can only see assignments)
 * Video
 * New feature
 * Can upload videos specific to your school or subject
 * Good place for training videos
 * Sites
 * Cannot block some aspects of this
 * Combine RSS feeds, GoogleDocs, blogs, etc.
 * Students put work up to the site
 * Public
 * Google Main Page
 * Moderator
 * Someone asks a question or poses a problem
 * People (or students) respond to the question or problem
 * Students vote on the best responses - re-orders responses based on votes (most votes to least votes)
 * Shortlink
 * Take a long URL and make it into a short link for students to follow
 * Gmail
 * (in education edition, you can turn features on or off based on preferences)

Can embed code from Form to a wiki or Moodle. Can see who else is editing the page at the same time that you are. Can download files in several forms - html, pdf, rtf, Text, Word - formatting stays the same as in GoogleDocs Can leave comments in a document (Insert -> Comment) Blue bar at the top of the page is your toolbar in GoogleDocs - back, forward, etc.