What are Google Apps?

(Jamie)

There are close to 50 different Google Applications, we will look at four specifically:

• Google Docs
• Google Calendar
• Gmail
• Google Talk

Google Docs

(Jamie, Larissa)

• An online word processor, presentation, spreadsheet and form application provided by Google.
• http://docs.google.com/a/asu.edu/present/view?id=ddxxjqfc_1hbfxtwfb&invite=679265069
• Allows users to collaborate in real-time by creating and editing documents online.
• Allows you to create new documents, presentations, spreadsheets, and forms directly from the web interface and import existing documents, presentations, and spreadsheets from a file or URL.  You can even email a file and it will be available for online editing.
• All documents can be saved to the user's computer in a variety of formats (HTML, Open Office, PDF, RTF, Text, Word).
• All files are saved to the Google servers by default and opened documents are automatically saved to avoid data loss and can be shared, opened, and edited by multiple users simultaneously.
• The following formats are allowed for upload:
  • Document file types: html, txt, doc, docx, rtf, odt, sxw
  • Presentation file types: ppt, pps
  • Spreadsheet file types: csv, xls, xlsx, ods
• Once you register for Google Apps, you will be able to access your Google Docs using a URL in the following format:
  • http://docs.google.com/a/yourdomainname.com/

How to Create A Presentation

(Jamie)

1. Sign in to your google account (myasu)
2. Click on the link google documents (My Docs)
3. Click on a new document (presentation)
4. Click the share link to invite others to edit

Google Calendar

(Jamie, Larissa)

• Allow users to view, create and manage their calendar events
• http://www.google.com/intl/en/googlecalendar/about.html
• Support drag-and-drop, so you can easily move your events from one date or hour to another without reloading the page.
• Users can also Quick Add calendar events and set the number of days/weeks to show in their custom view mode.
• Outlook calendar files (.csv) and iCalendar files (.ics) can be imported into Google Calendar.
• You can also import public calendars which contain various national holdidays of different countries.
• Google Calendar example:
  • https://www.google.com/calendar/hosted/asu.edu/render?tab=oc&AuthEventSource=SSO&gsessionid=K9oo5eRCLdKMWlfujZ4qCw
• Once you register for Google Apps, you will be able to access your Google Calendar using a URL in the following format:
  • http://www.google.com/calendar/hosted/yourdomainname.com

Google Apps E-mail (Gmail)

(Larissa)

• A free mail service provided by Google.
• With Google Apps Email your email addresses use your domain name, not @gmail.com; you can have an email address like user@yourdomainname.com
• Support almost all popular mail service options - mail forwarding, mail filtering, auto-responders, and mail attachments.
• Has multi-language support.
• Once you register for Google Apps and activate email, you will be able to access your mailbox using a URL in the following format:
  • http://mail.google.com/a/yourdomainname.com

Google Talk/Chat

(Larissa)

• An instant messaging and voice over internet protocol (VOIP) service offered by Google.
• A free chat client called Google Talk which is available only for Windows.
• Fortunately, other free chat applications such as Miranda and Pidgin support Google Talk, so even if you don't use Windows, you will still be able to use Google Talk.
• If you don't want to use a separate chat application, you can use Google Talk with Google Gadgets directly from your browser.
• GTalk supports encryption, voicemail and file sharing and offline messaging - users can send messages to their contacts even if they are not signed in and they will be received when the recipient goes online even if the sender is currently offline.
• Along with voice chat, GTalk supports video chat as well. You can check your chat history directly from you Google Email > Chats.

Teacher Uses of Google Docs

(Becky)

• Create information for parents online that can be updated quickly
• Create documetns and presentations for lectures, lessons, and activities in class
• Keep students and parents up to date on assignments
• Acquaint, students, parents, other teachers, and faculty with Google Docs through invitations to view work
• Keep absent students up to date
• Montior progress and give feedback while a student is working on an assignment
• Monitor collaboration during group projects by seeing who edited when
• Encourage creativity and exploration
• Turn off spell check easier so students do not become relient upon it

Student Uses of Google Docs

(Becky) 

• Create documents and presentations for assigned work
• Share ideas for group projects
• Participate in class interactive class activities
• Get feedback quickly
• Update work at any time, including at home online
• Work with other students, classes, and schools in other states or countries

Advantages of Google Docs

(Becky)

• Saves automatically
• Encourages multiple revisions and the writing process
  • Encouraged by the National Council of Teachers of English
• Comfortable, many people use Googel as their primary search engine
• Create relience on one system
• Managable from any machine with internet access, no version discripencies
• Collaboration is easy, effective, and in real time
• Able to convert Microsoft Office Suites projects into Google Docs format, and allows you to continue your work through Google Docs applications
• Less expensive then Microsoft Office Suite

Disadvantages of Google Docs

(Becky)

• Have to have a reliable internet connection
• Inconvenient creating a Google account
• Easy to read buttons are not as prominent as in Microsoft Office Suites
• Very simplistic, more complicated and creative formatting can be done in Microsoft Word and Power point

Links

(Becky, Jamie, Larissa)

• Google Apps Tutorial
  • http://www.siteground.com/tutorials/googleapps/index.htm
• Google Apps for Schools:
  • http://www.google.com/a/help/intl/en/edu/index.htm
• Google Apps for Teachers and Students
  • http://edu.googleapps.com
• Introduction to Schools:
  • http://www.google.com/support/a/bin/answer.py?answer=67775
• Google Apps Lesson Plans:
  • http://www.google.com/a/help/intl/en/edu/lesson_plans.html
• Googe Presentation Key Shortcuts
  • http://docs.google.com/support/bin/answer.py?answer=66280
• Google Apps Education Edition - Common Questions:
  • https://www.google.com/support/a/bin/answer.py?answer=139019
• Getting to know Google Docs: Key shortcuts for presentations
  • http://docs.google.com/support/bin/answer.py?answer=66280
• All Google Docs:
  • http://docs.google.com/#all
• Google Education:
  • http://www.google.com/educators/p_docs.html

Articles

(Larissa)

• http://login.ezproxy1.lib.asu.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com.ezproxy1.lib.asu.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=22809771&site=ehost-live
• http://www.computerweekly.com/Articles/2009/09/03/237544/students-reject-groupwise-for-google-apps.htm

Resources

(Becky) 

Miller, Z (2007). Google Docs Gives It Advantage Against Microsoft and Apple. Retrieved from http://seekingarticle.com/article/47522-google-docs-gives-it      advantage-against-microsoft-and-apple

Tucker, DL (2008). Google Docs. Retrieved from http://people.uwec.edu/tuckerdl/edmt380/web_site/google_docs.html