1. Go to Google Docs & Spreadsheets to create an account and log in.  (You don't need a Gmail email address to create the account.)
2. Click on "New Document" to create a new document. We suggest that you name your document using your state and the name of your school (for example, "CA, Oak Knoll High School"). You can do this by clicking on the title in the upper right-hand corner, or by selecting "Rename Document" in the File menu.
   
3. If you'd like some help creating a document, check out our Sample Brainstorming Template - you can use it to help give structure to a classroom brainstorming session or copy and save it so your students can use it for this project. Here's how:

• Highlight all the text in the template (keyboard shortcut Ctrl-A) and copy it (keyboard shortcut Ctrl-C).
  
• Return to the browser window with Google Docs & Spreadsheets open, and create a new Google document (click the New Document link).
  
• Paste (keyboard shortcut Ctrl-V) the copied text into the new Google document

1. If you're interested in reviewing background resources, you can visit the Brainstorming Resource Guide and Global Warming Educator Resources.
2. Hold an initial brainstorming discussion with your students, introducing the topic and the concept of using a shared document to collate ideas.   
3. We suggest that you break the class into groups, making sure that at least one student per group has an email address.
4. Once you’re ready to invite your students to add their ideas to your shared document, click on the “Collaborate” tab and add the email addresses of the group leaders. Once they receive your invitation, they can log in from any computer to edit the document. (NOTE: Your Google document is private – that’s why you need to invite your students to view or edit it.)
5. Give your students 1-2 days to continue their discussions outside of class and make edits or additions to the document, asking each group leader to enter his or her group's ideas.
6. If you’d like, ask each group to present their ideas to the rest of the class, and then record any additional ideas that come out of the final discussion.
7. To confirm your participation in the project, add Google as a collaborator by November 3^rd, 2006. You can do this the same way that you invited your students to collaborate: click on the “Collaborate” tab and add our email address – global-warming-speakout@google.com – in the box. Within 24 hours of confirming your participation, you’ll receive an email with a link to a Google spreadsheet.
8. Use this spreadsheet to enter your students' top 10-20 ideas by November 7^th, 2006, following the format provided.

As local press ambassadors on this project, you will be creating more awareness for global warming and your students' voices will be heard. Please take this opportunity to generate publicity for your school or organization in your local community. To help you get started, we have provided you with some media-friendly strategies and templates:

1. Read our tips on how to get local press coverage.
2. Send a notice to the press so they can plan on writing a story about your class’ participation in the project. Use this media advisory template.
3. A press release is a document that lets the media know the facts about an event that has already taken place. You can send out a Press Release once the ad is published (we'll let you know when exactly that will be) to interest your local media in writing a story about your participation in the project, using this press release template.

• We want to know how this project went for you, so we’ll be sending you an email asking you to fill out a quick Student Speakout Post-Activity Evaluation. We’d love to have your feedback so we can improve these types of projects in the future.

• We’ll send you a final email to let you know on which day in November that the best student ideas will be published online and in a major US daily newspaper TBD...we'll let you know which one for sure), so you can show your students the results of their hard work.
• Note that if you participate, the name of your school will appear in the ad – the ad is designed to ensure that your students' voices are heard on the critical issue of global warming.