Advanced Google Apps

Presenter Dan Rott, www.mrrottbiology.com

Signing Into Google Drive:

1. Sign in to your Google Apps account (go to www.google.ttsd.k12.or.us for TTSD staff accounts, also linked on employee portal).
2. Get to Google Drive by clicking on the 9 box icon in the top right corner.

Publish a Google Document/Presentation:

1. After creating the document or presentation, click File and Publish to the web.
2. A pop up box will ask confirmation to publish the file to the web; in nearly all situations, you will want to keep the default setting of having the document automatically updated.  This will allow any changes you make to the document to be automatically changed on the published document.
3. A second pop up box will contain the necessary URL address for the published document, code to embed the page in a website or blog, option to stop publishing the page, and social media sharing options.  The URL address can be linked on a website, blog, or emailed to another individual.

Google Templates

Google templates is a tool that allows any Google Document, Presentation, Spreadsheet, or Drawing to be made available for other individuals to quickly and easily use.  For example, a google template could be used in place of a paper handout in the classroom.  Additionally, when using templates all formatting, pictures, links, etc on the document will be available.

1. To create a template, sign into your Google Drive account and perform a web browser search for Google Template (this is the fastest way I have found to get to Google Templates).
2. Click Google Doc Templates.  You will be presented with a number of pre-made public templates, a link to templates you have used, and your own templates.  To create a template, click Submit a template.

Depending on whether you are using a normal Gmail or school district Google Apps account, the following steps may be slightly different.  A school district Google Apps Public Templates will be public to only those in the district.  Additionally, you will have the option to require users to sign into their district account in order to use the template.

3. Once clicking Submit a template, a new page will allow you to select a previously made document from your google accounts, give a description (required), select a category (education usually) and language.  Any submitted template will automatically update when changes are made to original google document, presentation, drawing, or spreadsheet.
4. Once submitted, your new template should be viewable in the My templates link or by searching for the document.  Occasionally, it takes longer than would be expected for the template to appear in which situation it may be helpful to repeat the process.

5. To use your template, copy the Preview url link and email it to another person or student, post on a blog or website, or share via social media.

Google Calendars

1. Google Calendars can be accessed by clicking on the 9 box icon in the top right corner.

2. Google Calendars can facilitate multiple calendars at once; by default each google account already has a calendar for the particular user.  To create a new calendar, click the left drop down arrow box next to My calendars on the left hand side.

3. User and sharing settings for each calendar can also be edited here.
4. To create a new event, click Create.  Enter the name of the event, time or all day, location, reminders, privacy settings and invite guests if desired.  A description for the event can be added; when the event is clicked on in a published calendar, the description will be viewable. Click save once completed (details can later be changed if needed).

5. To make a clickable link in the description, use the following text code (no quotations):  “<A href="link">what link will say </A>”.  Replace “link” with the actual url link you want to use and “what link will say” with the name of the link.  For example, you could link a google template on a calendar event and describe it as the handout/activity/lab/etc.

Embedding a Google Calendar

1. Calendars can also be embedded onto a website, blog, etc. just like a Google Document or Presentation.  Click the Down arrow next to the desired calendar to be embedded and select Calendar settings.
2. A settings page will open that will allow a number of settings to be modified including the name, location, calendar description, etc.  To modify the embed settings, click Customize the color, size, and other options.

3. A new tab will open in your browser that will allow all settings of the calendar to be modified including adding additional calendars to what will be embedded, colors, titles, size, etc.  The displayed calendar is a preview of what the embedded calendar will eventually look like.  
4. Once all desired changes have been made, click Update HTML, then copy and paste the HTML embed code.  This code can be then embedded into a blog, website, etc.

Google Forms

Google Forms is a tool that can allow you to quickly collect and analyze information from individuals very quickly and easily.

• Create a Google Form by clicking the red Create button in Google Drive.

• Before adding and editing questions, be sure to name your Form so that it can be found easily later.

• A single header to name the Form or section of the Form is automatically added to your document as well as a multiple choice question.  This question can be modified (change question type, number of multiple choice options, or deleted) by clicking on it.

Form Basics

• Additional items, including pictures, videos, and other types of questions can be added by clicking the drop down arrow next to Add item button.

• Question Types:

1. Text: Best used for short written responses, such as names or emails.
2. Paragraph Text: Best used for long written responses.
3. Multiple Choice: Multiple choice
4. Checkboxes: Best used when multiple answers/responses are possible.
5. Choose from a list: Similar to multiple choice but a list style.
6. Scale: Best used for allowing participant to select a factor from a range of options, for example selecting the quality of something on a scale of 1-5.
7. Grid: Best used when the same scale is necessary for multiple questions.

• Questions can be made required by clicking the Required question box.

• As many items as desired can be added to the Form and item order can be changed by dragging and dropping the question boxes.

• Once completed, the Theme of the Form can be changed by clicking Theme button in the top menu bar.  

Making a Quiz

• Forms can be turned into self-grading quizzes (availability of manually grading written responses) by clicking on the settings option.
• Responses can be limited to one per person, sign in required.
• Quiz scores can be released immediately or after review with options of what information is provided to respondents.
• After turning on quiz option, each question will have a blue Answer Key clickable link below each question, allowing for the designation of correct answer and point value for the question as well as question feedback.

Viewing Responses

• Form responses can be view by clicking on the Responses tab at the top; Google automatically provides a summary of all responses as well as individual responder results.
• Form responses can also be viewed in a Google Spreadsheet with the same Form name and (Responses); clicking on View Responses in the future will create this spreadsheet.
• The Form can be turned on/off when desired as well as changing the destination for responses, deleting, and printing responses.