Directions to create shared lesson plans

Here is a link to a presentation on the autocrat script made by David Malone

Link to a sample lesson plan  by Brian Curwick

Link to a sample lesson plan template by Brian Curwick

Link to a sample lesson plan template with merge fields

Link to a sample form

        Make a copy of this spreadsheet from the sample form

What this will do for you: At a school site where teachers are creating individual lesson plans by submitting lesson plans to a Google Form a coach or administrator can receive all of the lesson plans neatly formatted into a single folder in their Google Drive.  These documents can then be printed and shared in a binder, shared electronically with teachers to encourage cooperation and collaboration and can be jointly edited and commented on by coach, administrator or grade level team.

Directions

• Create a template in a Google Document for a lesson plan design.

• Include a logo or graphic on the document
• Include a table for organization
• Have different font size and font colors within the document
• Have the template look professional but not boring.

• Within the document template determine where the text would be placed that the person filling in the form would write their information.

• Create a unique name for each input location and surround this text with this notation: <<text>>
• You should have several of these merge fields throughout the template document.
• In at least one location have the merge text be non-standard formatting.

• bold, larger font size, different color, etc...

• Create a Google Form that asks for the information that needs to be merged with the lesson plan document.

• At the bottom of the create a form screen is a blue link to the form.  

• Go to your Google Drive and open the spreadsheet where the form empties into.
• From the insert menu choose script
  
• Search for the autocrat script
• Install
  
• Wait a minute and next to the help menu option the autocrat menu option will appear.
  
• Click on autoCrat and run the initial configuration
  
• Choose which Google Doc in your Google Drive has the lesson plan template with the merge fields.
  
  
• Autocrat automatically scans the document for the <<merge tags>>.  There is nothing to do in the next part of step 1 other than to confirm that you chose the correct document with the merge tags.
  
• Click save settings

• In step 2 you are selecting which sheet of the spreadsheet contains the data.  Most likely this is Sheet1.  This is where a Google Form defaults to empty the submitted data into. If you renamed Sheet1 you will want to choose that sheet.
  
• Click save
• In step 3 you can choose to set criteria for if the autoCrat will run on a submitted form.  Usually you would not do this.  Do nothing on this step.
  
• Click Submit
• The next step is to connect your columns in your spreadsheet to the merge fields in your document.  Choose from the drop down list which column (question) in the spreadsheet matches the merge tag.  If the column header and the merge tag match autoCrat will automatically match your fields.
  
• Click Save Mappings

Step 5

There are a lot of options in step 5.  Read through them carefully.  Check the “Save merged files to Docs” so you get a copy of what other people submit (besides the spreadsheet).  Also select “Trigger merge on form submit” so that when someone submits a form they will automatically receive a confirmation email that contains their information they submitted in a nicely formatted PDF or Google Doc.

• Upon checking the save merged files to Docs more options appear.
  
• From the dropdown list choose which folder your recipients docs will move into.  If you already have a sub folder in the folder which your form is in, this option will be available to you.  Otherwise a default folder will be offered.  

• Note that if 20 people fill out your form that you will be automatically shared on 20 documents, you want this organized into a folder.
• You will want to be able to identify each new document created.  Use the blue field names at the top to reference submitted answers.  
• For example the $yourname will be replaced with the name the person submitted in the form.  and $lesson will be replaced with the lesson title.  $timestamp will include the date and time submitted to the document title.  This will help to organize if the teachers are submitting multiple lesson plans over a period of time.  

• Choose an appropriate naming convention for the documents that will be created.
• Check the “save links to merged Docs in spreadsheet.”  This will help you to keep track of the submitted lesson plans by automatically appending a live link to the lesson plan document for each form submitted.
• Check the “Send merged files via Email” box.  This will open up more options.
  
  
• Use the style of the blue links at the top to determine which column in the spreadsheet contains recipient emails.  In this case I copied and pasted $yourEmail into that box.
• An email will automatically be sent to each form submitter, create a meaningful email subject line.  To include data submitted, copy and paste the blue titles at the top to reference data in the spreadsheet.
• Inserting the same reference to the blue links at the top a custom email message can also be crafted.
• From the drop down list determine which style of attachment you would like the recipient to get.  Choose “Recipient-editable Google Doc” to allow for a Google Doc to be created that is shared between you and the person submitting the lesson plan to allow for you to coach and collaborate with this person on their lesson plan.

• Optionally, in Google Drive share the merged documents folder with administrators who would like to also collaborate and view the lesson plans.  Giving permission to edit on the folder allows the administrator or collaborator to edit and comment on all of the lesson plans submitted (individually).