Google Tools for Field, Forest and Stream

Dr. Cynthia Annett

Google Outreach Trainers Network

Using Google Spreadsheets

Sign in to your Google Account, go to https://drive.google.com and create a spreadsheet

Name your spreadsheet

Set Sharing Preferences

Use Comments to provide feedback and collaborate

Google Spreadsheets is compatible with Microsoft Excel

Embedding Photographs

Students can embed digital photographs into Google Spreadsheets by

• Uploading the image to the web (you can do this in a Google Doc or Site)
• Right Click (PC) or Control Click (Mac) on the image to get the image url
• Using this formula in the cells of your Spreadsheet:

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=image("image url goes here")

KansasRiverInventory.org

Directly below this presentation on the Google Site page are examples of Spreadsheets, Forms, and the answers from participants using Forms arrayed as a Spreadsheet.

Using Google Forms

Forms are a great way to help students enter their data

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For younger students, providing a form will help them to use spreadsheets without having to deal with a complicated looking table

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Forms also help organize student answers to simplify your evaluation of their work

Create a form

You build a form one question at a time. Answers show up in your spreadsheet.

GPS Locations

If you can enter GPS locations into your spreadsheet or form, you will be able to very efficiently map the data click here

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If students use cameras or cell phone cameras with GPS locations embedded in the picture, you can use Google Picasa Webalbums or Panoramio to create Google Maps with the photos automatically placed in the right locations

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KansasRiverInventory.org

If your digital photos do not have GPS embedded in them, you can manually add them to a Google Map.

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• Upload the image to the web (you can do this using a webalbum, or in a Google Doc or Google Site)
• Right Click (PC) or Control Click (Mac) on the image to get the image url
• You will use this image url to embed the photo in a Google Map icon balloon (or to make a custom map icon)

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After you upload the photo to the web and copy the image url you can add it to a Google Map

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You can also add photos to Google Earth icon, path or polygon balloons

Using Google Earth

There are a number of tools in Google Earth that can be used to investigate your study sites such as the Measure tool and Show Elevation Profile

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You can have students measure linear distances using the Measure Tool and then calculate areas

After you draw a line, you can get a cross section of the landscape along the line by using the Elevation Profile Tool.

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Click Edit>Show Elevation Profile

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Note: this gives you the elevation at the surface, so it uses the water surface in a lake or the top of a building or bridge. That may require some thought when interpreting profiles.

You can move along the line and the marker on the profile will move along with you