Using Google Calendar

Why Use a Google Calendar?

Google Calendar is a great way to communicate with students and parents about important dates such as project checkpoints, quizzes, tests, etc. It even allows you to attach documents. The calendar provides options for viewing by day, week, month, and even an agenda. You can color code special events. You can even sync your calendar to your phone if you want. Because of its flexibility, you can use the calendar for a number of purposes to enhance your classroom.

One Calendar, Many Different Calendar Views

Monthly Calendar View--this provides a more comprehensive look at upcoming events and important dates.

Weekly Calendar View--this view provides more detail in terms of time slots for events.

4 Days Calendar View--this is much like the weekly view but only highlights four days at a time.

Daily Calendar View--this shows exactly what is happening for just one day at a time.

Agenda View--this provides a list of important dates and events coming up.

Using the Gear Button

This button (see picture below) takes you to a drop-down menu where you can customize various aspects of your calendar.

From this drop-down menu (shown below), you can select to sync the calendar with a mobile device, make your calendar available offline, change settings, and a few other options. If you choose to make the calendar available offline, Google will remind you that you will be downloading information to the computer you are using at the moment. 

If you select the settings option, a new page will open allowing you to alter a number of aspects of the calendar including time zone, location, start date of the week, default calendar view, and some custom view features. 

Your Calendars

One of my favorite features within Google Calendar is the ability to have multiple calendars and view them either simultaneously or individually. Typically, you begin with a calendar with your username as the title, but you can change that, and you can add additional calendars. To use these features, start on the left side of the screen where it says My Calendars.

Clicking on the arrow beside My calendars opens a drop-down menu that allows you to create a new calendar or change settings for calendars. You can also click on the arrow beside each individual calendar, which brings up a menu like the one in the picture below. 

From here, you can change settings for the specific calendar including displaying only that one calendar, sharing the calendar, color coding the calendar, creating events, and editing notifications.  If you select Calendar Settings, you can change the name of your calendar, which comes in handy if you want to make individual calendars for different classes or courses that you teach. You can also add a description for your calendar if you wish. The calendar settings page looks like this:

You will notice that across the top of the page you have 3 tabs: calendar settings, share this calendar, and edit notifications. When you click on the Share this calendar tab, you can select to make your calendar public, share it with others in your organization, or share with specific people. You can also give people different levels of permissions from this screen, Basically, you can opt to let them only see if you are free or busy, only view the calendar, view and edit/change the calendar, or edit/change but also add others. When you are in any of the settings pages, make sure to click the SAVE button at the top/bottom of the page, or you will lose your changes. 

Below is a screenshot of the edit notifications tab. This allows you to set reminders for yourself via email, text message, or pop-up. You can also set the reminders for a specific amount of time before the calendar event takes place. 

To display multiple calendars on the screen at the same time, simply click on their names on the left side of the page. This should fill in the colored box to the left of the calendar name. If you do not want to see a specific calendar on the screen, click on its name, which makes the box left of the calendar's name blank.

Creating Events

You can click on the actual day or day/time (depending on your calendar view) in the calendar box, which creates a new event pop up box. However, I think the easiest way to create new events is to click the red CREATE button in the top left corner of the screen.  Here is a screencast of how to CREATE AN EVENT.

Attachments

You can add attachments to your calendar as well. Here is a screencast of adding attachments. When you add an attachment, the calendar doesn't necessarily tell others a document is attached. It might be helpful to add wording like (attached) to the event title, so others know to click on the event and access the document. When they click on the event, the screen will look like this:

Adding Tasks

You can also add tasks to your Google Calendar. They will appear on the right side of your calendar like this, where you can add and delete tasks. You also have other options such as creating multiple task lists. In the task list, you can check off completed tasks. You can also sort your tasks and see what's completed.

Printing

You also have a print option for the calendar. You can find this on the top navigation toolbar under MORE, which is beside the gear button.You can print one week, two weeks, four weeks, or a custom range. You can also choose to print in black and white or color. 

Apps and Extensions

What's the Difference?

Apps--These are very similar to programs you would use on a non web-based computer. The biggest difference is that apps run from the web whereas programs run from the actual computer. You can add numerous apps to your Chromebooks, and trust me the Web Store has countless apps from which to choose. Your apps only run when you open them, so they do not slow down your computer if you have tons of them. Google Drive, Google Docs, Google Slides, Google Drawings, Google Forms, Google Calendar, etc. are all apps on your Chromebook. Some apps can run offline as well.

Extensions--These are features that enhance your experience while using your apps. Extensions appear next to the URL bar and run continuously when the browser is open. Therefore, if you add an enormous quantity of extensions, you could slow down your Chrome browser. Typically, extensions do not run on their own. Instead, you can alter your browsing or app use with certain extensions. Extensions also abound within the Web Store, so find some that work for you.

Recommended Apps and Extensions

Here is a small grouping of apps and extensions to check out along with a brief synopsis of what they do and how they could be helpful for students and teachers.

Google Backpack

Some other good finds:

                      Shortcuts for Google--extension                             Youtube--app
                      goo.gl URL shortener--extension                            Google Classroom--app
                      OneTab--extension                                                WeVideo--app
                      Grammarly--extension                                           ClipChamp--app
                      TechSmith SnagIt--extension                                 CloudConvert--app
                      Screencastify--extension                                       Newsela--app
                      Evernote--extension and app                                 PDF viewer--app          

How to Publish to the Web~~AKA Refrain from Repeatedly Re-posting Documents You Change!

What is publishing to the web?

This feature enables you to update any copies of the document you have shared with others and/or posted online simultaneously when you make any changes or revisions to the document. Gone are the days when you need to remove the older version of the assignment and upload the new copy. Wohoo!

The Process

First, create the document in Google Drive or upload the document (if you already have the document in another format) to Google Drive. As always, I recommend saving the uploaded document as a Google Drive document to avoid any issues with formatting and/or editing in the future.

Next, select the FILE dropdown menu from your toolbar. Choose the PUBLISH TO THE WEB option from the list. You will see a window like this:

Then, click on the blue PUBLISH button, which asks you if you are sure you want to publish your content. After you confirm that you want to publish the content, you will see another window like this:

This window provides you with options to share your content via a shareable URL, embedded code, Google+, Gmail, Facebook, or Twitter. You can close out of this window. Whenever you alter the document, the changes will appear simultaneously. Voila!

Forcing Users to Download a Copy

Why Would I Want to Do This?

This feature helps tremendously if you want students to complete a document, graphic organizer, worksheet, etc. that you have already set up with information on it. Obviously, you don't want one student to write his/her answers on the original shared document, which all students need to complete the assignment. Instead, you want students to each have their own copies, which they can alter and submit for formative or summative assessment.

***An Important Note Regarding Sharing and Forced Downloads***

When you want to use the forced download feature, you will need to provide students with the shareable link to the document. If you use the blue share button, the forced download will not work. Students will actually have to click on the URL for the document you want their Chromebooks/computers to copy.

The Process

• First, create your document in Google Drive, or upload the file (if you already have this document in another format) into Google Drive. I would suggest saving it as a Google Drive document to eliminate any possible formatting issues when students add their own information to the copy. 

• Next, look at the URL showing for your document. It should have /edit as the very end of it. This is what you will need to alter to enact the forced download. Before you share the link with your students, you need to change /edit to /copy. This one little detail makes a huge difference. See the sample URLs below.
• original document URL: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1tL45WDaKkdgjV9nBdGvoGI9r7Rlj1MBYJ5366iMSd9Y/edit

• forced download document URL:
• https://docs.google.com/document/d/1tL45WDaKkdgjV9nBdGvoGI9r7Rlj1MBYJ5366iMSd9Y/copy

• If you type in (or click on) the above forced download document URL, you will see a screen that looks like this:

                        Go ahead, give it a try!

• Then, all you (or your students) need to do is click on the blue button to make a copy. This will copy the document, so students can rename it and complete the worksheet.

***Reminder for Student Submissions***

Remember to have students either SHARE the completed (and renamed) document with you or MOVE it to the shared folder, so you have access to the assignment!

Creating and Using a Shared Folder

The Shared Folder's Purpose

This is an easy way to disperse documents to students as well as collect assignments. If you set up a shared folder, student work will be easier to find, especially if you make folders for each class. You can also add documents that students need to read or complete through this folder.

The Process--Setting up shared folders is fairly simple. 

• First, decide where you want to house the folder. This may be simply within your Google Drive, or you might set up a classroom folder for the year and then make shared folders for each class period within the larger folder. 

• After you decide on the location, click on the red NEW button. This creates a drop down menu. From this menu, select FOLDER. Give ths folder a name, usually the course name or class period. Then click CREATE.

• Next, click on the SHARE button from the Google Drive toolbar. It looks like a person and a + sign. This will open a box (like the image below) with your share options.

• Then, choose the correct options for sharing the folder. Make sure that if you want students to add documents to the folder, you list them as able to EDIT; otherwise, they will receive an error message. When you have set the share settings, click done. 

The Finished Product

Once you create your shared folder, students with permission can submit assignments via the shared folder. You may find it helpful to give them the shareable URL to access the folder! Remember, you can also place class handouts, notes, rubrics, etc. in this folder for students to access easily.

How to Share through Google Drive: The Basics

SHARING 

I remember, a few years back, repeatedly hearing a fast food commercial on the radio that posited, "Sharing is caring." I am not sure why that always comes to mind, but one of the most useful features of Google Drive is the ability to share information, whether documents, spreadsheets, drawings, or forms easily and effectively.

THE POSSIBILITIES

The possibilities the share feature opens up are boundless and awe-inspiring. In its most basic form, you can share a document with a person in a few clicks. However, down the road, you may want to share a drawing that is actually an interactive worksheet with your students. You can even force their accounts to make a copy of the worksheet to complete. Then, the students simply complete the worksheet and share it with you. Voila! You have completely changed the way students and teachers can interact with each other. Don't forget that sharing also creates numerous ways for students to collaborate with each other, and makes peer revision a breeze.

STEP BY STEP DIRECTIONS

The easiest way to share content is to click the blue SHARE button. This is typically in the upper right of the tab you are using. It looks like this:

Click here to watch a screencast of how to share a document.

Your second option for sharing a document is to click on the FILE tab and then the Sharing function. This takes you to the same options as clicking on the blue SHARE button. 

Your other option for sharing a document is to do so from your drive instead of the actual document. 

Click here to watch a screencast of this process.

IF YOU HAVEN'T ALREADY, CHECK OUT THE SCREENCASTS ON THIS PAGE!

Substituting Google Docs for Microsoft Word

This is by far the simplest substitution. Most features found in Microsoft Word are also in Google Docs. It takes a little patience to learn where all the features are, especially some formatting options, but transitioning from Microsoft Word to Google Docs is less painful than some of the Microsoft Word updates in terms of navigation. The best part about Google Docs, however, is that you never have to fear that you saved your document in the wrong version of Word or that you didn't hit save right before the power went out.

Don't mourn the loss of all the glorious Microsoft Word documents you have already created. With those documents, you have a number of options. First, Google Docs has an upload feature, which allows you to simply house your Microsoft Word document in your Google Drive. When you upload a Microsoft Word document to Google Drive and open the file, you will receive a message (see the red box below) indicating that your edits will not be automatically saved. Additionally, you will not have all of the usual formatting/editing tools at your disposal.

Second, if you click on the link in the red box to SAVE NOW, you will have your editing options back, which saves the document as a hybrid Word/Docs format. Third, your best bet is to select SAVE AS GOOGLE DOCS from the FILE drop down menu (see graphic below). This gives you all the formatting tools of a document originally created in Google Docs. Be sure to check your document to make sure you do not have to alter spacing or formatting from the transfer before using the document in class or as a handout.

If you wish to RENAME the document in your Google Drive, simply double click on the current document name. If you hover over the current name, a black text bubble shows up that says RENAME. When you double click on the document title, a box appears, where you can edit the title and click okay to save it.

Google Docs File Tab

This tab is very similar to the File Tab in Microsoft Word.
It includes familiar options such as new, open, rename (save as), page setup, and print.

It also offers some additional features such as:

Share--this enables sharing with individuals or groups through Google Drive, email, a URL link, and other Google Apps.

Make a Copy--this creates a new copy of the document, so you can edit without losing the original version. This means you can share worksheets with students, and they can make a copy where they add their answers before sharing the completed version with you or printing.

Language--this allows you to change the language of the document. This would likely be most useful in foreign language classes. This feature will not translate the document.

Download as--this offers options to download a document as a document formatted for Microsoft Word, Open Office, Rich Text, PDF, Plain Text, or Webage. 

Publish to the Web--this unique feature allows the document to sync automatically when you use it as part of another document, webpage, etc. or have provided someone with its shareable link. You do not need to upload the "revised" version of the file because it will already update itself!

Some features which are in grey in the graphic include move to trash (delete), see revision history, email collaborators, and email as attachment. 

Both of the email options allow you to share the document with others. They are pretty straightforward. Always make sure that you give the person permission to view the document, especially if someone outside of the school district may need to access the document later. 

One of the best features of Google Docs, from the teaching and grading perspective, is the revision history.

This makes revising easier, especially if students change their mind about something. 

it also provides accountability because both the teacher and the student can see what changes have been made to the document and when. 

This feature is tremendously useful with group projects because different users' work appears in different colors. 

With a quick glance, you can see which participants completed which sections of a document.

Google Docs Edit Tab

Most features in this tab are familiar. The edit tab consists of options like undo, redo, cut, copy, paste, select all, and find and replace. It also has a web clipboard option. For the most part, the use of these options is pretty straightforward.

Google Docs View Tab

The view tab also contains many familiar options such as print layout, show ruler, show spelling suggestions, and full screen. Additionally, it has options for mode, show equation toolbar, and compact controls. 

Hovering over the mode option brings up a submenu with editing, suggesting, and viewing. 

Viewing--this is when you want to read or print the final document.

Suggesting--this allows the insertion of comments, which appear as suggestions. These suggested changes do not alter the document; instead, they show up in the comment box, where the document author can choose what to do with the suggestions. This feature is great for peer revision or class analysis of projects. This feature is similar to the track changes option in Microsoft Word.

Editing--this is where the actual changes to the document are made. When in the editing mode, the document author changes the text. If students are collaborating, all collaborators can change the document in this view. Comments are also enabled in this view, but they do not appear as permanent document changes; they show up in the comment box (shown on the right in the picture below).

Show equation toolbar--this simply adds a toolbar for functions, like you would find at the top of an excel spreadsheet, below your formatting toolbar.

Compact controls--this feautre hides the formatting toolbar from the document. To retrieve the formatting toolbar, click on the double arrow button on the far right of the screen (see graphic below).

Google Docs Insert Tab

Most functions under this tab are self explanatory. You can insert a variety of content such as images, links, equations, drawings, tables, comments, footnotes, special characters, horizontal lines, page numbers, page counts, page breaks, headers, footers, bookmarks and table of contents. Many of these features are also available in Microsoft Word. I am not very familiar with the bookmark and table of contents features. Hopefully, I will learn more about their use in the future! They appear to  be about bookmarking and labeling sections of a (typically) long document, so you don't have to scroll through the entire document to find one specific section. 

Google Docs Format Tab

The formatting options mirror many of the same options Microsoft Word provides. In addition to using the dropdown menu, most formatting functions also appear in the toolbar at the top of the document. 

   First, you find the text options such as bold, italic, underline, strikethrough, superscript, and subscript. 

Next, you have options that bring up their own additional menus such as paragraph styles, align, line spacing, and lists. Lists is what we usually consider bullets and numbering. 

You can also clear your formatting, which basically restores the defaults to highlighted text.

The lines selection also brings up a separate menu when available. The separate menu focuses on line weight and line type or dash.

Another subsection of the dropdown menu deals with images. The functions allow you to access crop image, image options, replace image, and reset image.

The very last section of the format tab is for alt text. At this point, this is a feature that I am not very familiar with.

Google Docs Tools Tab

The tools dropdown menu has features you would expect such as spelling and word count, but it also has some additional functions like research, define, translate document, script editor, preferencs, and personal dictionary.

Spelling--this gives you suggestions for misspelled words.

Research--this allows your to search the web without opening a new tab. This is helpful when you want to add an image to your document easily.

Define--this brings up a dictionary definition for the selected word.

Word Count--this brings up a box that tells you word count statistics. Click here to see a sample word count box. 

Translate Document--this does exactly what it says. However, if you are translating to a language you are unfamiliar with, it is always best to check with someone to make sure everything is correct. 

Script Editor--this is a code editor, which allows you to add to your documents. Check out an Overview of Google Apps Script here.

Preferences--this allows you to change certain preferences as shown here.

The personal dictionary allows you to add words that may not be in a regular dictionary so that they are not recognized as misspelled words.

Google Docs Table Tab

The table features in Google Docs are almost identical to those in Microsoft Word, so the functions should be pretty familiar.

One difference I noticed was that to split cells, you have to start with what once was more than one cell. Maybe there is a way around this that I have not yet found, but in my brief time working with the program, I have not been able to split a single cell.

How Can I Use Chromebooks in My Classroom?

The possibilities for Chromebooks in the classroom are endless. However, many of us do not want to overwhelm ourselves, especially at the start of the school year. Here is a very basic overview of the 4 key ways to incorporate Chromebooks and/or Google Apps in the classroom as soon as today.

Substitution   

• using technology to complete the same task students would already complete
• often the digital version of a product is neater or more legible such as a typed document instead of a handwritten one
• Example: showing notes on an overhead or whiteboard instead of using the chalkboard

Augmentation 

• using technology to slightly enhance the process/product
• often augmentation uses technology as a tool to complete the same task, but it provides some extra features that improve how students and/or teachers use the process or product
• Example: using ActivExpressions to complete a pop quiz, so the class can immediately review and explore any areas of confusion instead of giving a paper and pencil pop quiz that the teacher must stop to grade before making any instructional decisions

Modification 

• using technology to significantly alter and enhance the process/product
• often modification allows for changing the process students use and/or the final product they submit because of the availability of the technology
• Example: creating a presentation that includes text, pictures, and video instead of simply writing an essay

Redefinition 

• using technology to complete/create tasks that could not be done before
• requires more use of higher order thinking skills because it emphasizes synthesis
• this type of assignment would be impossible to assign and complete without technology
• Example: students Skype, or video conference, with the author of a text they have read to ask pertinent questions and obtain a deeper understanding of literary techniques rather than submitting hypothetical letters to the author, which will never receive replies.

For more information about substitution, augmentation, modification, and redefinition, checkout Kathy Schrock's Guide to Everything.

How Does This Thing Even Work?

Probably the biggest hurdle we face with using Chromebooks in the classroom is understanding what they really are and how to use them. They look like laptops, but they don't exactly function like laptops in some ways. Here's a chart to compare and contrast some Chromebook features with the ordinary laptop that most of us know and love.

What's the Point?

This year, EP enters the school year with a new 1:1 initiative, providing Google Chromebooks for middle school and high school students. One of the questions I've heard most frequently since this technological advancement's inception is, "Whar's the point?" Teachers old and new alike regard most, if not all, new pedagogical initiatives with wariness. We are well-versed in notions that come and go in education, and we typically do not expect most concepts to stick around very long. We always find ourselves wondering what purpose these new ideas, programs, requirements, and tasks have and how they will truly enhance the learning of our students. Often, we believe our tried and true methods will prevail when all is said and done, and in many cases we prove our initial assessments correct.

Today's world is a far cry from the world in which most teachers grew up. We remember our educational institutions in a different light than most of our current students. Let's face it; we even (most of us) remember life before cell phones. Gasp! How did we ever survive in such archaic times? While we all acknowledge that times are different, we must also realize that the skill sets necessary for success in the workplace have also changed drastically. Prospective workers in almost any field must display some degree of technological savviness; otherwise, employers will expend time and resources attempting to acclimate new employees to industry standards. Because our ultimate goal, as educators, revolves around molding students into individuals who succeed in and contribute positively to society, we must accept the challenge to step outside our comfort zones, so we can create experiential learning that provides students the tools that prepare them for life outside the walls of academia.

Even though the uncharted waters of our upcoming educational and professional adventure seem daunting, we must approach them with a positive attitude. Someone one said that, "attitude is contagious." If we do not commence this journey with the mindset to actively use our latest tool effectively, our students will follow our example and disregard all the exciting opportunities we have before us. Do not fear the inevitable changes that technology brings. We can take small steps together. Everything evolves, including us! The point of this initiative is to help our students, which educators have committed themselves to doing for years, decades, and centuries. We should incorporate our new technologies because they can improve students' learning and abilities. What other reason do we need to explore the possibilities of Chromebooks?