Well, our Google Docs course has come to an end (except for the webinar this evening). I think you will agree that Google Docs has such a lot to offer and as time goes on you will discover more about it that is just SO useful. The fact that it is online using the 'cloud' makes it a very useful classroom tool. I think the most important attractions of Google Docs for using it with our students are:
1. Our students can work on it at home and have access to it at school or wherever they are.
2. A document can be easily shared with a teacher, another student or whoever.
3. It is perfect for collaborative work on projects or whatever.
4. It crosses platforms with Microsoft Office.
5. It can be used on an iPad (though I am not so sure about the ability to create a presentation at this stage).
Google Forms are the best - I haven't found anything that compares to them at all.
If you look at the Course Requirements page for the course in order to receive a Certificate of Participation from SchoolNet you'll see that they are minimal and you have till the end of July. They do require a final comment of whatever kind under this page.
So glad you were able to join us in this course! Please add your comment below.
BTW, I came across an interesting read called "30 days with Google Docs" where the writer abandoned his use of Microsoft Office and just used Google Docs for 30 days writing about his experience as he went. Here is the link:
http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/226810-2/30_days_with_google_docs.html
1. Our students can work on it at home and have access to it at school or wherever they are.
2. A document can be easily shared with a teacher, another student or whoever.
3. It is perfect for collaborative work on projects or whatever.
4. It crosses platforms with Microsoft Office.
5. It can be used on an iPad (though I am not so sure about the ability to create a presentation at this stage).
Google Forms are the best - I haven't found anything that compares to them at all.
If you look at the Course Requirements page for the course in order to receive a Certificate of Participation from SchoolNet you'll see that they are minimal and you have till the end of July. They do require a final comment of whatever kind under this page.
So glad you were able to join us in this course! Please add your comment below.
BTW, I came across an interesting read called "30 days with Google Docs" where the writer abandoned his use of Microsoft Office and just used Google Docs for 30 days writing about his experience as he went. Here is the link:
http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/226810-2/30_days_with_google_docs.html
Hi Fiona, I wasn't sure where to post my final comment. I made the document, spreadsheet, form and Powerpoint - they all went well and are not too difficult to work with. I love that I can add the Powerpoint to my wiki. I see there is a scrapbook option - I would like to try figure out that option in the future. Thanks for all the info Fiona. (Kathryn - Micklefield)
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for your comment Kathryn. You'll see that I moved your comment from the Comment Page and put it here now that I have added this final reflection page. I really appreciate that you joined the course and have participated so enthusiastically. Regards Fiona
DeleteHi Fiona....well another fantastic computer tool so well taught by you! Thank you so much for your time and effort that you give up, even in the evenings!
ReplyDeleteI have just fallen in love with Google Doc Forms...what an amazingly simple yet so effective tool! I think this is going to be one that I use so much, and I am going to get the girls to use it too!
Also since we are looking to go mobile devices at our school, this also helps with our dilemma of where to store and share info for lessons...I can see this working!
I did send, and am happy to resend, the google form, presentation and document that I made...I used the Grade 6 music project that I do as my theme.Just let me know if you got them (I discovered that the first time I sent my form it sent the results page, but I since fixed that!)
Thank you....now what is the next exciting course!
Regards
Judi at Micklefield
Hi Judi, thanks for your encouragement. I received all your forms - thank you SO much - but am just a 'little' behind schedule for replying! So sorry! Regards, Fiona
DeleteHi Fiona. Another fantastic course! Thank you so much. My thoughts on Google Docs...
ReplyDeleteOverall, I don't think G Docs stacks up to MS Office in terms of spreadsheets, document and presentation creation. However, I don't think that's where its strengths lie. These are 'by the way' functions. The best features (and the ones I will be using in class) are the forms and the collaboration functions.
There are a few features which have disappeared, unfortunately. Chief among them is the ability to email documents to a special account which would then send directly into Google docs. (Although there are rumours that this will be returning soon.)
As you know, my Ipad is my chief means of being mobile, and G docs does not interface well with the iOS. Maybe this will change with time.
Thanks again for a superb course!
Thanks SO much for these thoughts and encouragements and for joining us on the course, Sean. To have someone trying out the different aspects of Google Docs on an Ipad is just the best thing ever. Microsoft has its Live@Edu online Office suite (Office 365) which I have joined. I wonder how that will work with the Ipad. I think I'll research that this month. Regards, Fiona
DeleteHi Fiona,
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for all the effort you put into the instruction slides for this course! I prefer playing and finding out where all the features are, but sometimes I needed a nudge in the right direction. :p
I now know what Google Docs has to offer and can think of many ways to use it. And thanks to this course I am now using Google Chrome and loving it!
Juanita
Thanks for joining the course Juanita. Basically that's the purpose of the PowerPoints - for those odd moments when something doesn't make sense! I also love Google Chrome - every day I discover something new and exciting about it! Thanks again. Regards, Fiona
DeleteHi Fiona
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for sharing your skill and expertise with us! I am Jeannette from Micklefield. I am sure that we will be able to use these applications in various ways here at school! I have sent you my 3 Google Docs - a document, a presentationa and a form. They are all about Jack and Jill! Okay question please - I decided to edit my form because I had left out a question that I needed to show first, which was their name. I moved it to the top of the form and that was fine, but when I looked at my summary spreadsheet it still showed that question in the K column so it was last and not first. Is there any way to move the question in the summary section please?
Kind regards
Jeannette, Headmistress at Micklefield
Thanks Jeanette, it was great having you on the course. I am always impressed when the Leader of a school gets involved in technology integration. I'll take a look at the query you mention. I hope that your third term at school goes well. Regards, Fiona
DeleteI have so enjoyed the last 3 courses Fiona! Thank you for all your preparation and being so thorough. I find the PowerPoints so useful and have downloaded ALL of them. I enjoy fiddling on my own, but when I get a little stuck, they are a handy reference to 'get me out of the mud'. ;)
ReplyDeleteI'll echo Judy - What's next?
Liesel
It is always great to have enthusiastic you on board, Liesl! Glad you have found the PowerPoints useful. Will let you know about the next course - thank you for being interested! Regards, Fiona
DeleteHi Fiona!
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed this course, thank you very much for your support and feedback. The templates are stunning. All I have to do now is to start using Google Docs in my teaching next term.
During the course I installed Google Chrome on my MacBook; added the dictionary and 'send to Google Docs Chrome extension'.
In order to receive updates from Google Chrome, i have to upgrade my Mac OS to 10.6. The online Apple shop in SA is out of stock and I must phone them again next week ;-(
Did anyone encounter problems with autosaving? I lost 2 questions while creating a form - error message: 'autosaving eror occured'.
Best wishes
Claire from Stirling Primary
Hi Clair, thanks for your comments. I am so glad you found Google Docs and especially google forms useful. By the way, I also often have the error message in Google Docs while saving, and can't get to the bottom of it! Interesting about the Apple shop being out of stock for 10.6, the requirment for Google Chrome. I read a blogpost saying that Chrome has now become no. 1 worldwide for PCs and with regard to Apple it passed Safari in its first week of being introduced! I must say, I LOVE Chrome! Thanks again for joining us on this course, Claire.
Delete