Great Google-y Moogle-y!

As I’ve mentioned in class, there has been a significant re-design of our documents list in Google Docs. I spent some time today trying to figure out where everything is and how to work with the changes. My first stop was, of course, Google. Their Getting Started Guide is quite helpful in getting to know the changes to our documents list. When you get to the page, you’ll see the following:

Simply click on one of the three panels and you’ll be provided with an explanation of how to work with the revised Google Docs. Once I become a bit more familiar with the changes, I’ll make a short screencast that will explain the changes a bit more thoroughly. Until then, please don’t hesitate to ask questions.

The Homework Dropbox

As I mentioned to my seventh graders yesterday, I have created a way for students to “turn in” their digital homework throughout the year. It’s one extra step for students to take, but it could save the teacher (that’d be me!) up to an hour of time per assignment! So I greatly appreciate my students taking that extra step; one that won’t take more than a minute, I promise!

Here’s what I want you to do. Go to this link on the Seventh Grade website:

Homework Dropbox

First, you need to enter the basic information: your name and which subject the assignment is for. For the Name of Assignment box, enter the name I have given you for the assignment or, if I haven’t given you a specific name, use a name that properly identifies the assignment.

Next you will need to copy and paste the URL (web address) for your assignment into the box on the form labeled “Link to Your Assignment.” Be sure it’s the URL that goes directly to your assignment, not the URL to the page of your blog.

The last box on the form is optional; it is for any information you may need to share with me regarding the assignment. For example, if you were absent the day it was assigned or if you had any questions about completing the assignment, you would enter that information in that box.

So, if you’re having some downtime this weekend and looking to get ahead for next week, try using this form to “turn in” your first two literature responses from your blog and/or your vocabulary sentences. You will need to use the form three different times to turn in each assignment separately.

If you have any questions, please send me an email.

Google Apps Refresher

Hello My Seventh Grade Lovelies!

First of all, let’s review how you sign in to Google Apps. Start by clicking on this link:

Google Apps for Education

If you have trouble remembering your log-in information, send me an email. Once you log-in, you’ll see a screen that looks like this:

If you wanted to go to your blog, you would click on “Sites.” But let’s start with Google Docs. To create your document, click on “Docs.” The next screen will look like this:

Of course, your page won’t be filled with documents and folders, but you get the point. So, let’s get to work!

Click on “Create new” on the left-hand side of your screen. This will give you a drop-down menu where you’ll select “Document.”

Before you start typing anything on the next page, NAME YOUR DOCUMENT! Don’t make the teacher tense!

Time to share the document with your teacher. You have two choices, as seen here:

Click on either one of those and the next screen you see will be:

Add my email address at the bottom (if you just start typing “k…m…” it will come up for you).

And that’s it! You’re ready to type up your first Google Document.

Now, wasn’t that easy!?!