OK. You’re ready to begin using Google Docs. You have your UserID and Password; you’ve participated in the Google Apps Orientation either at the HS/MS or at Townsend Elementary. If you’re looking for a step-by-step and some learning resources, you’re at the right place!
Signing into Google Docs:
- Go to http://home.waltoncsd.org and click on the Google Docs link.
- You should be at the Google Docs login. Type in your Username (your Walton CSD login name, and then type in your password in the password field. Click Sign In. (Note: DO NOT check “Remember me on this computer” on your school computer! However, it’ll save you time at your home computer.)
Uploading a Document:
Since most teachers create their documents (Word docs, PowerPoints or Excel spreadsheets) right on their school computer, you may want to begin using Google Docs by uploading any of these three different types of documents from your school or home computer: word processing, spreadsheet or presentation.
On the Google Docs folder page (Google Docs Home), click on the Upload button located in the upper left-hand corner of the menu bar. This will open up the browse window. You may upload from:
- Your network folder
- A local resource such as a floppy disk, cd-rom or your computer’s hard drive
- A web-based location
Once you have selected the document, you may upload it with the same name or choose to rename it by typing the new name in the “What do you want to call it?” box. Simply click the Upload File button to complete the transfer of your file to your Google Docs The browser window will open with your document, ready to edit!
Editing and creating: that’s the key to Google Docs. Unlike so many services that provide storage, this space also provides the TOOLS to make working on typical documents a possibility from anywhere. The applications in Google Docs are entirely web-based: used right from a browser such as Internet Explorer, Firefox or Safari.
Sharing your documents:
The power of Google Docs is also in its collaborative features: users whom you’ve invited to view or edit the document can work on it simultaneously, with revision tracking built right into the space. Inviting others to collaborate with you is as easy as clicking on the Share tab while you are editing a document. A new window will open, that provides you with space to invite people as collaborators or as viewers.
You may share with a user inside the waltoncsd.org domain or outside. Once you click Invite collaborators you will be presented with an invitation form that is e-mailed to the people you’ve chosen to share with.
It’s easy to skip this (just click Skip) step if an invitation isn’t needed. From this point on, your document will be viewable and editable by those you’ve chosen to share with.
NOTE: You may want to leave the Advanced permissions unchecked. They can allow collaborators to invite others–something you may not want to do. Also, by unchecking the “Invitations may be used by anyone”, you eliminate the potential use of your invitations by others for mailing list purposes.
As with any collaborative space, give some thoughts to just how you want to use it BEFORE you begin sending out invitations!!
has taken off in the area of student activities. Student Council began using Docs to create collaborative items right away, and this past June, just before school ended, Mr. LeParr leveraged Calendar to help all student club advisors setup calendars that can now be displayed simultaneously from the Google Cal feature.
