Tech Tip Tuesday - Google Presentation

Our next installment in our Google series is on Google Presentation.




So far we have:

• Learned how to set up a Google Account (including using your Stevenson email address)
• Had a quick introduction to Google Drive
• Learned about using Google Documents

This week we will focus on another tool in Google Drive called Presentation.  Presentation is very similar to PowerPoint.

In this week's video tutorial you will learn how to:

• Create a presentation
• Upload a current PowerPoint to Google Presentation
• Share and collaborate on a presentation 
• Present your presentation
• Download your presentation
• Use the help and revision history tools

Please enjoy this week's Tech Tip on Google Presentation.

Tech Tip Tuesday - Creating A Google Document

To continue our series on Google, this week we focus on Google Documents.

So far we have:

• Learned how to set up a Google Account (including using your Stevenson email address)
• Had a quick introduction to Google Drive

This week we will dive deeper into one part of Google Drive, Google Documents.  Documents is very similar to Microsoft Word.  

In this week's tutorial you will learn how to:

• Create a document
• Share a document
• Collaborate on a document
• Use the Research function in a document
• Download a Google document as a PDF or Microsoft Word document
• Using the Help tab

So enjoy this week's video tutorial on Google Documents.

Tech Tip Tuesday - Introduction to Google Drive

One of the more useful Google Tools, in my personal opinion, is Google Drive.

Google Drive is an online space to create items similar to Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, Excel, etc.  Not only can you create and store items in Google Drive you can also access these items anywhere you have an internet connection.

The other bonus to using Google Drive is the ability to work collaboratively on a document without having to annoyingly pass that document back and forth via email and losing track of which is the most current version.

This week's video tutorial build's on last weeks post on creating your Google Account.  This week is a quick walk through of Google Drive.

In the following weeks I will take each of the tools and separately do a video tutorial on each one.

Tech Tip Tuesday - Setting Up A Google Account

One of the most useful online accounts to have is Google.  It is so more than a search engine.

This will be the first of a multi part Google Education series featured on Tech Tip Tuesday.




Google owns and operates more of the internet then you might know.

• YouTube
• The Android phone operating system
• Blogger
• Google Drive
• Gmail
• Google Maps
• The Search Engine 'Google'
• Picasa Photo sharing
• Chrome Web Browser
• and more!

You can get a free account by signing up like you would for anything else.  

A little known and hidden thing that Google doesn't make super public is you can get an account to use their tools using an already existing email address, like your stevenson.edu email.  

The benefit of doing it this way is you can:

1. Keep your professional and personal email separate if you use your Stevenson 
2. Use Google tools in your class and your students and colleagues will easily be able to find you since you are using an email familiar to them.

Go obtain a Google Account using your Stevenson email, follow the directions here.

Note: Besides the fact that you are signing up for a Google account using your Stevenson email this account would be in no way tied to your Stevenson account. 

Tech Tip Tuesday - Netiquette

Senior Instructional Designer, Jinsong Zhang, has put together a wonderful write up on Netiquette that I would like to share with you this week.

*If you would like to share this with students, please do not share the blog post but instead share this link.

As the Internet becomes more and more a place for daily activities such as chat, online posting, video conferencing, and email, basic guidelines for normative behavior is required. As an instructor for online learning, you want to create a space where objective and respectful discussion is promoted and encouraged. In order to maintain such a pleasant environment, it is important to consider the rules that everyone needs to observe. Netiquette is about such code of behavior for communication online. While netiquette does change depending on what type of communication one is engaged in, for online learning here is what we can offer:

Netiquette 

Netiquette is about the code of behavior established for communicating online. For the purpose of our online class, please adhere to the same etiquette you would follow in real life. Always show your respect for others online even if you need to strongly disagree with them when evaluating and critiquing their point of view. We argue ideas in a civil and respectful manner in order to arrive at the truth and grow intellectually, but nothing good is gained by demeaning a person.

1. Critique ideas in a respectful and constructive manner, not criticize an individual;
2. Respect the privacy of your classmates by not sharing their written postings outside the class;
3. Be professional;
4. Use standard written English and not text message or chat style abbreviations;

When participating in video conferencing or recording:

1. Respect other people’s time and band and bandwidth;
2. Prepare an outline if you are to talk online; 
3. Find a quiet place and away from any visual distraction such as moving vehicles in the window or kids playing in the background; 
4. Place the webcam in front of your face so that you give the impression of looking at the person you are talking to; 
5. Dress up for a video recording or conference to show your respect for your audience.

This is also located on the Faculty Help Website under 'Blackboard Tutorials' then 'Other Tips'.

Tech Tip Tuesday - Grade Book Column Organization

Grade books can be one of the tricky items to set up in Blackboard.  You have to decide between total points and weighted total, how much everything should be worth.  Make sure it comes out correct in the end.

One thing that may help you wrap your head around what you actually have in the grade book is to organize the columns in a way that works for you.

View this week's Tech Tip Tuesday video tutorial on reorganizing your columns and learn what the 'hide' and 'hide from user' buttons do.

Tech Tip Tuesday - Setting Review Status for Students to Stay on Task

Today I am going to introduce a little known tool in Blackboard called Review Status.

This tool should be used sparingly or deployed slowly on a small scale until both you and your students are used to idea and see the value (or not) in using this feature.

Review Status is something the instructor needs to deploy in each individual course and item that they wish to use it in.  Once enabled, it allows the students to check off when they have reviewed that particular item to help them stay on task.  On the instructor end, it also allows you to view reports on who has review the item and who hasn't.  There is more to it, so please view this week's video tutorial on Enabling Review Status.