One of the best reasons to use Google Docs is the ease with which you and your students can share and collaborate. Here are some tips you can use for collaborating with Google Docs.
Share, don't email
Get out of the habit of emailing documents back and forth with students and other teachers. Instead, share the document with them by clicking on the share button and then adding their email address. (A bonus is if they are on WinchesterPS.org or WPSStudent.com, simply type in their name and Google Docs will find their email address.) The shared copy will be an editable, web copy of the the document.
Shared Folders
Create a shared folder with other teachers or your class. When you add files to that folder, you are given the option to set the same sharing settings for the file as are the settings for the folder. You do not have to change the settings for each file individually.
Make changes at the same time
Many people can edit the same document at the same time. This is probably the best thing about using a Google Doc!
Remove Collaborators
If you decide you no longer want to share a Google Doc with someone, you can remove that person from the sharing list and they will no longer have access to your shared document.
Track Edits and Changes
As each person edits the document, their edits and changes are assigned a color so that you can easily see who is editing what within the document.
Revision History
Every edit and change that is made to your document can be recovered by looking at the Revision History.
(File ->See Revision History)
Here are 5 tips for customizing Gmail.
- Snippets
When viewing your inbox, you can choose between viewing the emails subject line or seeing the first line of your message. The first line of your message is called a Snippet. To switch between of your email message or snippet, go to Settings and under the General tab, scroll down to the Snippets setting.
- Unread Message Icon
If you would like to quickly see how many unread messages are in your inbox on your Gmail tab in your browser, then the Unread Message Icon is just what you need. Turn it on by selecting the Labs tab in Settings (Settings -> Labs).
- Undo Send Another very cool option in Labs. By turning on Undo Send, you can give yourself up to 30 seconds to decide if you want to stop an email after you clicked Send. Enable Undo Send by clicking on the gear icon on the top right of your screen. Click on settings, and then click on Labs. Scroll down until you see 'undo sent' and click "enable."
- Unbundle Conversations
Gmail sorts emails into conversations, called message threading. This allows you to see all the replies to an email along with the original message. Some people love this, but others hate it. If you are not a fan of Gmail conversations you can turn it off quickly and easily. Go to the Gear, select Settings and then the General tab. Select Conversation view and turn the option off.
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Copy and paste images directly into your email messages Did you know that there is more than one way to insert an image into your email? You can click on the image icon at the bottom of the message (see image below) OR you can simply Cut and Paste the image from the internet directly into your email. Quick. Easy.
