Google+Apps+and+Tools


 * G o o g l e Apps and Tools **
 * To learn what Google Apps and Tools are, how to access them, and how to use at least two**

The Fort Dodge Community School District has adopted Google Apps for Education.

The term Google Apps can be confusing. Google for educational institutions is referred to as "Google Apps for Education." Gmail, Maps, Docs, and Sites are referred to as apps. And now, there is a Google Apps Marketplace where you can grab apps (similar to Apple's "App Store"--some free, some for a fee). For more clarification, you can read the Wikipedia article, Google Apps.

In this activity, you will be looking at apps that are referred to in Apps for Education, as well as Google Tools. The Google Drive app (one app that is included in Google Apps for Education) is a separate module, so that will not be explored here. The apps you will be exploring are Gmail, Calendar, Sites, Books, News, and Translate. (There are more, but this selection will work with the browsers currently available on our school computers). What are these apps and tools about? Read on to find out!

 Google Apps at FDCSD // (5-10 Minutes) // ** 1. Some Google Apps and Tools can be accessed without signing into a Google Account. Since you now have a school Google Account, you will use this to go ahead and sign in. **

** There are many ways to log in to your Google Account. For today, you will go through the FDCSD Google Page. This can be accessed by going to the FDCSD website (http://www.fort-dodge.k12.ia.us), clicking on Our Students, then scrolling down to the Google icon. For right now, you can click here: FDCSD Google Page **

** //Even if you already have one, YOU WILL NEED TO USE YOUR NEW __SCHOOL__ GOOGLE ACCOUNT//. **

** Your username is the same as the username you use to log into computers at school. **** A student username looks like srichardson08 Your //gmail address// would be your username plus @fdschools.org (Instead of @gmail.com, our education accounts use @fdschools.org) **


 * Then you will need to type in your password. Your password will be the same as your school password ** EXCEPT ** gmail passwords require at least 8 characters. If your password does not have 8 characters, add one or more 1's at the end so you reach 8 characters. For example, if my password was fdcsd, the password I would use for school gmail would be fdcsd111 If my password was fdcsd05, the password I would use for school gmail would be fdcsd051 Most of you will probably have to add one 1.  **


 * //If you cannot log in, try one or more of the following:// **


 * Delete and re-type your username and password
 * Make sure your caps lock is not on
 * If you are going through the FDCSD Google Page to log in, make sure you DO NOT type @fdschools.org (it is already there)
 * Make sure there are 8 characters in your password
 * X-out of the browser and double click to re-open it
 * Turn off the computer and start it up again
 * If it still does not work, please have your teacher email your ** name, username, and grade ** with the subject ** //Google account does not work// ** to the IT Department (support@list.fort-dodge.k12.ia.us). You will need to work with someone else or do the Alternate Activities.

** Once you sign in, you will see where it says //Your services at fdschools.org// The apps are listed below this. (Talk is not enabled right now.) There should be a black bar at the top of your page with //Search, Images, Mail,// etc. When you click on //More// and //Even more//, you will see some of the tools. **


 * On your Tech Day Log, write down the Google Apps and Tools you have already used, if any. Put an asterisk (*) by any you would feel comfortable teaching to others. **

Exploring Apps // (20 or more minutes) //
 * 2. Choose and go through at least two of the following activities. If you have time, try more! **
 * __** Gmail **__
 * ** Click on your Gmail (envelope icon) **
 * ** Click the "gear" in the upper right-hand corner, and explore //Settings// (you can add a signature here) and //Themes// (you can change colors, add images, etc.) **
 * ** Back on the main Gmail page, click on //COMPOSE// **
 * ** Write a message to yourself (where it says //To//, start typing your name--it should pop up and then you can click on it) **
 * ** When you receive your message, you are going to practice creating a folder **
 * ** Click to check the box to the left of the message you sent yourself **
 * ** Some icons will appear above. Click the folder icon (//Move to//) **
 * ** Go down and click //Create new// **
 * ** Enter a name, and click //Create// **
 * ** On the left-hand side, hover over //Draft// You will see any folders you have created listed here **
 * ** For more information, go to the Gmail Interactive Tour **


 * __ ** Calendar ** __
 * ** From this page, click on your Calendar icon **
 * ** Browse through the Google Calendar Interactive Tour **
 * ** Go back to your calendar **
 * ** Click on the "gear" in the upper right-hand corner and go to //Settings// to find out what is available. **
 * ** There are tabs for //General, Calendars, Mobile Setup, and Labs// **
 * ** Make sure to save any changes you want to make, then find the link that says //Back to calendar// **
 * ** On the left-hand side of the Calendar page, click on My calendars **
 * ** Click the arrow that is in the box to the right of //My// //calendars// **
 * ** Choose //Create new calendar// **
 * ** You can call it "Test" or give it another name **
 * ** Fill out the information and then click //Create Calendar// **
 * ** At the top of the Calendar page, notice you can view by Day, Week, and Month **
 * ** Add at least 5 Events or Tasks for the month of May **
 * ** If you click one time on a spot in the calendar, you will tell What the event is **
 * ** Then, you can click Edit event to add more information **
 * ** Or, you can double-click on a spot in the calendar to go right to the detailed page **
 * ** Try something different with each entry--change the Event color, uncheck the All day box to set a specific time, add a Reminder and so on **
 * ** For more information, see Calendar tips & tricks **


 * __** Sites **__
 * ** Google Sites is a structured wiki- and web page-creation tool offered by Google as part of the Google Apps Productivity suite. The goal of Google Sites is for anyone to be able to create a team-oriented site where multiple people can collaborate and share files. **
 * ** From this page, click on your Sites icon **
 * ** Choose a topic for a practice site **
 * ** Within the Beginner's Guide for Google Sites, follow along with the directions given: **
 * ** Create a site **
 * ** Edit your site **
 * ** Add objects and apps **
 * ** Insert gadgets into your site **
 * ** Share your site **
 * ** Revision history **
 * ** For ideas, check out some of the links on Examples of Google Sites **

>>
 * __ ** Books ** __
 * ** Google Books (previously known as Google Book Search and Google Print) is a service from Google Inc. that searches the full text of books and magazines that Google has scanned, converted to text using optical character recognition, and stored in its digital database. The service was formerly known as Google Print when it was introduced at the Frankfurt Book Fair in October 2004. Google's Library Project, also now known as Google Book Search, was announced in December 2004. **
 * ** View The Basics of Google Books **
 * ** The zip code search for a book is wonderful, however, that is not yet available locally **
 * ** Go to Google Books and type in a topic to search **
 * ** Browse the results **
 * ** Look at some of the Previews of the books **
 * ** How could this help you when you are looking for a book to read for fun or looking for information? **
 * ** Look in //My Library// **
 * ** How could this be of help to you? **
 * ** Browse About Google Books for more information **


 * __** News **__
 * ** Google News is a free news aggregator provided and operated by Google Inc, selecting most up-to-date information from thousands of publications by an automatic aggregation algorithm. **
 * ** Go to About Google News and read through the information. Under Features, click on some of the links that say Learn More **
 * ** Now, go to Google News If you are not signed in to your Google Account, go ahead and do so **
 * ** Browse the main news page and note the different sections. Also note that you can click on the box that says //U.S. edition// and change it to read the Australian, UK, Canadian English, etc., editions. **
 * ** In the upper right-hand corner, click on the "gear" to go through and personalize your news. You can click into the //Settings// and also an //Advanced// feature **
 * ** Go to Using Google News RSS Feeds to read about accessing updates, then try it out! **

>>
 * __** Translate **__
 * ** Google Translate is a free statistical multilingual machine-translation service provided by Google Inc. to translate written text from one language into another. **
 * ** Watch Find out how our translations are created (students at school, view in the Educational Video Library) and then read the information below **
 * Go to Google Translate and try it out.
 * Add some phrases to My Phrasebook (you may need to log into your Google Account first **)**


 * __** More **__
 * ** Go to Google - Products and explore "more **** " **


 * On your Tech Day Log, write down the tools and apps that you tried. What is one thing you will use in the future? **

Alternate Activities: 1. **Google Scholar** is a freely accessible web search engine that indexes the full text of scholarly literature across an array of publishing formats and disciplines.
 * Briefly read through the information in the About Google Scholar webpage
 * Go to Google Scholar and try some searches
 * Open a PDF and an HTML for a couple of your results
 * Note you can search by relevance or date, limit the results to those posted later than or inbetween specified dates, and create an alert to be notified when new results are posted

2. **Google Maps** (formerly Google Local) is a web mapping service application and technology provided by Google, that powers many map-based services, including the Google Maps website, Google Ride Finder, Google Transit,[1] and maps embedded on third-party websites via the Google Maps API.


 * Briefly read through the information about Google Maps
 * Welcome to Google Maps
 * Getting to Know Google Maps
 * How to Search
 * Go to Google Maps and try it out. Look for your home, your grandparents home, etc.

Answers to questions vary.