Thing #20 Google Docs

Our instructions directed to include at least three uses for Google Docs. Do I have to stop at just three? I use Excel on my laptop for EVERYTHING, literally EVERYTHING. School schedules, address book, database of my student information, Christmas wish lists, To-Do lists, party planning, and any other information I need to organize.

Google Docs is Excel, Word, and Powerpoint on steroids. The regular updates give it more advantages than Office on a hard drive. You're instantly tuned in to updates without having to check for them or install before using, and you have immediate access to new templates, etc.

The collaboration aspect of Google Docs opens a whole new world of word processing and spreadsheets. In our district vertical and horizontal teaming is encouraged. Google Docs is a natural way to aid in facilitating that goal.

While Google Docs doesn't do everything Office on your hard drive can, it does enough to be excited about. My mind is running rampant through ways to use this with my co-teaching teams. I may need to talk my compadres into taking 23 Things.

There are things I do with Excel and Word that Google Docs won't do, but when I want to produce a more elaborate document I would most likely do it on my hard drive anyway. I love the Internet, even though I don't completely and totally trust it yet with the only copy of something very important to me. I can see myself using it for works in progress, though. For example, my yearly Christmas newsletter. With Internet access, it would be handy to be able to access it and work on it in short increments of time without having to carry my laptop or keep up with a thumb drive (which I am famous for leaving in computers I've used them on).

An online version of a document would be conducive to student work groups publishing a final copy of a project they are concluding. It could be easily shared with grade levels, the whole school, or anyone else the authors wish to share with.

I created a couple of documents for practice. One is a PHS Freshman Band Camp schedule spreadsheet for my son, who will be in the Symphonic band at PHS next year as a Freshman.

The other is a spreadsheet for organizing a family party we hare having at my house next Saturday in honor of my daughter, Sarah, returning from seven weeks in Europe and Africa. We call them "Souvenir Parties." Our family has a party when one of us has been on a trip to allow that person to tell about their trip, show pictures, and distribute souvenirs all at one time. That works for us since we have a large family. We are expecting 11 people here next Saturday.

One thing I couldn't figure out is how to rotate a picture that has been inserted from a hard drive. The Help page said to click on the object and rotate the green handle. When I click on my picture, there are only white boxes to resize the picture with on the sides and corners. There are no green handles at all. If someone could help me out on that one, I would appreciate it.