What is Web 2.0? Presentation

As part of a presentation, I am giving I present to you:
"What is Web 2.0?"

New Google Document updates allows for users to collaborate easier!

According to the Google Docs Blog:

You can now see the text that other editors are highlighting as they select it. So if someone is about to delete something on your screen or drag text somewhere else, you’ll see them highlight that text before anything changes.

How not to do PowerPoint!

Get more Dropbox space!

One of my favorite tools is Dropbox. They give you 2 GB for free to sync whatever files you need. To squeeze out a little more space from them, you can always recommend it to your friends and have them signup using your referral code. You can also complete Dropbox's training session for another 250 MB. Just click on "Getting Started" on the Dropbox website to get started.

via Lifehacker

Bragto U: Embedding PowerPoints in a Web Page

Bragto University
Class: DOCS 110 Embedding PowerPoints in a Web Page

Objective:  To embed an existing PowerPoint presentation in a website for student access.

Prerequsites:

1. You may want to check out Bragto U: Uploading to Google Docs to be able to upload your existing presentation.

Materials:

• Google Docs Account

Procedure:

Maybe you have a presentation that you would like students to preview before they get to class, or they need to review before the big test.  The easiest way maybe to just post the actual file online in its .ppt glory.  But what about kids who don't have PowerPoint?  I know there is the stand alone PowerPoint viewer and OpenOffice.org Impress, but this solution give students a reason to visit a webpage.  It is a bit of Pavlovian training to get them to visit your homepage.

I found a free online butterfly PowerPoint. (My son is loving the butterflies outside our house.)  I uploaded it to Google Docs. Next step is to get the code to embed it in a webpage.

Go to the right side of the screen to "Sharing" then click on the last option "Publish/Embed".



Click on "Publish Document" which will give you new options.  If you ever wanted to stop publishing, you can.

Select the options for the size of your player, and various usability options.  The webpage will spit out the embed code to be placed on your site.  In my cases it is:

<iframe src="https://docs.google.com/present/embed?id=dgmqdx5x_57kgt87hc&size=m" frameborder="0" width="555" height="451"></iframe>

You need to enter this into the HTML code of your webpage.  If you just enter it into you WYSIWIG editor, you will get exactly what you see above, just code.  It needs to be in the HTML for the browser to process it.

The finish product will look like this.:

See-ya Google Wave.

"I feel a great disturbance in the Force, as if millions of voices suddenly cried out in terror, and were suddenly silenced." --Obi Wan Kenobi, Episode 4 A New Hope

After a whole two months of availability, Google has shut down its ambitious Wave project.  I was really looking forward to using the program this year in my class.  I am holding out hope that Google will reinstate the program, but I am not going to hold my breath.  Maybe this is a means of provoking adoption?

What is Google Wave?  Read it here.

Bragto U: Uploading to Google Docs

Bragto University
Class: DOCS 101 Uploading to Google Docs

Objective:  On your hard drive, you have thousands of documents.  You have spent thousand of hours on those documents.  Now the push is for "cloud computing", and you would like to foray into that new world.  But what about those documents you have created.  What about them?  You can upload them to Google Docs!

Prerequsites:

1. None!

Materials:

• Google Docs Account

Procedure:

Google Docs will gladly accept any file you want to upload... but to edit it online, it will only accept certain files.

There are quite a few options of what Google will let you edit.  But to edit the file online, the uploaded file needs to be either a document, spreadsheet or presentation.  If you upload with the option of "Convert ... to corresponding formats." unchecked, Google Docs will upload it but will require you to download it to edit it.[gallery link="file" columns="2"]

Next select the file or files that you would like to upload.  Click upload.  You have the option of selecting the destination of your uploaded documents to put them into a specific folder.  You also can set the privacy of said document on the bottom, by default it is set to "private".

Complete!

Bragto U: Self Grading Quiz Part II

Bragto University
Class: DOCS 401 Self Grading Quiz Part II

I see more and more online test and quiz software being promulgated in schools nowadays, and charging lots of money.  Using Google Docs, you can create your own online assessment.  Using formulas in Google Spreadsheets, you can have it graded and scored automatically.

Objective:  You will be able to create an online form to collect answers from a quiz or test and use formulas to grade and score it.

Bragto U: Self Grading Quiz Part I

Bragto University
Class: DOCS 401 Self Grading Quiz Part I

Objective:  You will be able to create an online form to collect answers from a quiz or test and use formulas to grade and score it.

Prerequsites:

1. Bragto U: Using Forms Part 1


2. Bragto U: Using Forms Part 2

Materials:

• Google Docs Account

Google Docs Updates

Google Docs recently updated its Form software to include some interesting features.  You can now create a logic branch that will allow users to fill out certain forms based on their answers.  The example Google gives is a "Choose Your Own Adventure" type story using Google Docs.

Also Google Docs Blog, posted some tips and tricks on using pictures in Docs.

Google Maps Trick

Google Maps Trick: http://shorty.bragto.us/map

Bragto U: Using Forms Pt. 2

Bragto University
Class: DOCS 301 Using Forms

Recap:
Forms are a very powerful part of Google Spreadsheets and can help "automate" data entry and collection.  In the previous class, I outlined how to setup your Form to collect data.

Objective:
To publish the previously created Form to the web to enable use by those on the Internet.

Bragto U: Using Forms Pt. 1

Bragto University
Class: DOCS 301 Using Forms

Objective:  You will be able to create an online form to collect and collate demographic information.

Materials:

• Google Docs Account

Procedure:

It happens at the beginning of every year.  With new students comes the need to get important information.  How do we as teachers collect this information?  By passing out index cards or a sheet of paper.  Then the adventurous, fans of tedious, time consuming enter this data into a their computer.  They setup an Excel spreadsheet and spend quality time typing all of this information in.  Using Google Documents, this data entry can be outsourced to the student or even the parent.  You will need a Google Docs account to get started.  If you don't already have one, you can signup for one; its free.

Updates

Couple of updates for our favorite things:

• Google Docs: Sharing made easier!, Drawing Features


• Dropbox: Folder Sharing on the Web


• Google Voice: Available to Everyone, Clever Google Voice Tricks


• Prezi: New Skin on Prezi

Texting in Class

Should kids be texting in class? What if it is condoned or even encouraged? Some teachers are endorsing the use in class. This begs the question that teachers grapple with dealing with technology: access. What do with the kid who does or doesn't? What could you do with texting in class?

Favorite Things: Dropbox

How many times has this happened? You are late, running out the door. You grab all of the stuff you need that day. But in the rush, you left your flash drive behind with that really important file. With dropbox, that is not even a worry.

The free plan comes with 2 GB of storage.  After signing up, you install the program on your computer.  You place the files you want into that folder and they are automatically synced on the web.  Voila, that file you need is stored on the internet, ready to be downloaded.

You can also sync files between computers.  You will not have to worry about not having that file on your laptop.  Other features include sharing files with other users and making files public on the internet by placing them in specific "public" folders.

Once you try dropbox, you won't know what you did before you had.  Like ordering a pizza without a cellphone... but that is another blog post for another day!

When PowerPoint Attacks!

Recently in the news, there have been some discussion about the dangers of PowerPoint. Case in point is the use of PowerPoint in the military.

“When we understand that slide, we’ll have won the war,” General McChrystal dryly remarked, one of his advisers recalled, as the room erupted in laughter.

PowerPoint can be a powerful tool, but with thanks to Stan Lee "with great power, comes great responsibility". Each educator must assess if PowerPoint is meeting the goals that they setup. Is it helping tell a story or is it just a tool to deliver text? This blog post may help with its 10/20/30 rule.

With thanks to lifehacker.

Project: Self Grading Quiz Pt. 1

Project

Self Grading Quiz

Part I: Form

Objective:  Create a quiz accessible online after students complete the quiz it is easily score-able.

Process:

1. Create form.


2. Setup form.
   
   
   
   1. Name
   
   
   2. Period
   
   
   3. Questions
   
   
   4. Edit Confirmation
   
   
   5. Save form.
   
   
   6. Set Theme.
   
   
   
   


3. Get URL or embed in webpage.

Part I:  Create form.

1. Click "Create new" and "Form"

Part II:  Setup form.

Here is where the genius of forms begins.  In the old archaic days of web programming you needed to have scripts to allow users to input data.  That data would have to be put into digestable form.  With the help of Google, this is a thing of the past.  With a Google Form, users input data and it is put in to spreadsheet format, ready to be manipulated.

1. Forms start you out with two questions.  You will need to edit those.  Click the "edit button" and put "Name" in the Question Title field and the Question type to "Text".


2. Select the next question and create "Period:" by typing in the Question Title Field.  Select  "Multiple Choice" and fill in the options.


3. Add two more questions by clicking the "Add item" from the drop down box at the top.  Create two multiple choice questions.  I used a few math questions, but this is easily customizable.


4. After submitting, the user will see a screen acknowledging that they have completed the form.  This screen is customizable by going through the "More actions" --> "Edit confirmation".


5. The form automatically saves, but you can always save at anytime by clicking the Save button.


6. You can also change the Theme of the form to make it more appealing.

Part III:  Get URL or Embed.

1. You can get the URL (web address) by using the link at the bottom of the form page.


2. You can embed the form within a web page by pasting the code from the "More actions" --> "Embed" screen in your web page.  You will have to copy it directly into your HTML code.  If you don't know what that is or how to get to it, it's probably better to just use the link.

Project: Self Grading Quiz

Favorite Things: Prezi

Prezi.com is one of my newer favorite things. What is it? A web based software (Flash based) that allows for the creation of presentations with the greatest of ease. What is the difference between Prezi and PowerPoint. Prezi is designed for the 21st Century.  (PowerPoint has been kicking around since 1987!)  Prezi "transitions" impress.  Prezi also allows for storytelling to happen, not forcing you to follow your slides.  Prezi is a must for those with "smart boards".   You can zoom in and out, review and possibly the best feature is that a 'prezi' can be embedded into a website.  Which could allow students to review and share the information to create greater transferrence.

Prezi is free to signup, if you signup with an email address from an education institution there are perks with it. Check out Prezi in 3 minutes.

Favorite Things: Google Docs

The first in a series of my favorite things:

Once upon a time, if one had told me that my documents would be stored on a server, out who knows where.  I would not have believed it.  We are moving towards computers where operating systems will not matter, browsers will.  The beginning of this can be seen with Google Docs.  But Google Docs has features that I will explore in the future.  Recently, there Google has introduced new methods of working.  Enjoy this clip from Youtube.

Welcome!

I know no one is reading this yet.  Bragto has begun.  What is it?  My hope is to create a blog focusing on teaching, instruction and the use of technology.  My goal is to provide methods to make education more relevant through the use of "21st Century" skills.  Doesn't that sound pretentious?  Ultimately I hope that this becomes a forum to share and "brag to" others.  I know that we are the best at what we do!