I stumbled upon a new feature for Google Docs Spreadsheets, the Gadget. The chart button now has a new look and provides access to a menu to choose a Chart or a Gadget. Wow! There are some fun things here. First I tried the Map Gadget, to add an interactive map to my spreadsheet.

1. Enter the addresses in Column A.
2. Enter the name of the building in Column B.
3. Select the data with a click and drag.
4. Click the Insert button and choose Gadget.
5. In the Add a Gadget window on the right, click the Maps link.
6. Under Map, click the Add to spreadsheet button.
7. Enter a Title if desired. Check the box for “Last column as tooltips.” This displays the name of the building when the tack is clicked or hovered over.
8. Click the Save & Close button.
9. When I added another building to the spreadsheet, is was automatically displayed on the map.
10. Click the Gadget menu button and choose Publish.
11. Copy and paste the provided code to publish the gadget in a webpage.

As you can see below, the code works well in an Edublog’s post.

The Organizational Chart could be used to generate a calling tree, change of command, etc. The Gauges look fun. I’ll try that next.

I was surprised to find Pivot Tables, a more advanced feature that I use in Excel to track Federal Programs’ Budgets. And, of course, there is are search gadgets. (We are talking Google here.) Just enter a few search terms in a cell, select the cell, and insert a Web Search or Image Search gadget. There are many other gadgets available.

There are a few other upgrades. The new “Set Notification Rules” allows you to choose to receive an email when changes are made to the spreadsheet. Three formulas for sorting and filtering data have been added. The color palette has been expanded. The Delete menu features a Clear Comments option.
tag: edtech K12 Google Docs Spreadsheets Gadget