Fusion Finds

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

A couple of my favorite tools just made some upgrades.

Picnik, the online image editor, is now offering all their features for free, on an ad-supported version. Previously some of the cool features were disabled on free accounts, requiring a $24.95 annual subscription for full access. As long as the new ads in the footer can be ignored or don’t feature provocative content, this is great news. Premium users now have the benefits of an ad-free experience, and a few other features.

Google Docs: Documents now has a new edit toolbar. The changes are cosmetic and office-like. I’m glad the “Check Spelling” has been moved to the toolbar.

New Toolbar:

Old Toolbar:

tag: Picnik Google Docs K12 edtech photos documents

When reading the Google Docs Blog I learned of a new useful feature. The Spreadsheet Sharing tab now includes to fill out a form. Basically, a form is generated based on the column headings in your spreadsheet. You are given a url for the form that you can email to participants, or use to create a link to the form on your web page. When a participant completes the form, the data is dumped into your spreadsheet/form. The participants don’t need a Google account, or even an email address.

The form has some good customization features like adding help text, editing questions, and choosing question types: paragraph text, multiple choice, check boxes, or choose from a list. You can also write your own confirmation message that your participants will see upon submitting their data. You have the choice of including the form in an email, which might not work for all email platforms. If it doesn’t, the reader can copy and paste the provided link to access the form through his/her browser. While participants don’t have access to edit the spreadsheet, they can view previously submitted data, if you enable that feature.

Since I already use Google Docs, the idea of consolidating my documents into one web location is appealing. Currently I use Survey Monkey to gather feedback from my workshop participants. The spreadsheet graph button would be more efficient when summarizing the data from these evaluations. I use Jotform to collect workshop registrations. Now with Google docs, I can subscribe to the spreadsheet and be notified in my Pageflake of new registrations. Some teachers are using Jotform for students to submit their passwords for various sites to their teacher for future reference. Since these teachers are already using Google docs, I think they will want to start using this new form feature.

A couple of features that I’d like to see added would be the option of making a question required, and password protecting the form.

Here’s a screencast to lead you through the process of creating, managing, and subscribing to your spreadsheet. Since it is a longer than usual tutorial (8 minutes), you will find a Table of Contents. Don’t let that the length of the tutorial scare you. The process is easy.

tag: k12 edtech tutorial,screencast video Google Docs spreadsheet form survey JotForm Survey Monkey

Willard Staff: If you are not able to participate in one of the Google Docs workshops this month, or would rather learn on your own timetable, you are in luck. The Fusion: Google Docs webpage offers a handout and short video tutorials (screencasts) to lead you through using Goggle Docs in your classroom.

And, there’s more! If you want to earn 3 Salary Advancement Workshop hours while you work, you can enroll in the free, online professional development, Moodle course: Google Docs. This course uses the handout and screencasts on the Fusion webpage to lead you through the steps. Work at your own pace, when it fits in your schedule, from any computer with Internet access. Just in time learning, at your convenience!
tag: collaboration communication arts Google docs Moodle presentations productivity professional development publish screencasts spreadsheets tutorials web publishing word processor