Using Google Docs for Word Processing

Why Use Google Docs?

Microsoft Word has typically been the word processor of choice for most people, but there are many advantages to switching to Google Docs. Google Docs may not be as sophisticated as Word, but it is constantly improving. Just of the few advantages of using Google Docs:

• Cloud storage. Your ISU gmail account gives you access to a Google Drive which is a place to store your Google documents with the ability to access them from anywhere. This eliminates the need to save your files to a USB drive in order to access them from home or from the road. Just log in to your gmail account, access the Drive and there are your documents.
• Collaboration. You can share an entire folder or just a file with other people so that they can view and/or edit the documents. Google automatically saves documents whenever changes are made and gives you a list of the revisions that were made. See below for more information about Viewing Revision History. This sharing features makes it a great resource to use in the classroom as a collaboration tool for students. For more information on Google Docs Tips for Teachers check out this article: http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/10-google-docs-tips-for-teachers-go-back-to-school/.
• Sharing files. Instead of attaching a document in your email or Moodle course, you can attach a url to the document. When the url is clicked on, it opens your document as a web page which eliminates the viewer from having to install the software such as Word to view it.

A Few Tips for Using Google Docs:

• Shortcut for Opening a new Google Doc: One big bother with using Google Docs is the steps it takes to start using it. You open a browser, log into your gmail account, click on Google Drive and then click on the Create button to open a new Google Doc. There is a trick that you can use that automatically opens up your browser to a fresh new Google Docs document...and you can run it straight from your desktop. Here's how to set it up:
• Right click on your desktop, select New, then Shortcut.
• For the location of the link, input this: https://docs.google.com/document/create
• When it asks for a shortcut name, type Create Google Doc or whatever else you want to call it.
• You can even change the icon for the new shortcut:
• Right click on the shortcut and select Properties
• Click the Web Document tab.
• Click Change icon.
• Select your desired icon.
•  Before you click on the shortcut, open your default browser so that it will open the new Google doc in a separate tab.
• File Revision History: Google Docs tracks every single change you make to your files and allows you to revert your file back to any past state instantly. Viewing revisions is easy to do. Just click File and the drop-down menu will give you the option to See Revision History. Click that and a pane with all past revisions will appear on the right of your screen. Or use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl + Alt + Shift + G to open the revision history.
• Keyboard Shortcuts: Google Docs has many keyboard shortcuts that will make your word processing easier. A few of the favorites are:
• Ctrl + Alt + C: Copies the formatting on the currently selected text. Easy to remember because it’s the same shortcut as copying except with Alt.
• Ctrl + Alt + V: Pastes the latest formatting that you copied. Easy to remember because it’s the same shortcut as pasting except with Alt.
• Ctrl + \: Clears the formatting on the currently selected text.  Great for removing bolds, underlines, italics, messed up headings and paragraph settings, etc.
• Tab and Shift + Tab: Obviously, Tab inserts indents. Shift + Tab removes indents. If you have text selected, these apply to the entire selection.
• Ctrl + Shift + C: Displays the word count stats for the current document. If you have text selected, it will also show stats for the selection only.
• For more short keyboard shortcuts, check out the full list of Google Docs shortcut commands for PC's and Mac's.

Conclusion

Google Docs has some catching up to do if it wants to be a complete alternative solution to Microsoft Word, but there are a number of great features that really shows its potential.

The 'Quiet' Online Student

We have all had quiet students in our classes. They are the students who don't raise their hand, don't participate in the class discussions, and are hesitant to offer their opinions. Quiet students can be found not only in face-to-face settings but also in the online environment. A student may be 'quiet' because they are an introvert and don't feel comfortable speaking in front of a group; they may be confused by the topic and don't want to show their ignorance; or they may need extra time to reflect on a subject before responding. The online classroom can provide many benefits to the 'quiet' student.

Dr. Curtis Bonk, professor of education at Indiana University and author of The World is Open: How Web Technology is Revolutionizing Education describes several ways that an online learning environment can benefit the 'quiet' student:

1. Online learning allows the student time to think and compose a thoughtful response.
2. Students who are slow to respond may simply be giving other students the opportunity to go first. Online learning allows them to do this and still have the chance to be heard when they are ready.
3. Online learning allows those students who strive for perfection the time to refine their ideas before they are shared therefore taking some of the stress out of the activity.
4. An online class is a safe environment to share ideas because they can be edited unlike a face-to-face class in which once something has been said it cannot be taken back.
5. Creative expression can be amplified by tools available on the Web. Students are free to share their ideas through different formats.
6. Instructors have access to an abundant variety of course resources through open education that can supply the students with an academic space rich in video, audio, and pictorial resources instead of allowing text to be the predominate delivery method. (May 3, 2013, Quiet: Susan Cain on Introverted Students).

According to Susan Cain, author of Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking, the starting point for instructors is to view a quiet online student not as a passive, unresponsive person, but as a student with something to say and contribute if given the opportunity and the right environment.

Resources:

• Quiet: The Power of Introverts.com
• Tempting the lurkers out of the shadows of online learning, Paul Donovan
• A Heartfelt Note from a Humanities MOOC Professor, cchung90, Charlies Blog [this post highlights the value of online discussions].
• Six Ways Introverts Can be more Powerful, Susan Adams, Forbes.com
• The 'Quiet" Online Student: What it Means and How Educators Can Respond, Online Learning Insights blog, July 16, 2013

Tips for Successful Synchronous Online Learning

Planning and developing learning sessions that require both students and the instructor to be online at the same time (synchronous) can be challenging. Issues such as equipment failure, slow bandwidth, and missed cues can interfere with a synchronous learning session. The following are tips for facilitating a successful live learning session:

• Conduct an equipment check before the session. Always do a quick run through of your classroom setup (computers, cameras, software, etc.) 15 minutes before the session starts and have your students do the same. This not only ensures that everything is working properly, but also helps you gain a level of comfort with the technology you will be working with.
• Have a contingency plan for problems. Let your students know what the plan is in case they lose their connection or you do. For instance, you might want to tell your students that if a session is interrupted to wait 5 - 7 minutes before logging out to give you or other students ample time to get reconnected.
• Don't assume your students have everything under control. Require your students to do a software compatibility check before logging in. Your students may not be using the same computer device every time they log into the session, so if they switch devices they need to do the compatibility check for each new device. Devices such as an iPad may require them to download a special app to access the session.
• Schedule an informal "practice" session where students can get to the know the technology and each other before it is actually used for instruction. This will help you to identify any problems with the technology and any issues that the students might have with this type of learning.
• Keep the online session simple - don't try to use too many types of media, tools, applications and/or software during a session. Focus less on the technology itself, and more on creating an engaging, interesting learning environment.
• Experiment with different pieces of equipment. If your computer has a built-in microphone and/or camera test it for quality before the session. You may want to use an audio headset for better voice quality.
• Be sensitive of your students' learning styles and abilities. Some students may be able to move through information quickly and interact with fast moving chat sessions, while others need a slower pace and reinforcement. Give plenty of opportunities for students to ask questions and interact with the course content.
• Take advantage of the workshops and technical support on Collaborate offered through the ITRC.

Information adapted from "The 'Dos and Don'ts' of Synchronous Online Learning"
by Bridget McCrea.  Campus Technology. 05/08/13

Quality Matters Summer Camp Professional Development Opportunity

What is QM Summer Camp?
For just two hours a day July 22-26 faculty and staff can participate in 5 highly interactive and engaging sessions that provide strategies they can apply right away to their fall term classes. They can participate from any location they are able to access the Internet with their laptops- from the back porch, the veranda at the resort, maybe even by the pool! QM Live! Summer Camp workshops take only 2 hours per day allowing everyone plenty of time to relax over the summer.

QM Live! Summer Camp workshops focus on specific review standards of the Quality Matters Rubric. From each workshop session, participants will take away valuable tools and strategies for designing new courses or improving existing ones, reducing repetitive questions and providing students with a high quality learning environment. After connecting objectives to assessments, writing instructions, looking at instructional materials and learner interactions, the last day of camp pulls it all together to help you connect these dots for students in explaining where to go and what to do to get started.
When
QM Live! Summer Camp meets just 2 hours a day in Collaborate from July 22-26, 2013.

• 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. ADT
• 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. EDT
• 12:00 noon to 2:00 p.m. CDT
• 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. MDT
• 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon PDT
• 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. AKDT
• 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. HADT
• 8:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
• 1:00 a.m. to 3:00 a.m. Singapore

Fees
Subscribers can attend Camp for just $300, a $75 savings! Non-subscribers are $500. Pre-pay or receive an invoice when Camp closes. Your choice!
Questions?
Contact Nancy Ragias, QM Registrar for Higher Education: Nancy.Ragias@qualitymatters.org or 410-497-8043
Register now! Space is limited to 20 participants.

For questions about Quality Matters at ISU contact Lisa Kidder kiddlisa@isu.edu or 208-282-2502

The "Padagogy" Wheel

The name of this wheel is a play on the combination of "pedagogy" and "iPad" and demonstrates how different iPad apps can be used in conjunction with the levels of Bloom's Taxonomy. The idea is to adapt pedagogy possibilities with mobile devices, in particular the iPad.

The Taxonomy wheel was first discovered on the website of Paul Hopkin's educational consultancy website and was produced by Sharon Artley and was an adaptation of Kathwohl and Anderson's (2001) adaptation of Bloom (1956).

Click Padagogy Wheel for the pdf version of the wheel that is much easier to see and use.

Click here for another resource that applies iPad apps to the levels of Bloom's.

Cheating in online education

Cheating in online education is a concern for most instructors and institutions. Defeating the ingenuity of computer-savvy students is a huge challenge that has attracted much investment and attention in the last year (Gordon, 2013). What is being done to combat cheating?

• Online-proctoring companies like Kryterion, Inc. can be hired to monitor students through webcams. The remote proctors watch for body language, eye movement, additional people in the room, or anything else that might indicate suspicious activity.
• High-tech programs are being used that check students' identities using obscure biographical information.
• Computer browsers can be locked down to prevent Internet searches.
• Typing patterns such as how a person enters their password can be analyzed to make sure a person is who they say they are.
• Proctors who are on-sight with students should make sure that a student has actually submitted their test and logged out before they are allowed to leave the room.
• Instructors can generate unique exams by pulling random questions from a large inventory of questions in the question bank and randomize the order of the questions and answers so that no two students ever get the same test.

Gordon (2013) wrote that despite the suspicion that there are more occasions of cheating taking place in online courses, studies seem to show that there is not much difference in the amount of cheating that occurs in online and face-to-face classrooms. A study conducted in 2010 by the Online Journal of Distance Learning Administration discovered that 32.7% of online students self-reported cheating at least once on tests, compared to 32.1% of those in face-to-face classes.

For more on cheating in online courses, visit the following links:

MOOC Teaches How to Cheat in Online Courses, with Eye to Prevention. Wired Campus

Gordon, L. (2013, May 1). Using Technology to Fight Cheating in Online Education. Los Angeles Times.

Keeping an Eye on Cheaters. Campus Technology

Principles of Good Practice in Education

As instructors, we spend a lot of time trying to understand our students, colleagues, institutions, technology, and ourselves. The seven principles of good practice from a study supported by the American Association of Higher Education, the Education Commission of the States, and The Johnson Foundation are based on research on the way teachers teach, how students learn, how students work and play with one another, and how students and faculty talk to each other. Below is a brief summary of the Seven Principles of Good Practice in Undergraduate Education:

1. Good Practice Encourages Student to Faculty Contact. Student to faculty contact and interaction in and out of class has been identified by the study as the most important factor in student motivation and involvement. 
2. Good Practice Encourages Cooperation Among Students. According to the study, good learning, like good work, is collaborative and social, not competitive and isolated. The sharing of ideas and responses to others' reactions improves thinking and deepens understanding.
3. Good Practice Encourages Active Learning. Students need to talk about what they are learning, write about it, relate it to past experiences, and apply it to their daily lives in order for the knowledge to become part of themselves.
4. Good Practice Gives Prompt Feedback. Students need help in assessing their competence, what they have learned, and what they still need to know.
5. Good Practice Emphasizes Time on Task. Students need helping learning effective time management through the assignment and assessment of tasks.
6. Good Practice Communicates High Expectations. Hold your students to high standards so that they will make the extra effort. "Expect more and you will get it."
7. Good Practice Respects Diverse Talents and Ways of Learning. Give students the opportunity to show their talents and learn in ways that work for them but also push them to learn in new ways that may not come easily for them.

For more information on this study and examples of how these principles have been applied in actual learning settings visit:  Seven Principles for Good Practice

Information adapted from:
Chickering, A. & Gamson, Z. (1999). Development and adaptations of the seven principles for good practice in undergraduate education. New Directions for Teaching and Learning, 80(Winter). pp. 75-81.