Use Google Docs to Create Paper-less Online Handouts for Class
Ever stop and think about how many trees you've killed with handouts in class? I'm sure the number of pages I've used up this year easily ranks in the thousands.
Recently, Google piloted its new online office suite software – Google Docs. It's been advertised as a replacement for desktop computing – so called "cloud computing."
Instead of working on documents on a local machine with a local application, you can easily use a web-based application to create and store documents online.
While there are flaws in Google Docs and I hardly think they'll replace MS Office or Open Office anytime soon, they are perfect for creating free online handouts for use in class. Provided your students are using computers during the lesson, why not utilize this method and save some paper?
Step One: Sign Up for An Account
First, you need to create a Google account. If you go to Google, you'll see an option to "Sign In" at the top right corner of the screen. Note: If you already have an account and you're logged in, you'll see a "My Account" option – choose that and skip ahead here.
If you click on "Sign In," you'll have an option to either log in with a Google account or create a new account. Go ahead and create an account if you don't already have one.
When you're done, you should be taken tot he "My Account" screen, and you'll see a list of available services like "Gmail," "Reader," "Talk," etc. If not, go back to the main Google site, log in, and then click on the "My Account" link in the top right corner.
Step Two: Head Over to Google Docs
Here's Google's 'My Account Page,' with the add-a-service section circled.
Once you're in the "My Accounts" screen, the first thing you'll need to do is add Google Docs to your account.
At the bottom right, you should see a list titled, "Try Soemthing New." Click on "More" and choose "Docs" from the list. You'll probably be asked for your password again, and then you'll be taken to the Google Docs main page (docs.google.com).
From here you can create new documents or work with ones you've already created. If you click on the "New" option in the top left, you can create a document, a spreadsheet, or a presentation.
In the top left corner, the "File" menu is circled. Click that to get an option to create a new document.
You'll want to check out the other options later – but for now, just create a new document.
Step Three: Create Your Handout
At this point, you should be at an editing screen. This works pretty much like a word processor (i.e. MS Word or OO Writer). Type up the instructions for the assignment that your students will be doing.
When you're finished typing, click the "Save" button on the top right. You can click the "Preview" button to see how it will look – and add any extra formatting that you want.
When you're completely satisfied with your handout, click the large "Publish" button on the top right side of the screen. Check the option "Automatically re-publish when changes are made" - just in case you make some edits later on.
If you haven't done so, you can also change the title of your document. Above the menu options "File," "Edit," etc, you'll see a bit of bold-face text. Click on that and you can re-title your document.
Step Four: Get the Document to Your Students
At the top, you'll see the URL of the share-able document circled. In the top right, the "Save" button is circled - and the Publish button is right next to it.
Now you just need to get the document to your students.
First, you need to find out the URL of your document. When you published it, the URL should have appeared on the screen. If you missed it, click on the document in your list of available documents so that you go back to the editing screen. The URL you are taken to here (http://docs.google.com/Doc?docid=...) is the URL for your document.
With this in hand, you've got a few options to get the information out to your students.
The simplest way would be to write the URL on the board. Unfortunately, Google Docs doesn't make very pretty URLs – the docid is pretty long and students will be liable to mis-type it.
If your students are part of an e-mailing list, you can e-mail it to everyone. If you're planning on using computers a lot, this would be a good idea. This way you can easily distribute online handouts and other information to your students during or after class.
You could bookmark the document on a del.icio.us list for your class. If you don't know how to use del.icio.us, check out this tutorial on how to create a resource list for your class.
Finally, you could post a link on your class website or blog. Don't have a class website already? Check out this tutorial on how to create a simple website using blogger.
Step Five: Your Done.
Well, that's about it. To review...
- Sign up for an account.
- Add Google Docs to your account.
- Create a document.
- Publish it.
- Get the URL to your students somehow.
Of course, you can't just get rid of all of your handouts with this method. One weakness of Google Docs is in representing pictures and drawings – it's hard to make diagrams and charts in the online editor. You also don't have a hard copy for students to write on – in case they need to fill in a chart.
Still, this is a simple, viable solution to cut back on paper consumption. If your students are going to be using the computers for an activity anyway, why not give them the instructions online?
Go ahead. Be a part of the digital generation.
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