Category Archives for GAFE

Top 5 Gmail Extensions

Top 5 Gmail Extensions

• Boomerang
  Boomerang is a great and simple add-on for Gmail that allows the user to postpone a message to be received at a later time. The potential with this idea is that you can send an important message for later before you forget, or be precise about the time a message is received. Boomerang allows for messages to be sent from within hours of composition, up to an entire month. You may also customize the exact moment on which mail is sent to the recipient. With Boomerang you are able to receive feedback about whether or not your messages have been viewed or replied to.

• Checker Plus
  Checker Plus is a convenient extension to set up for your Gmail. Its key feature is its ability to display notifications on your desktop browser or home screen once you get mail. They can be displayed as a simple pop up, and can be set to make a noise notification when mail is received. The method of notification can be thoroughly customized. Checker Plus can also be set to read aloud an Email when it is received. This is effective when busy with other tasks. With Checker Plus you can set the exact type of mail to give notifications for. It is also very quick and easy to turn on the “do not disturb mode”.

• WiseStamp
  For those who appreciate personal branding, WiseStamp will come in very useful. On the website, WiseStamp lets users create a free Email signature to add to the bottom of all composed Gmail messages. The stamp includes a personal picture, room for personal information, and Social media links. It is all pre-formatted and looks like a digital business card as a finished product. If the personal Email signature is not wanted or required for certain messages, it can easily be taken off.
• Unroll.me
  Unroll.me is a simple tool to be used for simplifying your Gmail inbox. Instead of having to deal with an Email entirely flooded with endless newsletters or promotions, Unroll.me will provide you with a single daily summary of all this information. With Unroll.me you can organize which mail is summarized through the application, and which remains in the inbox. This makes it much quicker to sift through your daily mail. Another great feature offered by Unroll.me is its simple ‘unsubscribe’ option, allowing you to prevent further mail from certain sources. All settings can be altered at any point in time.

• Snapmail
  Snapmail is one of the simplest Gmail extensions, with its key and only feature being the fact that you are able to send self-destructing Emails. Once you add this extension, a “Snapmail” button will be added to the send button on composed messages in your Gmail. If you press this button instead of send, the sent message will only be able to be read for 60 seconds, before deleting itself. This is perfect for sending small portions of important, confidential information, such as passwords. You will be required to click on a provided URL to view the temporary message. When using the Snapmail feature, a text fragment will be added to the end of the Email saying “This message will self-destruct in 60 seconds.”     
  

Start Collecting Data With The New Google Forms

Google Forms is an online application located in Google Drive that allows for users to easily create surveys, tests, and web input forms, etc.. It is a convenient and free method to quickly gather information from a group of people who are selectively given access through an email or web link.

Google Forms allows for a form to be linked with a spreadsheet (Google Sheets), so that data can be compiled in a concise way, tracked, and graphically displayed if the creator chooses. Many predesigned visual templates are available to create a form with, ranging in colors and style, so that a survey or test can be organized to match its purpose. The way in which people are able to answer questions in Google Forms is also customizable, and can be formatted in the form of short answer, multiple choice, as well as others. Survey questions are able to be made mandatory depending on the given application, but can also be made optionally skipped if the question is not vital (data will simply be left out of the final result if this is the case).  

As with most online applications offered by Google, Google Forms has the functionality of being able to be shared among a group of collaborators who are collectively working on a project. Responses can at any time during the sampling process be summarized within the application, so information like the number of people who have responded, and real-time data regarding specific responses can be accessed.

Overall, Google Forms has an extensive amount of applications when is comes to event planning, poll gathering, quizzes, and many other general purposes. Whether it comes to gathering important data within the workplace, organizing a quiz/test within a school classroom, or checking to see who can attend an event, Google Forms is an extremely useful tool for compiling data.

For a detailed tutorial how to use the New Google Forms, please watch the videos below.

Sneak Peak – The New Google Sites

I received early access for the new Google Sites to create this video. Full access isn’t available yet for Google App accounts.

This video tutorial will show you how to use the NEW Google Sites. Quickly make professional looking websites with the thew new Google Sites. Add content to a page, edit and create new pages, moving the menu bar and publishing will all be covered in this video about the New Google Sites.

Google Forms – Self Grading Quizzes

This video tutorial will show you how to use the new grading feature in the New Google Forms. Create quizzes in Google Forms and have students quickly see their results. Google Forms will mark the test you have created.

Google Apps – 4 Great Resouces

Looking for  a quick place to find resources for Google Apps. From beginner to expert check out the links below.

Google Apps Learning Center: https://apps.google.com/learning-center/
Google Help: https://support.google.com/
Google for Work | Connect: https://connect.googleforwork.com/welcome

For a more detailed explanation of the sites and the fourth resource, take a look at the video below.

Manage your day in Google Keep

I must say I use Google Keep more than I thought I would. I have an Evernote account and I think it a great application, which I do use daily. The two applications have similarities and different users will definitely see different strengths in both. But I digress, this video is not about Evernote, it’s about Google Keep.

Simple. That’s how I would best describe Google Keep. If you have ever used sticky notes, you will get the idea.  Once you start playing with Google Keep, you’ll figure it out quickly.

I think the three neatest features that it offers are: sharing, optical character recognition (OCR), and labeling. Again, once you execute the function the first time, you will remember how you did it.

Try Google Keep, click here.

So what will you see in the below video?

• Create a Note
• Searching & Labels
• Sharing
• OCR & Copy to Google Doc

4 Terrific Time-Saving Tips in Google Docs

Here are some time-saving tips for you in Google Docs. I find these features are generally overlooked, so I thought I would put together a video showcasing them.

• Suggesting Mode
• Image Masking
• Creating Columns
• Optical Character Recognition (OCR)

These four items can really help you maximize working in Google Docs.

5 Great Google Docs Features

Now I am not going to call these features advanced but they are important items so you can get the most out of your Google Docs.

• Voice Typing
• Revision History
• Templates
• Research
• Add-ons

This video continues on with features of Google Docs. I have really enjoyed the new templates and voice typing features.  The voice typing has enabled some of my students got to get their thoughts down, whereas writing and typing were such a struggle. I wish I would have had the research tool when I did my masters.

4 Things to Know About Google Docs

These are four things that I think are the basics of Google Docs.  I will continue on with other features and tips about Google Docs, but these four things will get you started.

What you’ll find in this video:

• How to create a Google Docs
• Insert and edit an image
• Sharing
• Commenting

I find what really makes Google Docs are sharing and commenting.  It has really changed the way I manage the paper trail in my classroom.

If you have a Gmail account, open up Google Doc and play around with it.  You will probably find it simplistic compared to other word processors you might have used, but for and my students and I, this simplicity is the strength of the application.

Become an Omnibox Power User

Customizing the omnibox in your Google Chrome is a great way to speed up searching or adding information to other Google Apps. These tips will make you an omnibox power user!