Contents - click on any one to jump to that section or scroll down to read it all (recommended)
When you sign up for a new Google Account, you have an option of whether you would like to create a new Gmail email address or not. This is up to you. Most students who do not have a lot of experience with Google will create an account using their DMACC email address, just because they don't want another email address. Follow the steps on the appropriate link below based on your desires. You will receive an email confirmation to the email address you provide so make sure you can check it.
The email address you provided during registration is what you use to log into the username field. This is also the email address you want to share with your teammates so they can share a document with you (it goes in the Group Wiki -- Group Member Assignment Wiki).
Inside of Blackboard in your Group space, I have created a wiki page called "Team Member Assignment Wiki". On this wiki, there is a link to a specific Google Doc for your group to work on. You will need to request access to it. Do this by clicking the link (which will open in a new window) and press the "Request Accesss" button. If you are not logged in, Google will ask you to log in or create an account. Review the instructions above to create an account if necessary. If you have already created an account, log in and request access. Here is a video reviewing those components.
After you "request access", an email is sent to the owner of the document (your instructor) to grant you access. After I accept your request, you will receive an email that you now have access to the document. You can use the link in the email to open the document or you can also find it by using these steps below.
Please note that I strive to have quick turnaround on the request, but it is not instant. It may take several hour for me to approve the request if I'm not around my email.
If you just created your account, you might already be logged in. Otherwise, you'll have to log in to access Google Drive. If you want to bookmark it, bookmark: http://drive.google.com . Otherwise, you can also find it on the top of the Google Home page (if you're logged in). It's one of the options in the drop down box (click image to see it bigger).
You can think of Google Drive like a giant hard drive or a USB key. It contains files on the cloud that you have created, uploaded, or that other people have shared with you. It can be tricky for those who haven't used Google Drive to find things, but if you notice the menu on the left, you will be set.
We are going to look at the new button in the next section. Right now, take a look at the menu.
A note about the view: The default view is a grid view. However, I prefer a list view (which is what you'll see in images below). You can change that by clicking the view option on the top right hand side.
If you do not see your Group Google file, you may need to request access to it. If you are still having issues, please email your instructor along with the email address you are using for your Google Account (no password).
If you found your file that another open of your group member's shared, you just need to open the document. To open the file, just click on the title of the document.
If you've never worked in a Google Doc, you can review all the editing capabilities. From experience, here are some that you will need to know:
There are several built-in tools you can use to collaborate.
As mentioned in the wiki, you will have to submit the URL of your draft and final document. But here's the secret: it's the same URL. I actually use the time on the submission to compare with the revision history so I can see what the document looked like exactly when it was deemed finished (and if any changes have been made since the submission, I revert the document back to that time). Since I have edit priviledges, I will leave comments directly in your document when I grade it. Here is how you get the URL for your document.
