UMN Google Day Notes

Note that some of the features are available only for the business account.

• Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides
• Google Sites
• Google Tasks
• Google Keep
• Google Apps script
• Google Drive Structure
• Gmail
• Google Calendar
• Google Forms
• Google Hangouts
• Other products
• General Resources

Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides

1. Tools for Google Docs
   • Voice Typing
   • Spelling and Grammar Check
   • Activity Dashboard: can see who and when is active in the document
   • Explore: The right bottom button. It can search inside the panel of the document, either google search or search in Google Drive. Also, it can add citation to the document.
   • ChromeVox: This is an extension of Chrome. It can read out the text based on the extension settings.
2. Tools for Google Sheets
   • Explore
3. Tools for Google Slides
   • Explore
   • Live Caption
   • Live Q&A: Audience can ask questions using a link during the speech.
   • Remote: First add Remote for Slides extension, then we can find the remote option. Following the instruction, we can use our phone or ipad to remotely access or control the slides.
   • Transition: use this to add animation to the slides.

Google Sites

Remember that Google allows communication among G-Suite, so we can use the result of Google Sheets and so on to build our sites.

Google Tasks

1. It is available in Google Calendar and Gmail.
2. We can directly drag an email to the Tasks to set a reminder to reply to the email.

Google Keep

1. We can use it to save links for one specific projects, instead of putting all of them to the bookmarks.
2. Create notes and links.

Google Apps script

1. Goal: Make buttons that push themselves; automate small or repeatable tasks
2. Base: G Suite Apps; JavaScript; script.google.com
3. Example: (1)Grab information from a website; (2)Spreadsheet Updater + Email Sender
4. Resources: Google Apps Script; Some interesting implementations

Google Drive Structure

1. Access
   • External folder/ Internal folder: create different versions for different group
2. Ownership and Sharing
   • Everytime you create a document, remember to change the ownership.
   • Create a Google group.
3. Best Practices
   • Shallow folder structure
   • Descriptive folders and file names
   • User key definition words at the beginning of your file names followed by a color to describe the file contents
   • Bookmark folders
   • List a contact for all first category subfolders
   • Use a date format
4. Searching
   • Use the search options button(downside triangle) beside the search bar
5. Maintenance
   • Clean-up
   • Found files & orphan/ unorganized files
   • Can create a To-be-Deleted folder
   • Understanding impact of moving folders
6. Good to Know
   • Drive settings to automatically convert documents to google formats
   • Scan files to drive with your phone
7. Training Resources
   • Lynda.com
   • G Suite Learning Center : cheat sheet, tips library

Gmail

1. Search and Filter
   • Use the downside triangle to do advanced search
   • Use filter to automatically cope with emails that you will not pay attention to, but may need it later.
   • Go to settings to find the options of filters and blocked addresses.
   • Use Boolean operators to do search.
2. The IT group can help recover the deleted email.
3. Snooze email, instead of setting a calendar or reminder.
4. Scheduled send: write it now, and send it later.

Google Calendar

1. Working Hours Setting: a way to protect your time.
2. Speedy Meetings Settings
3. Appointment Slots: allow people to schedule time with you. It is available for business account.
4. Guest Settings: sometimes it would be convenient if we allow guests to modify events.
5. Invisible but still could block your time.(haven’t figured out how to do this yet)
6. Use publish events to add google calendar to personal sites.
7. Suggested Times: find the time that is appropriate for everyone. Create an event-> Add guests -> Suggested Times

Google Forms

1. QR Code for instant collection of information, linked to google forms and then to sheets.
2. Embed with the slides and create a live chart from a google sheet.

Google Hangouts

1. Google Hangouts Meet: has live caption
2. Chat(Not open yet for UMN)

Other products

1. Hybrid & Multi-Cloud: Anthos
2. AutoML
3. Google Assistant

General Resources

1. Google Help
2. UMN IT Help