Lesson 4 – Google 101

Google 101

To simplify how to work in the Google environments, including Google Docs, Google Sheets, Google Slides, Google Forms, Google Calendar, Google Contacts, and Google Drive Cloud Storage.

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Lesson Resources – Google 101 Handout

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Video Transcript – Google 101

Objective: To simplify how to work in the Google environments, including Google Docs, Google Sheets, Google Slides, Google Forms, Google Calendar, Google Contacts, and Google Drive Cloud Storage.

“Welcome to Google 101! We’re so glad to have you here. In this learning module, we’ll start with one of the digital literacy basics –– Google!

You’ve likely used the Google search engine hundreds of times; whenever you search for information on the internet, you’re using either Google or another search engine.

Google is the most popular – and powerful – search engine, but that’s just one of its many features. Google also powers online tools such as Gmail, Google Docs, Google Sheets, Google Slides, Google Forms, Google Calendar, Google Contacts, and Google Drive Cloud Storage.

Whew! That’s a long list. But don’t worry –– each application is very simple to use, especially once you realise how they’re all connected.

When you create a free Google Account, you’ll get access to all these other tools for free! The easiest way to do this is to create a Gmail account, which is an email application run by Google. Once you log into your Gmail, you’ll be able to use each of these tools effortlessly!

We’ll go over each of the applications more in-depth in the handout. But for now, let’s briefly review each one:

First, we have Google Docs. This online tool allows you to create documents –– the “Docs” is short for documents! If you’ve used Microsoft Word before, Google Docs is quite similar. You can use it to write, take notes, or even create proposals, resumés, and letters!

Google Docs, like the other Google tools, is accessed online. Other document apps like Microsoft Word or Pages are downloaded as software on your computer. This means that if you were to use a different computer, you wouldn’t have access to the application or the documents you’ve saved.

This is where Google’s applications are different! They run on what we call the ‘cloud.’ ***You’ll need to insert a really simple description here of what the cloud is*** Since you access these applications online, it doesn’t matter what computer you’re using.

Think about it like this: If you have pictures or files saved on your computer at home, you can’t access those same files on a computer at the library or a friend’s house. But you can access any of the same websites you do at home.

Since Google and its applications are websites, you can access them anywhere –– no fancy software needed! This means that if you create a Google Doc or Spreadsheet on your computer at home, but you need it at work the next day, you’d be able to log into your account and access that same Google Doc! No matter where you are, if you can log onto your Gmail account, you can access your files!

Because of this feature, you can share your documents and other Google files with friends and colleagues with a simple link, as if you were sharing a website link! We’ll show you how to do this in our reading portion.

Before we do that, let’s go over a few more of the Google tools we’ll be exploring. The next is Google Sheets. Google Sheets allows you to create and edit spreadsheets online. It’s similar to Microsoft Excel, if you’ve heard of that. Google Sheets allows you to organise and calculate data into rows and columns. It’s especially helpful for budgeting and finances.

Now, Google Slides is another excellent tool, especially for students and professionals. You can use it to design visual presentations, webinars, and slideshows! It’s similar to Microsoft PowerPoint if you’ve ever worked with that.

Google Forms is another great tool. You can use it to create online surveys and questionnaires!

We’ll talk about three more: First, Google Calendar. This is exactly what it sounds like: an online calendar! You can set it up so that you can receive alerts on your phone or email to remember important dates and events.

Google Contacts is another tool you can use to organise and view your contacts’ email addresses, phone numbers, and other important information.

Lastly, we have Google Cloud Drive Storage is an online tool used to store digital files. Remember: The ‘cloud’ means we can access a file anywhere online –– not just on one computer.

Suppose you have a lot of photos, documents, and other files on your computer. In that case, you can upload them to your Google Drive so you can have more storage space on your computer, but you’ll be able to access these files anywhere once you’re signed in.

That’s it for this video! Now that you know what these tools are, we’ll begin to teach you how to start using these tools in the handout!”