Google Docs in K-12

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Many of my graduate students, whom are teachers, have concerns/issues when I discuss implementing google documents into the k-12 classroom. This post is aimed at alleviating some of those fears. Here are some common questions and answers:

Is it secure?

Yes! Google docs is very secure and is used by many schools already. It can even be installed on your schools local server by you technology coordinator, so its not on the WWW.

Do kids need a gmail account?

No, no one does. In fact, you can create a fake login for each student so they cant be identified by anyone but yourself.

How can a teacher manage student documents?

The teacher can create each document and invite the students to collaborate. The teacher can then also see which document, and what part of that document, each student edited.

Google docs is a very easy tool to use and I am amazed at how much students enjoy using it. I usually get a lot more questions than just three, however, those are the main ones. For information on using google documents in the classroom check out: http://googledocs.blogspot.com/2009/09/day-in-life-of-docs-student.html

Adobe Dreamweaver: Using a Template

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This video shows you how to use a template once you have created a template and site. This is part 3 of a 3 part series on templates/sites.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xZ6T5qv-Rlw]

Adobe Dreamweaver: Creating a Site

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The following video shows you how to create a site in dreamweaver. I generally create a site before I create my template. this video is part 1 of 3, which shows you how to create a site, create a template, and use a template

Vector vs Raster Graphics

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Vector – created in adobe illustrator. these graphics are best used for logos and prints. Vector graphics can be made bigger without sacrificing image quality. as a result, you can increase the size of the picture and it will not be distorted.

Raster – created in adobe photoshop. These are the most common types of graphics. The main problem is that you cannot make the image bigger because the pixels become distorted as photoshop will ‘make up’ parts of the image. you can shrink the image but not make it bigger without sacrificing quality.

Overall – It depends what your purpose is. If you are making a logo, such as a tshirt design, I would go with illustrator. Most often though, people tend to work with photoshop as they are more familiar with it and its the industry standard photo editor.