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A Tech Teacher on a Mission

Automating Edcamp with Google Add-ons, Part 3: Autocrat

5/25/2015

23 Comments

 
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This is the final part to a three part post (and the coolest of them all, IMHO) detailing how we used Google Add-ons to make organizing easier for Edcamp35. The first post outlined how to use FormMule for confirmation emails and email updates and the second post gave an overview for using DocAppender to filter specific information from those who were willing to facilitate a session.

Add-on #3: Autocrat

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Basic Add-On Description: Autocrat takes the data from a Google Sheet and renders it into an easier-to-read Google Doc or .pdf format. Additionally, you have the ability to customize the file name, type, destination folder in Drive, and you can even customize a mail merge with the documents attached! Again, this add-on for Sheets is written by the still-ever-amazing-and-awesome Andrew Stillman. (Fangirl, much? Yes. Just, yes.)


Add-on’s Function for EdCamp35: This particular workflow is my favourite use of edcamp add-on awesomeness, mainly because it allows for collaboration of your edcamp attendees. The purpose of this add-on is to automatically create collaborative session documents as the session board schedule is being finalized. Each document would be automatically created and filtered into a publicly shared folder (all documents inside would automatically inherit the folder’s sharing permissions). This way, all attendees can use the folder link to locate their session and the corresponding collaborative Google Doc to take notes on. Even better, you have a window into sessions that you were unable to attend, and to share with others later on, too!

Basic How-To:

Step 1: Create a template for what you would like your session documents would look like. This year’s version looked the one below (and you can snag your own copy on Drive if you click on the image):
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Step 2: Create a publicly editable folder in Drive where you’d like to keep the collaborative edcamp Docs. You can also create sub-folders inside of it for each session time slot that would run within your edcamp. If you make a folder for each session, it makes for easier for attendees to find the session title that they may be looking for.
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Step 3: In a different folder (for us, it was our Edcamp35 organizing folder) create a new Google Form with questions just like the ones pictured below. Add any other fields you think you might need… remember to collect everything you'll require to fill in your template doc’s fields. Here is a link to our form or take a look by clicking below.

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Step 4: Backing up now.... on our template document, you may have noticed these strange tags: <<Room Number>>, <<Session Name>>, etc. These are called merge tags. Wherever you add them in your template, Autocrat allow you to merge specific responses from the form into each doc that is created. For example, if I input “Genius Hour” into the form under Session Title, then I have made it so “Genius Hour” will now replace <<Session Name>> on the template document.

Now, it’s your turn! Go back to your template document and add merge tags that will correspond the data you input from your form. It’s nice to have the form and the template doc side by side (pictured below) to make it easier to correspond with one another before launching the add-on.
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Step 5: On the Sheet that receives the form responses, I installed Autocrat in the “Add-ons” menu. Click on the “Launch” button in the menu and a sidebar will pop up for you to begin the use of the add-on. When the sidebar pops up, click "New Merge Job".
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Note: This is the sheet that accepted our responses for the Edcamp35 2015. Your sheet should be empty - no data!
Step 6: A pop-up window will appear in your Sheet to set up the Autocrat add-on. Start by adding your template doc from Drive or by choosing a template in the document list below.
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Step 7: Ensure that your merge tags correspond with the appropriate fields from your document. Some of your merge tags will automatically choose the corresponding entry from the form if they have the exact same name. Others, you will have to select from a drop-down menu.
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Step 8: The merge settings step has a lot of little sub-steps. First, what will your merged documents be named? You can customize this using the naming tags listed on the next step of the add-on. All documents were titled a very specific way so that they would be easy to for attendees to see and for organizers to sort (see image below). Our nomenclature for merged docs was $sessionTitle - $Rm - $sessionNumber. So, for example, a session document would come out titled as the following:

Genius Hour for Beginners - Rm208 - 3

And it would also have matching information inside of the doc where the <<merge tags>> sit.

Why did we do this? The name of the sessions is the most important aspect for attendees, so that came first. The room number is secondary. The session number was for the organizers so that we put each document in the correct collaborative docs subfolder. Remember, we had Edcamp35 Session Docs named as a parent folder and subfolders for session 1, 2, or 3. The session number in the name makes it so we don’t have to open the documents one by one to see where they should live, or continually reference the session board to figure it out.
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Step 9: Next, select “Email and/or share merged documents” and input your own email address (you need one; I just delete these notifications in my email later). I also ensure that it's shared as a publicly editable Google Doc, but… Google Nerd Note Reminder (as if all of this wasn’t enough already): If the destination folder is publicly editable, so will all the Docs be that are created within it. Secondary note: if you’re using Autocrat for a different purpose, you can also customize the email subject, address, and message, too!
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Step 10: Click to expand the Advanced Options menu. This is where you can ensure that the Docs being created would land in your appropriate parent folder. Make sure that “Run autoCrat when new forms are submitted” is checked off before pressing “Save".
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Step 11: Test out the magic by filling out your form. Check the merge folder you chose to see if the document merged. You should also see the evidence of a merge on the response spreadsheet - clickable links and a merge confirmation field.
Step 12: Delete any test documents you created and double check that your parent folder is shared to be publicly editable. Share the folder link on the morning of edcamp or before so that people can access it. For Edcamp35, we created shortened URLs for this as well as QR codes for participants to scan around the building to get connected with our collaborative documents.
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Step 13: We repeatedly filled out the form with session titles and rooms on the day of the edcamp in a frenzy as the session board was being built. After the documents were merged into the parent folder, we had to drag and drop each session into its corresponding session subfolder. Note that this is best done in “List View” in Drive, not "Grid View”.
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Each of these documents would get dragged and dropped into the appropriate session folder.
If you’re curious what the final structure might look like, check out our final merged products from Edcamp35 here. Some documents got edited by attendees during the conversations, others didn’t. But what we created was a shareable source of evidence of professional conversations that others could learn from. The coolest part? I learned from sessions I didn’t even attend, and so did many others! And it didn't really take that long to set up, either.

I really hope you enjoyed learning about Google Add-ons for Automating Edcamp from this series of blog posts. Thank you for planning amazing educational events (or being curious about it!) and being a part of growing professional practice through sharing and collaboration!
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23 Comments

#GTAATX: Not Just a Badge

12/9/2014

7 Comments

 
PictureMe, the sign. Photo cred: Geri Feiock
The most recent Google Teacher Academy was held in Austin, TX on Dec 2-3 and I was one of the lucky participants selected to attend. The badge that comes with this event - Google Certified Teacher - is highly sought after by many educators as they yearn to become a part of this exclusive community.

I have to preface this post with the fact that I am not an advocate for badge seeking. Educational badges do very little to tell about the skills that educators actually possess. In fact, becoming a GCT didn’t really require me to fulfill any particular abilities with Google tools at all. Did I know stuff on my own already? Sure, but I learned all of that from Twitter and from attending various conferences such as CUE, ISTE, and GAFE Summits. So why all the hype then?

For me, it was really about getting into that room with the other 50 or so participants that have also been selected for the event. Big thinkers in the educational world with diverse perspectives from all over North America? Yes, please. I could have spent both days just talking to the other attendees and I would have left happy as a clam.

The event consisted of a combination of design thinking, session-based learning, and group activities. Throughout the academy we were exposed to different people and groups depending on what we were doing. I didn’t get to connect with every member of the cohort - not even close - but I’d say I got to talk to about half of them.

PictureHexagonal thinking - something I found extremely challenging and needed more time for.
Design Thinking

The design thinking aspect of the event blew my mind. After a year of hearing about what design thinking is but never actually getting to go through the process, I finally had the chance. We were challenged to lay out out our educational frustrations, rank and order them, and identify an area with hexagonal thinking in which we could actually affect change or find a solution. Having time to think critically about these problems was very exciting, especially with so many thought leaders sitting right at your table who could help you through the process.




























PictureDesign thinking - the beginning. Photo cred: Danny Silva
On the  second day, we had an opportunity to actually brainstorm ideas, create “SMART” goals - those which were specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and with a time limit. We got to interact with other attendees’ goals and give constructive feedback on how they could reach them. The room was plastered in colourful Post-It notes all emblazened with endless ideas about how to make positive impacts in education, free to adopt or adapt for our own needs. 

Sessions

The sessions were based around advanced Google tools and tips from our lead learners. The lead learners were an incredible group who had a lot to offer. In fact, I attended some of their sessions at the aforementioned conferences, making some of the sessions a repeat of something I’d already done. But that right there is a personal problem. Every one of the sessions had good things to offer and got us exposed to each of the lead learners and their strengths. I could honestly listen to Chris Aviles talk all day about storytelling and data and I stole an amazing amount of presentation tips from Katie Christie and Amy Mayer.

The issue I had was that the sessions were a bit disconnected from the design thinking process that we had been going through. Because of my previous personal experiences with some of the session content, I wish that we’d had the choice of continuing with our design thinking or attending the sessions. The plus was that we got exposed to different lead learners and their strength areas.

PictureSome beautiful people from #TeamFancyFruit winning Amazing Race. Photo cred: Danny Silva
Whole Group Activities

The whole group activities were a vague area for me because I found some more worthwhile than others. We completed challenges that involved intense collaboration and communicate such as the Amazing Race Challenge (Holla, to the winners, #TeamFancyFruit!) or building the longest bridge made of masking tape with our team. These I find useful because they’re very quick and have an ultimate point. 

Others I found to be longer and more drawn out, and sadly, contained answers that I could have Googled myself. Regardless of my opinion, I’m sure many found the whole group activities useful. I would have absolutely used more of that time to interact with smaller groups or individuals, though. But again, just me.


PictureThe entire #GTAATX cohort. Photo cred/Terrifying table balancing cred: Danny Silva

In the End…

The Google Teacher Academy is more than just a badge. I’m coming out from it having consolidated some existing relationships and igniting some new ones. I got to spend a bulk of time discussing some big educational issues with Karl, John, Matt, & Rachel. I got to have a great late-night chat with several others from the cohort, among them Stephanie, Richard, Suzie, James, and Alicia. And most importantly, our cohort finally defined how GAFE is really pronounced (I’m looking at you, short “a” people). For all of you non-believers out there, it’s now called GAFÉ. You will never look at it the same ever again. And you’re welcome.

More seriously, the goals that I set for myself and the design thinking process were the most important aspect of this experience. I can honestly say that these goals are going to be difficult to reach while being enrolled in my Masters program, but as Chris McGee would tell me, I should just say YES. On that note, if someone asked me if I would ever go again, I would say YES!

Thanks to all who supported me in getting to GTA - you know who you are!

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    Author

    Victoria Olson
    A curious and passionate educator in Langley, BC

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