Mentions in Google Docs

It is always awesome stumbling upon a feature that instantly enhances your workflow, regardless of what medium it is in. Maybe you found a new way to get that last little bit of toothpaste out of the tube or overheard someone talking about a new app that is *exactly* what you're looking for.

In this case, adding mentions in Google Docs is that awesome feature: It calls attention to the user and sends an email informing them of the comment. It is useful for shared Docs between large groups or two users. 

To create a mention, simply add a comment to a doc by clicking on the Comment icon in the Docs toolbar.

Before you add your comment, type the plus key and enter the recipients Bay Path email address. In the example below, I used +vchavis to ensure the comment mentioned Val.

An email is automatically generated from the commentator (you) to the recipient. Clicking on the top link (in this case, EXT099 Course Redesign - November 2015) will take the user directly to the comment in question.

If you have any questions, do not hesitate to let me know!

One Best Thing

Apple introduced the free One Best Thing series earlier this year, and it's worth checking out.

Over a hundred Apple Distinguished Educators from around the globe created iBooks with best practices for all areas of the curriculum. These books don't just fall with Apple Apps - they run the gamut (although to be fair, they are iOS specific stories and only work on devices with iBooks installed).

Take a look at the list if your looking for some inspiration! Happy hunting!

Permalink: http://search.itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZContentLink.woa/wa/link?path=onebestthing

Workflow: Final Paper and Presentation

Writing a final paper for my graduate course this semester, I thought it might be nice to share some insight into the technology used and the workflow used to complete the assignment. As always - questions and comments are encouraged!

The Technology

• 13" MacBook Pro (running OS X 10.10)
• iPad Mini (running iOS 8)
• iPhone 6 (running iOS 8)
• Hearthstone (just one...more...game. Then I'll get back checking that APA format...)
• Breville One-Touch Tea Maker (one cannot study without a nice warm cup of tea)

App	Use	Platform
Evernote	Notes, Reminders	OS X, iOS, Web
Skitch	PDF Markup	OS X, iOS
Pages	Writing the Paper	OS X, iOS, Web
Numbers	Tracking Mentions within PDFs	OS X, iOS
Keynote	Presentation	OS X, iOS
RefMe	Bibliography	iOS, Web

Reference Sites Utilized:

• Purdue OWL (APA formatting)
• ERIC (Article Research)
• Google Scholar (Article Research)

Check List by Sabine Wollender from the Noun Project

The Workflow

1. Choose topic and review with faculty member.
2. Create notes in Evernote that chart Final Paper/Presentation progress
3. Research topic via ERIC and Google Scholar
4. Save URLs into Evernote
5. Create a spreadsheet charting key words and terms within the research papers in Numbers
6. Open URLs and save PDF articles into Evernote
7. Markup PDFs via Evernote and Skitch for iPad
8. Write research paper in Pages
9. Check against Purdue OWL APA formatting standards
10. Use the abstract of the paper to outline a 15m presentation in Keynote

Universally Accepted File Formats

As a platform agnostic community, we deal with lots of data coming in from a multitude of sources. And, as it turns out, not all of those sources play nicely together.

I thought it would be best to create a list of universally accepted file formats and compare them to those that are platform specific. This can aid in your assignment requirements via Canvas or even when using via AirPlay in an on-ground classroom.

You can view the list here, and I encourage any questions or comments that you may have!

Permalink: https://docs.google.com/a/baypath.edu/spreadsheets/d/1zD03vNzcmxUg0P8X3ZrU7DwViqMljczjaciSDzc-o3Q/edit?usp=sharing

Icons by Garrett Knoll from The Noun Project

App Discovery: Dave Wallace

Title: Associate Professor of Psychology

App 1: Notabilty - I was very fortunate to pick this up when it came out; it is an outstanding note taking app that is still my go-to one for taking notes at meetings, lectures, conferences, etc. Directories, Solid organization (where can move files into your own named directories etc), and Exporting features. Most of all - their CS is without peer. When I once had a problem after upgrading my iOS, they responded within hours When that fix didn't work someone else got back to me 5 hours later with a fix.

App 2: Toodledo - A great task manager. Less detailed than some of the more formal GTD apps, (it is streamlined), but it still allows for Outlines, Notes, Dates and Times due, Alarms, Repeating a task, Searchers. etc.

*tie*

mSecure - a fantastic encryption app. It can transfer to Mac, PC, and mobile formats. You can wifi to update each one (so you can enter passwords etc in one, and they pop up in the other), and you can save your info in an encrypted form as a backup.

App 3: Weblock - a great way to reduce the number of ads, scripts etc that we pick up along the way. It creates and manages your PAC (proxy auto configuration), and uses a dummy proxy to allow you to not get many of those ads and other things that pop up.

*tie*

Plants vs Zombies/Bloons 5! Everyone needs a fun game now and then to unwind -- and these are pretty fun ones regardless of one's background, interests, and abilities.

App Discovery

Bay Path University Community,

There has been a lot of interest expressed that there be suggested apps, along with tips and tricks, posted more regularly to the Center for Online & Digital Learning's blog.

However, we want to engage more with you: We are seeking faculty and staff that want to share their favorite apps and why they can't live without them. Think of them as Indispensable Apps.

Be on the lookout soon for an email containing all the information that you'll need to be a member of this awesome group.

Thank you in advance!!


Chris Gaudreau
cgaudreau@baypath.edu
Learning Technologist
Center for Online & Digital Learning