Doodle helps us send out polls to find out when people are available to have meetings. Doodle has become so popular it is now a noun.   “Do a Doodle”.

If you do a Doodle you will find that they change their freemium policies often.  Some have reported getting a lot of spam after doing a Doodle.

To avoid this, here is a simple spreadsheet to see when people are available. If you share it correctly, then any trusted recipient (without a google account) can edit the spreadsheet.

Make a copy of this file:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1cEh8_mcTiU1Fc1AgaCARvljsP5jjOEUczNaXeFEXwkE/edit#gid=1965835778

If your website has the option for you to use HTML code, you can embed a PowerPoint slideshow from a LinkedIn account and using Slideshare (which was acquired by LinkedIn 2012).  Slideshare will generate the embed code for you.

1. Create or Log into a Linkedin account.
2. Click on Work ▼
   
   
3. Click Slideshare
   
   
4. Upload your PowerPoint presentation
   
   
5. Click on Share > copy the Embed code
   
   
6. In SBYOU, edit a page or post, click on the TEXT tab and paste this code the body of the post/page.
   
   

Example:

What a pain.  We want to use Google Apps’ unlimited storage and ease of sharing, but we are comfortable using Word, Excel, & Powerpoint.

In many cases, Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides provide many functions the average user will need.  For advanced functionality, like creating a Table of Contents, Works Cited page, Labels, Pivot tables, and Narrated Slides you would need to use MS Office, but really how often do you do these things?

Change is hard, we go with what we know.  Therefore, I have reviewed below several options for using Google Drive to store MS Office files, or any type of file for that matter.

• Google Drive Sync
• Right-Click > Open With
• Chrome Extension:  Office Editing for Docs, Sheets and Slides
• Google Drive Plugin for Microsoft Office (Winner)

Using Google Drive Sync (downloading Google Drive in Settings)

This is a great option that allows you to drag and access MS Office files from your computer and open them in their respective application (Word, Excel, PowerPoint).

However, this is a SYNCing option which means that files are stored on your computer and then synchronized to the cloud.  You are still using hard drive space on your computer.  You will not be able to use the UNLIMITED storage space because you do not have UMLIMITED storage space on your computer.

You can limit which folders you’d like to sync!  BUT, you may only sync top level folders, not a folder that lives within a folder.

Also, you must be an administrator of your machine to download this.

Right-clicking on an Office file to Open With a Google Doc

Don’t be fooled by this one.

This option is a GREAT tool to CONVERT an Office file into a Google file, but then to keep your sanity, you should remove the original Office file to ensure everyone views and edits the correct file.

Every time you right-click on this file and choose Open With, you are making a CONVERTED, COPY of the file.  If you are not careful, you will have multiple copies of the same file with different data.

Want to simply Go Google all the way and have all of your files converted to a Google file?  You can click on  > Settings and then check off “Convert uploaded files to Google Docs editor format”

Then from this point forward every file you upload will be converted.

Notes about Right ClickOpen > with:

• Google Drive does not overwrite files with the same name. So you can have many files with the same name.
• To prevent copies from being made when using Open with, you can fix this inherent flaw by installing the extension below:

A Chrome Extension for Minor Edits

Office Editing for Docs, Sheets and Slides

A nice extension that will allow you to open the Google document editor and give you the options to

• Add and remove text
• Bold, italicize, underline text
• Indent
• Add bullets

That is it; just minor edits.

Mac users: this is your best option.  The plugin mentioned below is not available for Macs.

Google Drive Plugin for Microsoft Office

https://tools.google.com/dlpage/driveforoffice

This is the best option.

Here are the reasons why:

1. You do not need administrative rights on your computer to download and install this.
2. You can create new files, share files, open files, rename files, move files to other folders WITHOUT going to Google Drive (you do it all in Word, Excel, PowerPoint).
   
   • The plugin’s features:
     
3. You have the full range of Office functions available to you.

The presentation and download guide

Here are 2 lovely new features to help work seem less like work!

You may have attached documents from Google Drive to Calendar Events, but found that you needed to share the doc before hand.  Google has improved this feature and checks to see if your event guests have access and if they don’t, you can give them access all before sending the event!  See this 2 minute explainer video:

Here is another feature I have been waiting for.  We, us, the individual can now customize the location of the apps in our App Launcher.  Power to the people!

Enjoy your work!  And Explore!

Instructional Design is the practice of creating instructional experiences that make it easier for people to get the information and use it.

Steps of Design

1.  List needs:

How do you decide if there is a training need?

Performance gap, new project coming down the pike, things are not as they should be, strategic planning for growth, policy or procedure change.

Training blockers:

Lack of will, environment, no incentive, unclear policy, lack of management-coaching-reward system, mixed messages, perceived needs vs real.  Does it meet organizational need?

****Time requirements*****:

Length of Training (hours) x Prep hours (5-10 for F2F, 20-30 for eLearning) x 1.2 standard deviation = Design Time Needed

2 hour training x 10 prep x 1.2 dev = 24 hours of actual prep time.

We need to advocate for prep time.

2.  Assess your Audience

How do you assess your audience?

Surveys, observations, focus groups, SMEs, consulations, ask management.

Items to determine:  Knowledge and Interest of audience, Appropriate language of audience, Influence of audience.

3.  Decide your Aim

Ingredients:  Objectives, Job Aids (checklist, manuals), Evaluation.  Create these now rather than later as Smart Goals, to Stay on Track, Keep Focus, as a Roadmap and It will save us Time!

Decide of what Success will look like now:   Activities plan

4.   Plan your Approach / 5. Plan lesson development

Planning Template

Start with ideas with on what the learner will learn

Engage learners every 8-10 minutes (4-5 minutes for eLearning).  You can use Polling, Asking Questions (Show of hands, How many ppl…), Asking for Volunteers, Brainstorming, Teachbacks, Role or Real Play

6.  Plan your Lesson:

What is in it for the learners?  WII-FM:  What’s in it for me?, MMFI-AM:  Make me feel important about myself.

Have participants write their own objectives.

7.  Integrate a Carryover activity:

What can they do immediately, tomorrow, or next week?

8.  Assign materials and room layout:

Is the training room conducive to learning?  Technology?  Flip charts? Beverages, snacks, page flags, candy, interactive workbooks, grabby things?

———–

One item I did not see was follow up. I like to send participants an email weeks or months after to see how they are doing.