Using Google Drive

Your quote responses this semester will be done on Google Drive. This online document creation and storage tool allows you to compose without any word processing software on your computer. The sharing feature allows you to collaborate with me and your classmates as you write your assignments. You can also comment and make suggestions on assignments shared with you.

In order for this tool to work for us, we will all have to cooperate, learn some new skills, and follow some rules. It might be a steep learning curve for some of you, but I think you'll be pleased with the results!

First, you'll need a Google account. If you have a Gmail account, then you already have a Google account, so all you need to do to get started is to sign in to Google Drive! If you don't have a Google account, the easiest way to start one is to sign up for Gmail! This link will allow you to designate a username for a Gmail account--I recommend using something like "LastName.FirstName" for your username.

Once you have your Google account, let me know the Gmail address you'll be using and sign in to Google Drive so that you can configure some things. If you need any help along the way, just let me know. We'll go over some of this in class also:

1. Edit your Google profile and make sure your display name is "LastName FirstName"
2. Create a folder called "Lastname.Firstname.2132H.Assignments.F13"
3. Share the folder with me and grant me "edit" privileges (I'll give you my sharing address during class)
4. Create a document in that folder called "Lastname.Firstname.My.Expectations.F13"
5. Share this document with everyone else in the class and grant them "comment" privileges (I'll provide everyone's sharing addresses once I have them all)
6. Now open this document and write a 300-word response about your expectations for this course this semester. What are you most looking forward to? What are you most afraid of?

As for the quote responses, I will explain in class how to do them, but the basic idea will be to create documents in your assignments folder and name them appropriately (LastName.FirstName.QR1.F13).