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Hello Google Calendar (and Goodbye to the Planner You Lost or Forgot at Home)

Juggling school with lots of other things? As much as dayplanners are nifty and sometimes even free, sometimes you lose them and other times you leave at home when you need it most! Google Calendar gets rid of these conundrums with its free, online, shareable calendar service provided by Google.

What do you need to get one? An internet connection and a Google account. Yes, that’s it.

Let’s explore this a little more …

What are features? Loads! The following is not an exhaustive list but it will probably give you a good idea of the conveniences this tool offers. With Google Calendar you can:

  • Access it anytime, anywhere
  • Put in all your appointments, due dates, extra-curricular activities and even that helpful reminder to get more milk
  • Organize and promote your organization’s or community’s events
  • Share the calendar with others
  • View your events through daily, weekly, monthly and agenda views to stay on top of everything you’re juggling
  • Sync it with your Droid, Windows Outlook, Blackberry or ICal
  • It’s free (yeah I mentioned this already … but hey, free is always nice!)

What do you need to get Google Calendar? It’s pretty simple!

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Sharing Online

Google Docs: More than just documents

Yes, we all know Google is master of the search universe, but did you know some of the other cool stuff Google is developing?  One awesome collaborative tool for the digital student is Google Docs.

If you’ve used it before, skim down a couple sections for highlights of some less-used and new tools available in Google Docs.  But here’s some basic information if you need an overview…

The basics first

Google Docs is most aptly compared to a wiki, so go read that article first if you’re curious. Similarities include the ability to upload documents in several formats (such as MS Word, Powerpoint, and Excel), the ability to edit privacy settings, and the ability for any number of collaborators you may choose. Contrary to some beliefs, you do NOT have to have a Gmail account in order to use Google Docs – any email will do. If you don’t have an account yet, it’s easy to start one…

NetworkEducation for Beginners

  1. Go to docs.google.com
  2. Explore some of the different types of documents you can create on Docs by clicking on the icons for Document, Spreadsheet, Presentation, Drawing, or Forms. Documents works pretty much like MS Word, Spreadsheet works pretty much like MS Excel, and Presentation works pretty much like MS Powerpoint, which most people are more familiar with; so I’m not going to spend much time talking about those. But if you want some tutorials or directions on those, go here and watch some of the tutorial videos https://www.youtube.com/docs
  3. Click on Try Google Docs Now to try a live demo.  To start an account, click the Get Started button.  Fill in the required information: email, password, some demographic information.
  4. Go to your email and click on the verification link.
  5. Go back to docs.google.com and log in.
  6. You should see a screen like this — click to see a bigger version with some highlights: Google docs screenshot
  7. Choose Create New document, spreadsheet, or presentation. Create and save a couple practice files, click Share to invite your best friend to collaborate, and by now you’re ready to go on to the….
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Sharing Online

What’s Your Digital Tattoo?

Everyone’s life changes, which is why it’s probably not a great idea to get a tattoo of your boy/girlfriend’s name on your arm (or face on your chest) in the first week of dating. Kind of awkward after the breakup, and might provoke some tricky questions when you find someone new. It’s common sense.

So why don’t we think about those pictures of us and our friends blotto on Granville Street last night the same way? They might not be the best images to represent us tomorrow, and could provoke some tricky questions from prospective employers, grad-school admissions boards or, of course, our families. (You know your mom’s on Facebook, right?)

What exactly is a digital tattoo?

We often think of the internet as ephemeral, like everything we say’ll disappear tomorrow under the flood of new stuff showing up in your Facebook feed. The problem is that’s not entirely true. The stuff you say, post, or share online, including images, videos, and personal data is (or can be) public and forever. So while it might seems harmless to post videos of you being hilariously drunk now, it’s kind of like getting a tattoo when you’re hilariously drunk. Neither ink on flesh nor videos on YouTube will magically disappear forever just before your potential employers start Googling you (which they will). You have to be mindful when you do things (or at least do your best to clean up after yourself later) because the Internet is public and forever, like a tattoo on your face.

Continue reading “What’s Your Digital Tattoo?”

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