Monthly Archives: October 2012

Digital Teacher’s Tool Kit: Create, Store and Collaborate with Google Drive

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google drive logo

A few months back I wrote about “The Cloud”, and in the near future all Berkeley faculty, students and staff will have their own cloud storage in the form of Google Drive. Google Drive is part of our bConnected roll out on campus, meaning if you have a bCal account right now, then you already have Google Drive (sometimes also called Google Docs). Like other cloud storage websites such as Dropbox, Google Drive allows you to save files to their servers, so that you can access them anywhere you have internet access.

It’s more than just a storage space though, because Google Drive can open most file types right in your browser, so you can view Microsoft Office documents, PDF’s and Photos and videos without downloading them. You can also can create documents using Google Drive’s suite of tools Document, Presentation, Spreadsheet, Form. While these tools offer less functionality than Microsoft Office, they provide a useful set of features at no cost.

One of Drives best features is its ability to collaborate and share your work with others. Simply create a document in Google Drive and share it with others using their @berkeley.edu email address. If you allow these users to edit the document, you can all be editing the same document at the same time and Google backs up all the changes and saves the document automatically. Now instead of trying to find the most recent file in your downloads folder, you can just log into Google Drive to see the most up to date changes. For those of you that bring a flash drive with your class presentation on it, why not upload it to Google Drive, so you can access it from any computer. Even if you bring your own laptop to class, you can upload your files to drive just in case something goes wrong at the last second.

Collaborate with Google Drive
Use your laptop, tablet or smartphone to access Google Drive

Drive is also a great tool for student collaboration. Create a document and share it with a group of students to work on. You’ll not only be able to see the latest version, but you can quickly see who contributed to the document, when they contributed and even see older version of the document quickly.

There are some things to be careful of when you use Google Drive though, especially when you start to upload sensitive information. To find out more, visit the bConnected’s FAQ on privacy at, http://bconnected-project.berkeley.edu/faqs/bcal-and-bmail-privacy-faqs/ . There is also a useful video that discusses the features of Google Drive that can be seen at the following link, http://youtu.be/o0Go4IrNJR0.For more information on how you can use Google Drive in your teaching, contact John-Mark Ikeda at, jikeda@law.berkeley.edu.

Powerpoint Best-Practices

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Learn how to effectively use slide-presentation during class. We’ll discuss practical tips on formatting slide, controlling audience attention and promoting learning and engagement. For more information, to sign up or to schedule a one-on-one consultation please contact John-Mark Ikeda at jikeda@law.berkeley.edu .
Date: TBA
Location: TBA

Polling in the Classroom

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During this workshop, we’ll learn how polling in the classroom can be used to improve student engagement. Since polling is anonymous and includes all of your students, faculty have found it to be a great tool for starting discussions and preparing for exams. Learn what the entire class thinks about a topic or understands about a concept, rather than relying on a couple vocal students. We’ll also talk about best-practices for using polls and discuss how they can be tailored to your teaching style. For more information, to sign up or to schedule a one-on-one consultation contact John-Mark Ikeda, jikeda@law.berkeley.edu .

iPads in the Classroom

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Learn how iPads can be used in the classroom.  During this workshop we’ll talk about how iPad’s differ from laptops and how they are being used by professors right here at UC Berkeley Law. Attendees are welcome to bring their own if they have one. We’ll also have one on hand for them to try. At the end we’ll also look at several apps that we have found to work well for teaching. For more information, to sign up or to schedule a one-on-one consultation contact John-Mark Ikeda, jikeda@law.berkeley.edu .

Working Toward a Paperless Classroom

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Going paperless is a goal for many educators, because it can conserve resources, improve organization and it’s convenient. For many instructors we understand that it’s not possible for them to go completely paperless, but during this workshop we’ll discuss practical options to reduce the use of paper in your course. For more information, to sign up or to schedule a one-on-one consultation please contact John-Mark Ikeda, jikeda@law.berkeley.edu .

Inside Out Classrooms: Using Digital Video To Teach

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Learn how you can use digital video to make more time in class for projects. The Inside out Classroom technique moves part or all of your lectures online, allowing for in class time to be spent on discussions, group activities, projects and skills training. By posting video segments online, student can also re-watch your lecture and spend class time clarifying concepts that you cover in the video. During this workshop we’ll learn tips on how you can implement this exciting technique in your course. For more information, to sign up or to schedule a one-on-one consultation contact John-Mark Ikeda, jikeda@law.berkeley.edu .