For the 2008-2009 school year we will be incorporating the use of Google Docs at Brooklyn Friends.

• Google Docs is an option for anyone with a valid Brooklyn Friends email address.
• Students in Lower School will not use Google Docs.
• Students in Middle and Upper School will be taught to use Google Docs during the opening days and digital life orientations in the Fall, but are welcomed and encouraged to sign in and begin use.

All faculty will be taught to use Google Docs and integrate this into their workflow and teaching during the openning days and digital life orientations in the Fall. Faculty and staff are also welcomed and encouraged to sign in and begin use.

 

What is Google Docs?

Google Docs is one of many Web 2.0 applications that frees network storage from a physical location (i.e. inside the Brooklyn Friends campus ONLY) to accessibility from any computer with a connection to the Internet.

Why are we doing this?

After our survey of students and faculty this Spring two of the most requested improvements to 'digital life' at Brooklyn Friends were access to one's files from anywhere and the ability to easily collaborate with others when working on documents.

Google Docs does this, and more. 

Collaborative:

You can edit or view documents from multiple locations either simultaneously or asynchronously. Group and colloborative work can be done from school or home on any computer with access to the Internet

Less email:

Most email messages are used to share documents and to coordinate scheduling. Document sharing is done instantly online and scheduling can be made easier by using the Google Docs calendar and sharing your calendar with other users.

Web-based:

Documents, spreadsheets and presentations are created and edited right on the Internet.  Work begun at school can easily be continued at home and vice-versa.  We hope this will lead to less transfer and conversion issues when moving files back and forth between school and home.  It won't matter what software version you have at home- you can always work on Google Docs then download the file into Microsoft format when at school.

Less viruses:

We'll reduce our inadvertant sharing of Microsoft based viruses (Macro viruses, etc.) by reducing our sharing of MS Word email attachments.

For more information about Google Docs in general, click here.

For more information about the use of Google Docs at Brooklyn Friends, click here to access the DIMS Google Docs planning page.

How do I begin?

Anyone with a Brooklyn Friends email address can log in to and use our Google Docs Team Account.  To login, click here.

Can I access Google Docs Offline?

Yes, there is an offline component. Watch the video to learn more.