A meeting was held on March 6, 2009, via videoconference.  A presentation, The Power of Google Docs and Online Calendars, was delivered through videoconference. Participants at Region 2 Education Service Center included:

 

Irma Muñiz , Chairperson - Corpus Christi Independent School District

Maria San Miguel, Co-Chair  - Corpus Christi Independent School District

Catherine Hart – Corpus Christi Independent School District

Bobbye Schanen – Corpus Christi Independent School District

Christia Moore – Corpus Christi Independent School District

Vincent Muscarello - Corpus Christi Independent School District

Lori Genzer - Region 2 ESC

Tina Villarreal - Region 2 ESC

 

Participants from remote sites included the following:

 

Debbie VanZandt – Tuloso Midway I.S.D.

Trish Panknin – Tuloso Midway I.S.D.

Auburn Carpenter – Texas State Aquarium

 

In her presentation, Irma Muñiz, IT Specialist for the Corpus Christi Independent School District, spoke of the need for Google Docs in terms of sharing workload and time saved. She stressed the strategy of using a Google Docs spreadsheet that would be filled in by everyone rather than having the originator communicate with each participant individually. Setting recurring appointments with an online calendar is an important part of the process of updating the shared spreadsheet if it needs to be updated regularly. Participants can use an online calendar and send reminders to themselves. This will help them remember to check the spreadsheet and update it on a regular basis.   

 

The online chat function in Google Docs was also discussed. This enables collaborators who are updating the same spreadsheet, to communicate through the online chat as they work on the spreadsheet. The presenter cautioned participants to check their local school district policies to ensure the use of online chat is permitted.

 

Lori Genzer demonstrated the calendar function in Google Docs. She spoke of the benefit of using the calendar for family events since they are normally not entered in a business calendar. Entries in the calendar send reminders to all participants, and this is helpful for family birthdays and important events.

 

The meeting was adjourned at 4:30 p.m.