Building Apps with Glide and Google Sheets
Facilitator: Miguel Guhlin (@mguhlin) | https://tinyurl.com/glideintro
Glide is a free service that lets you add information to a Google sheet, then quickly create an app from its contents, all without coding. Just pick one of your sheets and Glide assembles it into a polished app that you can customize, share with a link, and even publish to the app store. Learn how you can use this tool with your students and staff.
Session Outline
- Announcements
- GlideApps Overview
- Pricing Options
- NonProfit/Education Prices
- Anatomy of Development Screen
- Templates Available
- Examples
- A Quick Demo
- What have YOU Created with Glide?
Wait, Wait! Don't forget to contribute your Festivus Recipe here. Use this link to learn more. As we get further along, we'll take your recipe submissions and make them into a Glide App you can take with you. Yum!
1-GlideApps Overview
Glide apps makes it easy to create cross-platform apps, no coding required. You can create a few apps for free, but advanced features are available if you pay for them.
To get started, create a Google Sheet, then load it into GlideApps website. After that, you spend time customizing your content and how it looks.
Pricing Options
Pricing is straightforward. You can create a few apps but you can only have 500 data rows.
You can add tabs to your Google Sheet, and that allows you to add more content per tab.
Educator and nonprofit pricing is available online but you have to apply for it.
Private apps are the only item discounted. To review the difference between public vs private apps:
A private app limits access by password or email address. Its price depends on the number of users that log in and use the app each month. You are charged for actual users, not those you provide access to.
A public app can be used by anyone in the world—anyone who visits your app can use the app without signing in, or they can sign in with any email address, depending on your app's security setting. These apps can have unlimited users.
Ready to Give it a Try? Check out these examples and follow these simple steps! And, here's a terrible video.
3-Anatomy of the glide apps development screen
There are several major areas to pay attention to when developing an app:
Tabs
List View
Details View
Also, across the top of the screen, you will have access to Sheet view (with refresh button), device view, and Settings. You may find the Play/Select buttons at right of center bottom helpful.
4-TemplateS Available
GlideApps.com website offers a variety of templates you can use to get started. How useful these are will depend on your needs, but you may want to look them over to get an idea of what is possible.
You can start creating a Glide app inside of Glideapps without a Google Sheet. Your choice.
5-Examples
Example #1 - Coaching Tools and Strategies That Work
Coaching Tools
Get these two apps that will facilitate your coaching and/or teaching efforts.
Coaching Tools
This new app features reflection quotes, an ever-growing list of digital tools tagged for use and instructional strategy. It also includes links to coaching videos from highly regarded education coaching leaders. And, links to many TCEA blog entries on coaching.
Strategies That Work
https://tceastrategies.glideapp.io/
Need a quick reference guide to some high-effect size strategies? Check out the strategies that work app. Keep it in your smartphone or computer bookmarks.
Strategies That Work
The Main Work Area
Quick Look at Item
STEAM Expo 2019
"I build an app for our Literacy conference and our STEAM Expo each year, but I thought I’d share 2019 because it’s got a page with STEAM Resources.
I use it to show teachers how they can add resource tiles from things they store in Google Drive."
"Also, I build an app with teachers during my Where PBL and Writer’s Workshop Collide workshop, and I always challenge them to build one with their students!"
Task Tracker
Example #3 - TechNotes Blog with Audio Interviews
App #2: TechNotes Blog
This a free app that shares insights into coaching for results, edtech and audio interviews.
Example #4 - Nancy Watson's Digital Citizenship app
Feeling Adventurous? Try Glide
2. Explore her Glide app that she created with Google Sheets.
3. Drop her a tweet @NancyWTech with #tcea hashtag to tell her what you think.
See - Nancy Watson's Creation:
MORE Examples
Start
Congratulations, you've been selected to contribute to the Festivus Recipe App and Book, an edited book of recipes world-renown. It was in this book that the first ever mini-pumpkin bread recipe was shared. Take a moment to share this about a recipe you know:
Picture of Your Favorite Festive Meal (a link to a JPG/PNG image)
Ingredients list
Preparation Instructions
Video link (if available)
Hyperlinks for citation purposes
Your Name and Twitter/Email Address
End
A Quick Demo
Step 1 - Setup Your Google Sheet
Here's one example of the Google Sheet I used. Want a copy? Pay attention to the organization, such as icon, strategy description, effect size, etc. Do AS MUCH WORK AS YOU CAN in the Google Sheet BEFORE you go to Glide Apps website.
One point to remember is that you can have multiple sheets and reflect those as tabs in your Glide app.
As you can see below, at the bottom of my Google Sheet, I have two tabs. Both of those tabs appear in the Glide app.
Google Sheet Tabs:
Glide App Tabs:
Some Tips
Save images you plan to use in cloud storage like Google Drive or try using a free image hosting solution like Imgbox, ImgBB, Fotki, Pexels (may or may not work)
Plan to use CC friendly images? Rely on copyright-friendly image sharing sites or Free Clip Art
Find a Wakelet with Copyright-friendly Media below for your use:
If you want to plunge right in, you can! Click NEW APP to get started. Or, you can study the BASICS first.
For your convenience, please find it shown to the right.
Automatic Updates: A great thing about Glide is the two-way connection between the app and the Google sheet. The app automatically updates from your sheet, so you don’t need to do anything for it to work: it’s automatic. This means edits and changes to your Google Sheet update quickly and without the need to relaunch the app.
Step 3 - Customize Your App
You can customize your app’s color, logo, and name. You can also create a URL for it. Most importantly, you can password protect it if you don’t want it to be public.
Did You Know?
Glide features a File Picker component is now free! Upload & attach files to rows in your spreadsheet, right from your phone, in a couple of taps.
Step 4 - Share Your App
Once you have created your Glide app, you can share it with others. They can scan the QR code or use a short web address that you provide them with.
As you can see to the right, Glide makes this process easy.
