Google Docs Advanced Features
Carol LaRow
Work more effectively with Google Docs. Use some of the great features that allow you and your students to customize and format documents quickly. Edit images, use Add-Ons, do research, utilize formatting commands, add custom fonts, add bookmarks, use the Draw Tool, and much more.Â
Searching On The Drive Homepage
Useful to find documents shared with you by others
Great when you can't remember the name of a file
Search by title, or part of a title
Also search by person's name within document, email address, owner of the file, topic inside the file, text in the document, etc.
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                 Search By Title
Search Text Within A File
Locate Files In Drive
Useful to find documents shared with you by others
Useful when you cannot remember the folder a file is in
Right click on the name of the file you wish to locate
You will see a drop down menu
Choose, "Show file location"Â
Find Where An Open File Is Located
Useful to find where open documents are located.
Useful to find a file's location from within an open Doc
File > Document Details
Small pop-up opens
Shows folder, owner, creation date, and date modified
You cannot go directly to the folder from this pop-up window
Edit Images Inside Docs
No need to leave the document itself and use a 3rd party software to edit images and pictures. Now, you can change images right inside the document itself.
Select the image/picture within the document and:
Use the toolbar
Format Menu
Right-click the image and use the drop down menu
You can:
crop
rotate
re-color
adjust brightness
change contrast
add transparency
add borders
change to a different image
This feature can be very helpful and save time.
Editing Images - Image Options
Use the "Image Option" feature to change colors of images, adjust transparency, brightness, and contrast.
You can also choose negative colors. A nice feature is that the image is changed, not the background.
Revert Back To Original
You can always revert back to your original image. Choose, "No Re-Color" in the Image Option sidebar.
Export Docs As EPub's
Use the "Download As" feature to export Docs as EPub's for students to use.
Makes digital copies of documents
Useful for longer documents
Allows students to view documents on wide range of screen sizes and devices
Works with smartphones, tablets, eReaders, iPads, Androids, Kindles, etc.
Export to EPub Format
Shows in Google Drive as .epub
Converts so that user has regular controls in his/her Reader or device; see circled areas in images
iPad: User can scroll through pages and use iPad controls: highlight, bookmark, define, etc.
Convert PDF's and Images To Text Using Docs
Save a long passage from an image or PDF file
Use text from an image that contains relevant information for a research paper
Copy text from an image or PDF that is written in a foreign language; import to Docs and translate the text to your own language (give credit)
Copy text from a source you wish to quote (give credit)
Save text for later reference
Learn about new topics you are studying; copy the text into your notes or a note taking app
Study for a test