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Gmail and Google Workspace Training

In-Class Training Sessions

Computing and Communications Services is pleased to offer Google Workspace hands-on training sessions open to all employees and graduate students. Google Workspace have been widely adopted across the university for the many ways they facilitate modern work culture and communication.

These interactive training sessions provide participants with the opportunity for hands-on learning, leading to improved efficiency and productivity for both individuals and teams.

Google Drive offers storage space to everyone at TMU to store files online and access them from anywhere, on any device with an internet connection. Google Drive also gives you access to web-based applications for creating documents, spreadsheets, presentations, and more.

This 2 hour Introduction to Google Drive training course includes some demonstrations and hands-on activities to get you started with the following in Google Drive, and Google Docs:

  • Uploading and storing files
  • Collaboration with Google Docs
  • Sharing & Permission settings for files and folders
  • Organization and best practices (My Drive vs. Shared With Me)
  • Seeing revision history, and all activity on files and folders
  • Searching for Files
  • Using Microsoft Office files with Google Drive
  • Team Drives vs. using Google Drive folders
  • Tips for departments and teams using Google Drive for file storage and sharing, and the available offerings at TMU to transition

Register for available sessions

Shared Drives (previously called Team Drives) are your shared space to work collaboratively in Google Drive. They are perfect for teams that are sharing many of the same files and folders, are working on a project or a specific function in a department.

This two hour session builds on the Introduction to Google Drive and Collaborating with Google Docs and assumes attendees already have a general knowledge of how to use Google Drive.

We’ll dive into Google Shared Drives (external link) , providing a complete overview of how team drives differ from a shared folder in Google Drive, why your team might want to use one, and a step by step demonstration of creating, managing and using a Shared Drive. You will also be introduced briefly to CCS’s own offerings for teams and departments: managed departmental folders.

Prerequisites: It’s recommended attendees have completed the “Introduction to Google Drive and collaborating with Google Docs” course.

Register for available sessions

Gmail and Google Calendar is available to all TMU students, faculty and staff, providing a complete web-based productivity solution including email, calendar, contacts, document editing, file storage, and more. It offers storage for your email and files, and the ability to access all your content from any device with an internet connection.

Since TMU offered Google Workspace for Education in 2012, more and more users and departments are fully utilizing the features Google Workspace has to offer. 

This 2 hour Introduction to Gmail and Google Calendar training course focuses heavily on Gmail and Google Calendar, and provides a brief introduction to other Google Workspace applications.

  • Sign in to your Google Workspace account
  • Google Workspace common interface, accessing apps and account settings
  • Overview of Gmail interface
  • Compose and send email in Gmail
  • Use labels and understand Conversation View in Gmail
  • New Gmail features like Snooze, Nudges, and Hover Actions
  • Perform advanced search in Gmail
  • App integrations: Hangouts, Calendar, Keep, Tasks
  • Access Gmail settings
  • Create and organize contacts and contact groups
  • Overview of Google Calendar interface
  • Create calendar events, check free/busy status, and book resources
  • Subscribe to a coworker’s calendar
  • Access Google Calendar settings
  • Introduction to other apps of interest (Drive, Groups, “Even more from Google”)

Register for available sessions

Google Sheets is available to all TMU students, faculty and staff. It provides a web-based interface for creating, modifying, and sharing spreadsheets. In addition to the core spreadsheet functionality, it offers unparalleled web-based collaboration features making it easier than ever to work as a team. Due to integration with Google Drive, your Google Sheets are always available on any internet-connected device. 

This 2 hour training course will demonstrate the key features of Google Sheets, including:

  • An overview of Google Sheets and how its features differentiate it from Microsoft Excel
  • Converting between the Google Sheets format and Microsoft Excel
  • Overview of the interface and basic features necessary to create your own spreadsheets
  • Collaboration features:
    • Sharing
    • Comments
    • Version history
    • Notification rules
    • Protected sheets & ranges
    • Importing data from other Google Sheets in real-time
  • Basic use of functions and formulas
  • Named ranges
  • Filtering
  • Data validation
  • Pivot Tables
  • Charts

Prerequisites: This course does not cover some core spreadsheet functionality in depth, such as functions and formulas. Instead, the focus is on features that make Google Sheets unique. For those already familiar with the collaborative features of Google sheets, or those looking to learn more core spreadsheet functionality like functions and formulas, “Google Sheets Functions & Formulas” is the recommended intro course.

Register for available sessions

Google Sheets provides a web-based interface for creating, modifying, and sharing spreadsheets. In addition to the core spreadsheet functionality, it offers unparalleled web-based collaboration features making it easier than ever to work as a team. Due to integration with Google Drive, your Google Sheets are always available on any internet-connected device. 

This 2 hour training course focuses specifically on the core spreadsheet functionality of Google Sheets, perfect for beginners that don’t have past spreadsheet experience:

  • Advanced Sheets functions including:
    • Text formulas (Left, Right, Mid, Concatenate)
    • Statistical formula Rank
    • Lookup formulas (VLookup, Match, Index, Offset)
    • Logical formulas (If, IfError, And, Or)
    • Financial formulas (FV, PMT) for future value & loan payment
  • Advanced formulas using nested functions
  • Advanced filtering
  • Data Validation
  • Pivot Tables
  • Converting Excel to Google Sheets format
  • Convert Google Sheets to other formats

Prerequisites: None. This course is not intended for users that are already familiar with core spreadsheet functionality like functions and formulas. If you already have extensive experience with spreadsheets (e.g. Excel), “Working with Google Sheets” is the recommended course that focuses on the special features that differentiate Google Sheets from Excel.

Register for available sessions

Google Docs is available to all TMU students, faculty and staff. It provides a web-based interface for creating, modifying, and sharing documents. In addition to the core document production functionality, it offers unparalleled web-based collaboration features making it easier than ever to work as a team. Due to integration with Google Drive, your Google Docs are always available on any internet-connected device. 

This 2 hour Google Docs for Advanced Users training course will demonstrate several advanced Google Docs features and functionality.

  • Creating documents with newspaper style columns
  • Working with styles
  • Paint format
  • Creating a table of contents
  • Document outlines
  • Caption photos using single cell tables
  • Adding footnotes
  • Creating hyperlinks
  • Voice typing
  • Translate document
  • Collaboration features including:
    • Sharing
    • Working concurrently with multiple users
    • Revision history
    • Comments
    • Suggesting mode
  • Converting Word to Google Docs format
  • Convert Google Docs to other formats

Register for available sessions

Google Forms is available to all TMU students, faculty and staff. It provides a web-based interface for creating, modifying, sharing, and publishing forms, offering many flexible options to collect data from your audience. In addition to the core form functionality, it offers unparalleled web-based collaboration features making it easier than ever to work as a team. Due to integration with Google Drive, your Google Forms are always available on any internet-connected device. 

This 2 hour Google Forms training course will demonstrate the power of Google Forms and enable you to create effective forms for surveys, quizzes, and other data collection needs.

  • Create and design a Google Form with colours and themes
  • Types of questions
  • Add questions and sections
  • Insert images and videos
  • Using general settings to collect emails, set sign-in requirements and permissions
  • Using presentation settings to show progress, shuffle, and customize confirmation message
  • Using Quizz settings to automatically grade answers
  • Sending or embedding the form and using pre-filled links
  • Viewing responses and setting notifications for responses
  • Create a Google Sheet to hold responses
  • Collaboration features including:
    • Adding collaborators
    • Working concurrently with multiple users

Register for available sessions

Google Slides is available to all TMU students, faculty and staff. It provides a web-based interface for creating, modifying, and sharing visual presentations. In addition to the core presentation functionality, it offers unparalleled web-based collaboration features making it easier than ever to work as a team. Due to integration with Google Drive, your Google Slides are always available on any internet-connected device. 

This 2 hour Google Slides training course will demonstrate the power of Google Slides and enable you to create compelling and effective presentations.

  • Create a Google Slides presentation including many different slide layouts
  • Insert images, videos, and draw shapes
  • Insert charts directly and from Google Sheets
  • Editing the master slide and layouts to make changes across the whole presentation
  • Using Themes
  • Import slides from another presentation
  • Using transitions
  • Using animations
  • Creating hyperlinks to other documents and websites
  • Presenting with Google Slides
  • Cast your presentation to a Hangout or Google Cast device
  • Publishing to the web, automatic transitions, and run continuously; using Google Slides as a Dashboard to display real-time data changes
  • Collaboration features including:
    • Sharing
    • Working concurrently with multiple users
    • Revision history
    • Comments
  • Converting PowerPoint presentations to Google Slides format
  • Convert Google Slides to other formats

Register for available sessions

Visit the Learning Events Calendar Technology page to browse current offerings and register for a session.

 

Online Training through LinkedIn Learning

As of September 21, 2022, the current license will expire and access to LinkedIn Learning through TMU will end. There are currently no plans to renew the license at TMU.

 

More information ca be found at LinkedIn Learning at TMU page.

LinkedIn Learning (formerly Lynda.com) offers free, unlimited access to high quality, skills focused online learning available to all TMU students, faculty and staff. You can earn a LinkedIn Learning Certificate when you complete a course. Below is a curated list of Google Workspace apps training courses relevant to the apps available at TMU.

For login information and account set up, please see the Get Started page on LinkedIn Learning at Toronto Metropolitan University.

Learn how to work smarter with Google Drive. In this course, Jess Stratton explains how to get started with this popular cloud-based file storage and word processing, spreadsheet, and presentation software. Jess explains how Google Drive fits into the productivity suite from Google and shows how to navigate the interface. She goes into the differences between Drive and Docs, and shares how to organize, sync, and locate your Drive files. She also demonstrates how to create and edit documents, spreadsheets, presentation slides, and drawings. Plus, Jess explores how to share your files and leverage the mobile app.

Discover ways to use and organize your files and folders online inside Google Drive. Beginning with a basic overview of how Google drive works, productivity expert and professional organizer Suzanna Kaye moves on to an exploration of unique features and shares her simple search-based filing system that makes working with Google Drive fast and easy. Suzanna also covers common mistakes to avoid, troubleshooting, and how to share files with others.

Google Workspace (formerly G Suite) was designed with collaboration in mind. In this course, learn how to fully leverage the collaboration features offered in this popular cloud-based productivity platform. Dan Gookin offers tips for maximum team productivity using the Google Workspace apps, explaining how to partner with colleagues on documents, manage files and folders as a team on Google Drive, and use Google Meet to get together and share ideas. Plus, he demonstrates how to create a shared schedule, use Google Sites to create webpages for sharing documents, use Google Slides to give presentations, and more.

Please note not all features in the training videos are available using your TMU Gmail account (ie. confidential mode, Gmail offline). In addition, some features have updated names such as Google Labs is now referred to as Advanced in the Gmail Settings.

Learn how to make the most of Gmail, the free and powerful email service from Google. In this course, Jess Stratton shows how to best organize and work with your inbox, search email, and use shortcuts so you're more productive and effective. You can also learn how to configure your Gmail account and settings—from changing themes to adding additional email accounts. Then find out how to keep track of your most important contacts and how to text and video chat with others using the Google Chat feature. Jess also shows you some of the cool extras, such as vacation responders and signatures, and demonstrates how to access your Gmail account offline and on mobile devices.

Being a Gmail master means having the tools to concentrate on the most important messages, fight spam, and easily share files. This course helps Gmail power users get even more out of Google's popular email platform. Jess Stratton offers Gmail tips and tricks to manage the inbox layout, set up other email accounts within Gmail, and get organized with labels, stars, and filters. She shows how to "undo" email when you press Send too quickly, unsubscribe from newsletters, switch between different Gmail accounts, and log out remotely when your account is compromised. The training also shows how to integrate Gmail with other Google platforms, include Drive, Hangouts, Calendar, and Voice.

Google is rolling out a number of useful new features to Gmail in 2018. In this short course, Nick Brazzi gives a quick tour of all the changes, including new shortcuts, smart replies, Confidential Mode (which lets you send emails that are unforwardable and unprintable), the email snooze button, email nudging, and more. Plus, learn how to update your Gmail interface and toggle between the new and classic views.

Manage your personal and professional schedules more effectively with Google Calendar. In this concise course, staff instructor Jess Stratton shows how to get started scheduling events, keeping track of your to-dos, and accessing it all on the go. Jess begins by showing how to change the way Google Calendar looks and acts to make it better suit your needs. Next, she moves straight into creating single or repeating events, inviting guests, and adding rooms and resources to an event. She demonstrates how to respond to invitations, and covers the ins and outs of pop-up reminders and email notifications. Jess also shows how to create an additional calendar, share your calendar with others, and access your Google Calendar on your phone or tablet.

Boost your productivity by going beyond basic Google Calendar features. In this course, Jess Stratton helps you become a Google Calendar power user. She demonstrates how to create events with video capabilities, change event time zone settings, and she takes you beyond individual events into managing your entire calendar. She shows you how to use Agenda view and enable different Google Labs to keep yourself on track. You'll also see how to share your calendar with others, embed it on a website, create available appointment slots, and use your calendar in coordination with other Google products.

Google Sheets is a feature-rich, cloud-based spreadsheet application that allows you to format and analyze all kinds of data. In this course, author Sally Norred shows you how to get the most from Google Sheets. Discover how to get around the interface, enter and work with data, and use formatting and function features, and learn smart ways to make your data work for you. Plus, see how to work with your spreadsheet data on the go with the Google Sheets mobile app.

Get the most out of Google Sheets. Author Jess Stratton provides helpful tips and tricks to boost your productivity, from leveraging Google's wide array of templates and sharing spreadsheets to creating interactive charts and applying conditional formatting. Learn how to use powerful formulas and functions, add data validation, create surveys and charts, and expand the functionality of Google Sheets with add-ons.

Many beginning and intermediate Google Sheets users are familiar with basic functions and formulas, but have no experience with the more advanced calculations the program offers. In this course, Curt Frye walks through the intermediate and advanced functions for summarizing data, performing statistics, analyzing financial data, and more. Learn how to use references and named ranges; apply mathematical functions to multiply, round, and count values; identify outliers and rank values; calculate investments and loan payments; determine dates and times; look up values based on multiple criteria; and summarize arrays of data.

Google Sheets users can leverage pivot tables to create useful summaries to gain insights into their business data. Follow along with Curt Frye as he shows how to summarize and rearrange data dynamically with pivot tables. Learn how to lay out your data, create the pivot table, edit the data source, add custom calculated fields, and sort and filter data to display exactly the information you need.

Take a closer look at Google Docs and discover how to build and share documents with rich formatting, images, and tables. In this course, Jess Stratton shows how to get around the web-based interface, create new documents, and add features such as footnotes, headers and footers, and page numbering. You can also see how to make your documents more engaging by adding images, Google drawing objects, and tables. Then learn how to share docs with others—for real-time, simultaneous collaboration—and take your docs on the go with the Google Docs app for mobile devices.

Get the most out of Google Docs, the popular word processing app, including its advanced formatting options and collaboration features. Author Jess Stratton provides a series of advanced tips and tricks to boost productivity, from adding fonts and auto-substituting text to working with images and translating documents. Learn how to download docs in different formats, including Word and PDF; tag colleagues in comments; and integrate with other Google Apps, such as Maps and Drawings.

Learn how to make your documents more readable and engaging with the formatting tools in Google Docs. Follow along with Jess Stratton as she shows how to format text and images, create custom styles, and adjust document flow and spacing with margins, breaks, and columns. Then learn how to make your documents more professional with elements such as headers and footers, page numbering, and a table of contents, and expand your creative options with free Google fonts. Jess also shows how to reuse and remove existing formatting, as well as save custom formatting in a template.

Google Forms allows you to create surveys quickly and easily. In this course, LinkedIn staff instructor Jess Stratton shows you everything you need to know to build forms and collect data from Google Forms—either on your own or with your team. She walks you through the process of building forms in Google, including how to add questions, insert images and videos, and invite others to collaborate on the form. Next, Jess covers how to work with your survey responses, including customizing response settings, sending the form to recipients, viewing and analyzing response data, and closing out the form to prevent future responses.

Learn how to create high-impact presentations with Google Slides. Follow along with staff instructor Jess Stratton as she shows how to plan and build a presentation. Jess shows how to get started with a template or create a new slideshow from scratch. She covers adding and formatting text, working with images and shapes, and inserting video, diagrams, and charts. She also shows how to increase engagement with animation, collaborate with others in real time, download slides to your desktop, and use Presenter view to run the show.

Learn how to create and share webpages with Google Sites, the fun, free, and easy-to-use tool that comes bundled with your Google account. Jess Stratton will show you how to create Google sites from scratch or from a gallery template, create a blog for your site, and build a "file cabinet" area to store and share files. She'll also get you started adding content—from working with text and links, to embedding YouTube videos and Google calendars. Plus, learn how to customize the layout and configure the navigation, and set up permissions to make your site as public or as private as you'd like.

Customizable individual or team workshops

If you have specific training needs that are not covered by the Google Workspace training sessions, you can request a customized workshop for yourself or your team. Please contact the CCS Help Desk at help@torontomu.ca or 416-979-5000, ext. 556806 with the details of your request.