Final Blog Post - Reflection on Google Apps
I've already begun the process of moving from using Outlook primarily to using Gmail more. Over time, I plan to completely transition to Gmail as I empty out my Outlook folders, decide what I want to keep, and apply labels. This could be a lengthy process, however — especially as I want to limit how much time I spend daily on the project.
I've pretty much shifted my calendar entirely to Google Calendar, which makes my husband happy as he can now see my plans and adjust his schedule and expectations accordingly. I also added the Google Calendar Checker Plus extension onto my computer, so I can hover over the extension icon and see at a glance what is going on in my day or week. I'm also spending some time learning how I can create a block schedule in Google Calendar.
Over our winter break, I plan on using a few Google apps to work on my financial coaching business. I will start to build out my website on Sites, which I'm really excited about. I also will start building presentations about my business on Slides, so I can share information about financial coaching with prospective clients. And finally, I'll create an intake form on Google Forms where I can gather information about new clients.
While I knew about Google Docs and Google Sheets already, I will be using them more extensively as collaborative tools both with clients and with my family. I was excited to learn about savable versions, so if we need to go back to a previous iteration of a budget once someone has edited it, we can find that. This might help clients feel more free to "play" with their budget numbers to see different possibilities without being afraid of messing anything up.
By far the app I've been using the most since we started learning about it is Google Keep. I use it daily, and like it so much I ended up telling my 92-year-old mom about it and teaching her how to use it at her request. I have several labels in my side menu keeping my daily routines and different types of projects for home, school, work, and Christmas organized. It has eliminated so much paper clutter from my life. The best thing is that it actually helps me spend less time on screens rather than more, as I keep my running to-do list on the front page and have that page as my home screen on my computer. When I go to look at the computer, what I need to do is right in front of me first thing, so I generally turn toward something productive, whether a project I need to do on the computer or something I need to do in "real life," rather than getting distracted by endless scrolling or going down a rabbit trail online.
A Google app I'd like to see included in the class is Notebook LM. I discovered it when we were doing our group presentation, and I really enjoyed learning about it and playing with it. I uploaded the IRS tax code into it, along with a publication regarding the new tax changes coming up for 2026, and it really helped me to understand and fine tune my research on that subject. I've not used AI at all before, but I really enjoy the ability to ask questions and create study guides based entirely on uploaded content. I especially the feature of creating podcasts regarding specific issues. While I'd still always want to read any materials I've uploaded on my own, I think it will be handy to be able to study that information with the help of AI and to listen to podcasts about targeted information when I'm on the go to help solidify what I'm learning.
The pros of using Google apps in general are the ease of access no matter where you are and the collaborative nature of the apps. The cons would be the necessity of having internet connectivity to use them unless you've set up offline mode beforehand. I've occasionally been in places where I wanted to access or edit documents and was unable to because internet was spotty or down.
I think this course was organized extremely well. While there was more work than I thought there would be, I think that the requirements were actually at the perfect level for us to practice what we were learning about. The Applied Digital Skills lessons were helpful, there was a good variety of assignments, feedback was constructive and helpful, and I appreciated the availability of the Techconnect Zoom recordings. I was unable to attend the in-person sessions, as I was working during the time they met, but I sometimes watched the recordings. In general, the written instructions were clear enough for me to complete the assignments without watching the class recordings, but I appreciated being able to do so if I had any questions or doubts about what I needed to do.
All in all, this class was a great experience, and I've taken away a lot that I will continue to use in my life. Thank you, Professor Keane and Professor Lee!
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