Click here to go directly to KDocs.

Account information and updating your password to enhance security

KSD has created a group within the public Google Docs for Kirkwood staff and students. In order to access KDocs, you will need to insure that your student password for logging into your home folder is at least 8 characters long. If your home folder password is not 8 characters long, you will need to change it the day before you plan to use KDocs. The system will update at midnight, and you should be ready to use KDocs the next day. You should visit http://iforgot.kirkwoodschools.org to reset your password.

Logging in to KDocs

1. Go to kirkwoodschools.org/google. Since this program is accessed through your internet browser, should you experience difficulties with one browser, please try a different one. At the moment, Safari and Google Chrome seem to have the fewest glitches.

2. If you have a personal gmail/docs account, then you may receive a message explaining you are already logged in to your personal account. Log out of your personal account, and then you should be able to access KDocs by following steps 3-5.

3. You will see a single login screen that looks like one below. On that screen, you should enter your student login information (your username is your ID number and your 8 character password).

4. You will be taken to a page to authenticate your account the first time you log in to KDocs. After that, you will no longer have this step. Look to the bottom of this page for the word(s) you need to type in the box to verify the account.

5. Once you have entered this information, you should be taken to your KDocs account screen, which looks like the screen below.

Creating a new document in KDocs

1. Click on the drop down box “Create New,” and select document. The screen that opens is your new KDoc.

2. In the upper left corner you will name the new document you have created. Click next to the Google docs logo, where it reads “Untitled document.” The screen will look like the one below.

3. You should follow this format when creating titles for your assignments unless otherwise noted by your teachers:
1_YourLastName_AssignmentTitle    (i.e., 1_Arens_LibraryOrient)

4. Type in the document as you normally would. You can adjust the font size, style, and spacing as needed. Play with the icons running across the top of the document to experiment with adding hyperlinks and images.

Sharing a Document with others in KDocs

1. Click on “Share” in the upper right corner to share this document. Once you have shared a document, you will not need to share it again. The people with whom you shared will be able to see all of your revisions, questions, and comments. You will be able to see comments and suggestions from them as well.

2. To share with staff, simply type in their firstname.lastname@g.kirkwoodschools.org, and their names should pop up. (For example, as you type Kerry.Arens@g.kirkwoodschools.org, Ms. Arens name should pop up and you can click on it instead of typing in the entire address.) Please note the use of “g.” before kirkwoodschools.org. This is an important part of the address, insuring you are sharing with the Kirkwood Group within the public Google Docs.

3. To share with other students, ask for their email address through the Google group, or simply type in their first name and last name. KDocs should have them in the system (assuming their passwords are 8 characters long), and their names will prepopulate at the bottom of the screen. Your student ID number will not show when you share a document. Instead, you and those with whom you share will see an email address. You will not need to remember that email address to login (you will still use your student id# and your password). Your email address was derived from the formula below:
first initial+last initial+last 3 numbers from the student ID + 2 digit birthday date (i.e., John Doe, student ID 123456, dob 07.15.1994 would be: jd45615@g.kirkwoodschools.org).

Commenting on a Document in KDocs

1. Determine which kind of comment you would like to make: a text based comment (see #2 below), or an overall comment (see #3 below). You should not use the chat feature, which appears only when the document has been shared. In the upper right corner of the document, you will see who “is viewing.” If you click next to that person’s name, a chat window opens. Avoid this feature as KSD has not yet determined how this fits in with new legislation concerning social media and students.

2, For a text based comment, click and drag over the text you wish to address to highlight it. Then, use the main KDocs navigation bar and click on Insert--comment. You may also use the key combination of opt-cmd-m (or Ctrl--Alt--M for PCs). Type your comment in the window that appears and then click on the Comment button. (If you need to edit that comment, click on the comment box, and then click on edit within the box. Be sure to click the Save Changes when you are finished.)

3. For a comment that is not text based, click on the Comments drop down button, located in the upper right of the KDocs screen. Then, click on “Show comment stream.” A window will open where you can type in your comment. Unlike the text based comments, these comments do not automatically appear down the side of the document for others to see. You will need to ask those with whom you share to look in the Comment Stream if you choose to use this feature.

Printing a Document from KDocs

While one major advantage of KDocs is not needing a print copy of papers, there may be an occasion when you want students to print the document and submit it to you, or where you have created a handout you would like to print.

1. Click on File in the main KDocs navigation menu. Click on Print. Some browsers will convert the file to a PDF prior to printing, and others will simply attempt to print out the document for you. Please convert the file manually to a pdf by clicking on file--print-- save as pdf--before printing.

2. If you attempt to use the browser menu (Firefox, Chrome, Safari) instead of the KDocs navigation menu, you will not be successful in printing.

 

 

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