Google Tools FAQ

Q: How do I get to my Hesston College Google account?

A: All Hesston students, faculty and staff automatically have Google Apps accounts. To sign into your account, visit http://www.google.com and log in with your Hesston College email address and your Hesston College password. Your password is the one you created when you became an applicant at Hesston.

At Hesston you will have one user id (joe.smith@hesston.edu) and one password for all your account. Those accounts include:

- myHesston where you can check on grades, account balances, blah...
- email and other Google tools
- Moodle, our course management tool, that your classes will use
- Our attendance program

Your password is the one you created when you became an applicant at Hesston.

If you have any problems logging in, contact the IT Help Desk by:

- email: helpdesk@hesston.edu
- phone: 620-327-8103
- or stop in IT offices in basement of Ad Building

Q: What are Google Apps and what should I know about them?

A: Hesston is using Google apps for a variety of uses. Their email app, Gmail is an app everyone will use. That is how HC faculty, staff and students communicate electronically. Students are expected to check their email regularly. Google’s calendar application is really nice and their Drive, Docs, Sites are some tools that everyone will find helpful. Here is our main Google Apps page

And, if you have a smartphone, Google apps sync very nicely with it

Also with our Google educational license, you will get unlimited storage space for all your Google tools. With a personal Google account you “only” get 15 Gigs

Q: How can I learn more about using Google Apps

- Here is Google's site with all their latest info
- Here are HC Google Tips that have been shared in our training sessions
- “Google” your question about the Google tool. For example type in Google search box
- “how do I change margins in Google docs”
- Find links to text and video tutorials at the Google Docs Help Center

Q: What are the advantages to using my Hesston Google Apps account over my personal Google account?

A: Your Hesston Google Apps account helps you connect with people at Hesston because you can use your Hesston email addresses to share documents within the Hesston community. “Autocomplete” allows you to begin typing into an address field within any App and have a list of matching Hesston contact names automatically appear. The list narrows as you type more letters. You can then select any address from this list, and the full address automatically fills the field.

Having a separate Hesston Google Apps account also allows you to keep your Hesston info and personal information separate.

Q: Should I use a particular web browser when using Google Apps, Docs, etc.?

A: While most Google Apps are supported in all major web browsers, Chrome is the browser created by Google so it will probably provide the best experience and increased usability.

If you have a smartphone, iPad or other device, most have specific Google apps that have advantages over using a web browser.

Note: logging into Google’s browser Chrome is different than logging into Google tools. When you first sign onto a public Hesston College computer you might get this prompt, but it is to log into the browser Chrome. Generally you don’t want to do that for a variety of reasons.

Instead just log onto any of the Google tools at the bottom

Q: Should I use Google Docs or Microsoft Office?

A: Your choice. Being a student at Hesston gives you have free access to both. Microsoft Office is the business standard, but many find Google’s Docs (Word), Sheets (Excel), Slides (Powerpoint) adequate for them. Google also has Forms which is a nice tool to do surveys.

Google Docs will not replace Office for “power” users, and many like to use both for their specific advantages. Office has a lot of power, and small detail tools, but Google makes it easier to collaborate and share with others on, or off campus.

Checkout this comparison article

Q: Is it possible to merge my Hesston Google account with another Google Account?

A: No its not. You can move files and folders between two accounts by downloading and then uploading them into your other Google account.

You can forward you HC email account to your personal email account but russ add comments

Q: Does Hesston have access to the information stored in my Hesston Google Apps account?

A: Google Apps accounts are powered by Google but administered by Hesston. Therefore, Hesston (not Google) owns all data stored within Hesston Google Apps accounts.

Visit this page for Google’s Security and Privacy Frequently Asked Questions.

Q: Does the data I put into Google Apps show up in Google searches?

A: No but that’s a good question you should ask about all your data you put in the “cloud”/the web. Some of your Twitter comments and Facebook posts are often found by Google and other search engines who may index it and present it in their results. So think about what you do on the web.

Q: What happens to my Hesston Google Apps account once I leave Hesston?

Q: Is Google+ available as part of Hesston’s Google Apps?

A: Yes. But if you already have a personal Google+ profile under your personal Google account, you will now have two. There is no way to merge them together.

If you have additional questions:

about Google Apps, or suggestion on what we should put on these pages, email to helpdesk@hesston.edu or stop by IT in the basement of the Administration Building.

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