This post is a part of my 52X7 Project for 2013.
I am not a “real” programmer – not formally trained (except for some Apple BASIC classes way back in 1988-90). I am self-taught, with the assistance of many books and online resources, to write code (on varying levels of proficiency) using PHP, MySQL, JavaScript, UNIX, AppleScript, Python. Since I have been becoming more of a Google Apps user, I have had the chance to dig into Google Script and wish I had more time to explore it.
What is Google Script? Well, here is a video from the Google Developers YouTube channel:
The first time I really got my hands dirty with Google Script was using Martin Hawksey‘s TAGS for archiving tweets. I used his template to archive a large number of tweets from ISTE12. The script he wrote allows a user of the template to set some parameters and automagically tweets are written into a Google Sheet. I think it is a great way to start without being under pressure. Set it all up (with his very easy to follow instructions) and then go looking at his script. At least that was a good way for me. It might be too overwhelming for someone who has no experience writing any kind of code.
The Google Developers site has a comprehensive Tutorials page. Definitely check out Your First Script and maybe Creating a Tournament Bracket as a project to try before March Madness 2013 kicks off.
I have also experimented with Flubaroo. It is a template which utilizes Google Script to helps teachers quickly grade multiple-choice or fill-in-blank assignments.
I expect to be posting more about Google Script in the future but hopefully this post helps give you a little bit of an introduction to what it is and what it can do.
Do you have some favorite Google Scripts or Google Script resources? Share them in the comments!
