Collaborating with Google Docs in the CloudMargo Rice - EDUC 682 - October 2010

Agenda

Introduction: What is Google Docs? Cloud-Computing Technology History of Google Docs Software Components and Features System Requirements Getting Started with Google Docs Advantages and Disadvantages Current Uses in Education Personal Impressions Questions

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Introduction: What is Google Docs?

Free cloud-computing software

Offers document-sharing services

Marketed by Google as an Office suite

Used for creating and collaborating on documents, spreadsheets, presentations, and drawings

Today Google Docs is ‘widely used’ at one out of five workplaces. – Patrick Thibodeau

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Cloud Computing Technology4

Cloud computing is Internet-based.

Shared resources, software such as Google Docs, and information are provided to computers and other devices on demand.

Yahoo

Google

Zoho

Rack-space

MicrosoftSales-force

Amazon

Cloud Computing Technology

Advantages: It’s inexpensive and convenient for consumers.

Disadvantages: ◦ Users are concerned that their data is not protected or private

◦ Users have no control over the expertise and technology infrastructure provided to them in the cloud

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History of Google Docs

Early Years

March 2005 – Google acquires spreadsheet technology from 2Web Technologies; Google then launches Google Lab Spreadsheets, the first component of Google Docs

March 2006 – Google acquires Upstartle (word processor)

June 6, 2006 - Google Docs is born (beta version)

Feb. 2007 – Google Docs becomes available to all Google Apps users

Sept. 2007 – Google Docs adds a presentation application

April 2008 – Google permits offline access and editing of docs

July 2009 – Google Docs is taken out of beta

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History of Google Docs

More Recently

Jan. 2010 – Google announces it will allow any file

type, 1 GB free storage, and 25 cents/each additional

GB of storage

March 2010 – Google acquires DocVerse – allows

multiple user online collaboration with MS Office

compatible formats

April 2010 – Google adds a drawing application to

docs

May 2010 – Google removes the offline editing

feature from Google Docs

Sept. 2010 – Google introduces a new revision

history component to docs

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Software Components and Features

Google Docs◦ Documents◦ Spreadsheets◦ Presentations◦ Drawings

Google Docs supports third-party proprietary file formats (e.g., HTML, Open Office, .rtf,.doc, .docx, .xls, .xlsx, and .pdf)

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The Desktop9

Documents10

Documents11

Spreadsheets12

Presentations13

Drawings14

System Requirements15

Cookies and JavaScript must be enabled in your browser. Also, if you’re using Internet Explorer and want to edit drawings, you must install Google Frame.

Getting Started with Google Docs

To access Google Docs, you must have a Google account. If you have a Gmail account, you already have a Google Account.

https://www.google.com/accounts/NewAccount

Then go to and sign in.

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Advantages of Google Docs

Good for online collaboration

Good version control

No worries about hard drive crashes or viruses

Software is free!

Documents can be shared with non-Google account holders

Google Docs saves all previous versions of documents

Comes with an auto-save feature

Can lock documents (view only access)

Docs features a language translation tool

Can publish files to the web to a URL that Google assigns and then give it out

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Disadvantages of Google Docs

Can’t open two documents side by side; must open two browser windows and switch between them

Can’t create multi-column word document

Can’t perform mail merge

Docs comes with limited font offerings – no Helvetica!

Can’t turn of grid lines when printing spreadsheets

Presentations has only 15 themes, and no ability to animate, create builds, or add transitions

When you print, what you see is not always what prints

You can upload files in many different formats but must convert them to Google Docs equivalents to edit them

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Current Uses of Google Docs in Education

Google Docs is popular in education, particularly K-12 settings, because it’s inexpensive and promotes group collaboration.

How it’s used◦ Personal Productivity◦ Collaboration with Students◦ Collaboration with other Educators

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Personal Impressions

Very impressed with ability to collaborate with others online.

Like being able to store my files in the cloud. Word processor is very similar to MS Word. Like

the chat feature. Spreadsheets seems robust. Presentations is so-so compared to PowerPoint. Drawings, which has been compared to Visio, is

no Visio! PDF files disappear for days from folders and

then reappear (Cloud or Google issue?). Not sure why you need 50 (or 10) people

working in a file simultaneously. Love the URL publishing feature. For the most part, Google Rocks, just not when

the server is down. But it’s promising and free!

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References

Bradley, Tony (2010). Collaborate in real time with Google Docs. PCWorld, 28(9), 30. Retrieved September 19, 2010 from Academic Search Premier database.

Claburn, Thomas (2010). Google’s real-time bet. InformationWeek (1262), 27-33. Retrieved September 24, 2010 from Academic Search Premier database.

Cloud computing. (n.d.) In Wikipedia. Retrieved September 29, 2010, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cloud_computing

Gibbons, Brendon (2010). Google Docs: Word Processing, Collaboration, More. Practical Ecommerce e-magazine. Retrieved 9-29-2010 from http://www.practicalecommerce.com/articles/2171-Google-Docs-Word-Processing-Collaboration-More

Google Docs. (n.d.) In Wikipedia. Retrieved September 19, 2010, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Google_Docs

Google Docs beta (2008). Using Google Docs in the classroom: simple as abc. Retrieved October 3, 2010 from https://docs.google.com/View?docid=dcdn7mjg_72nh25vq

Google for Educators (2010). Google Docs. Retrieved October 8, 2010 from http://www.google.com/educators/p_docs.html

Griffiths, Rob (2010). Why I don’t use Google Docs. Macworld, 27(5), 48-49. Retrieved September 19, 2010 from Academic Search Premier database.

Singel, Ryan (2010). Google Docs Becomes Google ‘Any File’ as Cloud Wars Heat Up. Wired e-magazine. Retrieved 9-19-2010 from http://www.wired.com/epicenter/2010/01/google-docs-storag/

Thibodeaux, Patrick (2010). Google docs ‘widely used’ at one in five workplaces. Macworld (27)1, 62. Retrieved September 24, 2010 from Academic Search Premier database.

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