An Introduction to Google Cloud

ConnectGeorgia Southern University English 1102: Spring 2011

Professor Crow

This PSA will guide students through linking Google documents, as well as editing them for group collaboration in an online learning environment.

It will explain: 1) Google Cloud Connect 2) Syncing Documents 3) Sharing Documents 4) Revising & Collaborating on Documents

Introduction

The following tutorial serves as an introduction to Google Cloud Connect

for both instructors and students.

The video gives a brief overview of Google Cloud Connect, the versatility it offers, the general functions, and links

to additional resources available.

The video covers the 3 main functions of Google Cloud

Connect; Syncing Documents, Sharing Documents,

& Revising/Collaborating with others on documents.

“Google Cloud Connect is a plug-in for Microsoft Office® 2003, 2007, and 2010 that lets you share

and edit Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, and Excel documents simultaneously with other people in

your organization. You get the collaboration benefits of Google Docs, while still using Microsoft

Office ().”

Getting Started

Google Cloud Connect is available to anyone with a Gmail account, if you do not have access to a Gmail account you

can open one for free.

As a student at Georgia Southern University, you gain access to Google

services by way of your university email.

Installation and Settings

Sign in to your Google account

Step 1

Once you have signed in to your Google

account, you will need to

download and install the Google

Cloud Connect Plug-in, following the

instructions provided.

The link to the left will take you to the download

After completing installation, open up a word document of your choice and locate

the Google Cloud Connect Toolbar.

If you do not have a Google account, you can create one for free

In Microsoft Word, click the Login Button

You may log in using your Google Account username and password

Allow Google Cloud

Connect access to

your Google account.

Syncing & Sharing With Cloud

One of the options Google Cloud Connect offers users is the ability to configure it to automatically

sync all your Microsoft Office documents with Google Docs.

You also have the option of manually choosing which files to sync.

After saving your document with Google Cloud Connect, you will receive a URL particular to your

document.

The URL can be found directly under the toolbar, as shown in the picture above

By sharing that URL with group members or instructors, you can allow them access to your

document.

“Google Cloud Connect tracks, manages, and syncs all changes on your Microsoft Office documents into

one updated version for each document. Each document that you sync through Google Cloud

Connect gets a unique URL or web address that you can share with collaborators through IM or email. Depending on the privacy setting you’ve selected for the document, other people will be able to click

this link and view the document in the browser.”

Collaborating Simultaneously on

Documents:

The Google Cloud Connect Plug-in for Microsoft Office allows users to easily share documents

between people.

By clicking the SHARE button (far right side of the screen) directly from the Microsoft Word document, you can designate specific people to share the file

with.

You can also give others permission to revise the document.

If a group member has also downloaded the plug-in, both members can simultaneously revise the file.

“Because data in Google Apps is stored in the cloud instead of on employee computers, multiple users

can access and contribute to projects simultaneously without worrying about using the same operating system, software, or browser. For

example, instead of collaborating on a document by sending back and forth revisions after revision as attachments, documents are stored in the cloud

with Google Apps. Coworkers can access the web-based document simultaneously in their browsers,

and even make changes that other authorized users can see in real-time. Eliminating attachment round-

trips by storing data in the cloud saves time and reduces frustrations for teams who need to work

together efficiently ().”

Revision History

Google Cloud allows users the ability to edit documents while working online or offline.

Each time you edit a document; it syncs automatically with the Google Doc version. This allows you to easily transition

or refer back to a previous version.

To see your complete revision history:

Click the document button, to the left of the document URL, and “revision history” will be in

the drop down menu.

Each URL takes you to a different version of the document, compiling and backing up each stage of

your paper.

After saving a document in Microsoft word, you will receive a URL that takes you

directly to the Google Documents Version.

This concludes the Introduction to Google Cloud

Connect

Credits

• Producer Reilly M. McJury References