Thing 4. Online Word Processing Tools

Many people use email and attached documents to share various versions of a project. This may work, but there are several obstacles to smooth exchange and editing. Attachments may not open or you or your collaborators may not have the same software program or the right version to open and edit a document. It is easy to lose track of which is the current version with all the changes.

Web 2.0 tools make collaborating on creating a document or other publication easier. Documents are online and available from any computer with Internet access. Edits are easy to make and save. The program saves a document’s history with all changes made and indicates who made the changes. A full set of word processing tools makes formatting simple. Click the toolbar buttons to bold, underline, indent, change font or number format, change cell background color and so on.
There are several online office suites of tools. We will try out GoogleDocs. You need a Google account to use it.

You can use Google Docs to create basic word processing documents, presentations, or spreadsheets from scratch or you can upload your existing files. Google Docs accepts most popular file formats, including DOC, XLS, ODT, ODS, RTF, CSV, PPT, etc. You can share documents with a select group or make the document public.

Watch this introduction to Google Docs from Common Craft Show

Similar Tools
These online tools are similar to GoogleDocs.
Zoho Docs
Windows Office Live

Activities
1. Request access to this Google Doc. You will be given access as a collaborator, which means you will be able to edit the document.
2. Optional Set up a GoogleDocs account of your own and create a document for collaboration. Be sure to uncheck the boxes that let others invite collaborators and invitations may be used by anyone. This is a security feature. Invite others to collaborate.

Resources
Tutorials for Google Docs on YouTube
Google Docs Help

Blog Prompts
These are just to get you started. You don't have to answer any or all of these questions; they are just to help you think about something to say.

• Have you used online document creation/editing in the past? Which sites?
• Can you see a use for this in your work?
• Did you have any problems gaining access? Using the document or editing it?
• What are the pros and cons of using Google Docs or another online collaboration site?
  
• Can you see your teachers suing or encouraging using Google Docs in class? Why or why not?
• If you use Google Docs in class, be sure to blog about it!