Tuesday, August 25, 2009

Thing 19 -- Google Docs

What a useful set of applications! These are tools that can be applied in so many different scenarios, both personal, professional, and educational! I tried a variety of different applications. I created a document and inserted an image (although I couldn't figure out how to put it into landscape mode), I created a spreadsheet and forms, and I even created a presentation about my 23 Things. It's only in its infancy, and I created it in minutes, so it's far from perfect.



I only spent a few minutes creating each document. The tools are relatively simple to use. They don't provide as many complex functions as the Microsoft Office tools, but the sheer fact that you can share, publish, and collaborate with them so easily makes it pretty exciting! I also like the fact that you can save things as PDF files. Those files can be read by just about anyone, so no more worrying about whether the files your sending are compatible with the recipient's word processing software. You also don't have to worry about anyone changing your original, either. On the other hand, if you want people to help you edit, or if you are collaborating with someone and want them to add their input, you can invite them to edit the document and they can change it how they want! It's great!

The Google Docs Blog has some great tips for further uses of these applications. I'm pretty excited about the things that can be done. Maybe ILL requests, collaboration/lesson request forms could be used (I created some, but I haven't figured out if they'll work the way I want yet--still in the testing phase). I love the fact that you can create a presentation and embed it into a website. That will be great as a teaching tool. I'll be able to share things with teachers and students in a whole new way! Amazing! My husband told me about Google Docs last week when he used it for the first time to create a new resume. He was thoroughly impressed, and now I am too!

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