Google Docs

This short video gives a quick introduction to the wonders of using the Google suite of applications on the web.

Here is a document we can collaborate on- http://goo.gl/a1ycU and reflect a little on how you are feeling about your learning so far in this session.

As a bonus here is a link to the Google URL shortener http://goo.gl/

To get there first of all from the very beginning you need to go to your Google search page. If you already have a Google account you can sign in but if you haven't you will need to create a Google Account (gmail). It doesn't take long. It may prompt you for your cell phone number- that is very handy if you later set up a Google Calendar.

To get started just sign in or create an account.

Once you have done that you will have access to a vast array of clever Google things like

• Google Mail- get your mail from any computer
• Google Maps- create and share maps
• Google Sites- write your own websites
• Google Docs- forget buying an expensive word processor
• YouTube- upload your own videos
• Google URL shortener http://goo.gl/

This session will focus on the clever things you can do with Google Docs

• Google Documents- think word processing
• Google Spreadsheets- think Excel or Numbers
• Google Forms- think surveys
• Google Slides- think Powerpoint or Keynote
• Google Drawing
• Google Uploads- uploading pdfs, Pages etc and thing you have made on your computer.

The cleverest thing of all is how you can share your documents with others- to collaborate with them to get them to help you write your stuff rather than have emails go backwards and forwards with revisions.

Features we will look at are

• how to format a doc, make it interesting, adding hyperlinks and images etc
• creating docs, forms, spreadsheets etc
• setting up permissions for who can view or edit your docs
• searching through your docs
• exporting in different file formats
• revision history
• collections (folders)

Here is a link to an already cooked Google Spreadsheet to practice with http://goo.gl/KrQUj

Here some ideas on how to use Google Docs

These slides came from Tom Barrett's Interesting Ways series of collaborative Google Docs.

Here is a more detailed video of how Google Apps for Schools works- 29 minutes