Colloborating with google docs in the cloud m rice

Editor's Notes

• #2: Hi, good evening, everyone. My name is Margo Rice, and as Todd mentioned, tonight I’m going to present Collaborating with Google Docs in the Cloud. Let’s take a quick look at the agenda.
• #3: Tonight we’ll begin with a quick intro, What is Google Docs?, followed by a brief discussion of cloud-computing technology and how it relates to this software. Next, we’ll trace the history of Google Docs. Then, we’ll look at its software components and features, system requirements, and how to get started with it. After examining some advantages and disadvantages of Google Docs, we’ll look at its current uses in education. I’ll conclude this presentation with some personal impressions and then, of course, open up the floor for discussion and questions.
• #4: By a show of hands, how many of you have used Google Docs on a personal basis or in the workplace? What is Google Docs? Google Docs is free cloud-computing software that offers document-sharing services. It’s essentially marketed by Google as an office suite, similar to Microsoft Office Suite. You can use Google Docs to create and collaborate on documents, spreadsheets, presentations, and drawings. Menus, keyboard shortcuts, and dialog boxes are similar to those in Microsoft Office, its closest competitor, but some features differ and we’ll look at some of those today. I was surprised to read recently that Google Docs is now ‘widely used’ at one out of five workplaces. So, what do I mean when I say that Google Docs is “free cloud-computing software?” I’d like to discuss cloud-computing technology a bit in order to give you a better context for understanding Google Docs.
• #5: Cloud computing is one of the biggest trends shaping technology today. The term cloud is a metaphor for the Internet which frequently takes the form of web-based tools or applications that users can access through a web browser (PAUSE) as if they were programs installed locally on their computers. So, the cloud is Internet-based whereby shared resources, software such as Google Docs, and information are provided to computers and other devices on demand. Instead of using internal servers and offline software that runs in browsers, users access servers in the cloud that are hosted by large companies such as Google, Amazon, and Microsoft. Cloud computing has also made it possible for consumers and small businesses to move more of their data off computers and into rich Internet applications everywhere such as Google Docs and Salesforce.
• #6: So, as you might image, cloud computing has allowed many businesses to realize significant savings, especially small businesses and start-ups because they don’t have to invest in, house, and manage huge network server infrastructures. But cloud computing has its drawbacks: for example, security and reliability issues, and lack of user control. Users are concerned that their data is not protected or private. As an aside, not long ago I read an article in the news about people’s concerns over what Google might be doing with their private information such as possibly selling it to third-parties. Kind of scary, I’d say. Also, users and consumers have no control over the expertise and technology infrastructure provided to them in the cloud. For example, if there is a shutdown, there’s nothing they can do about it. If they have no Internet, they simply can’t access their software and files.
• #7: Google Docs was not always a cloud computing software. Let’s quickly trace its evolution to the present. Google Docs originated from the products of two companies: 2Web Technologies and Upstartle. March 2005 – Google acquired the spreadsheet technology from 2Web Technologies and named it “Google spreadsheets.” Later that year, Google launched Google Labs Spreadsheets, which became its first public component of what would eventually become Google Docs. A year later – Google acquires Upstartle, and with it came Writely, a word processor. June 6, 2006 – Google Docs was born – beta version made available to a limited number of users on a first-come, first-served basis. February 2007 – Google Docs was made available to all Google Apps Users. September 2007 – Google released Presentations for Google Docs, their answer to PowerPoint. April 2008 – Google permitted offline access to and the editing of documents via Google Gears, which is convenient for those without Internet access. You edited your documents, and when you had access to the Internet, your documents were automatically updated. July 2009 – Google Docs was taken out of beta.
• #8: Google Docs is currently undergoing a lot of changes and upgrades. According to their web site, they have recently introduced or are working on 18 pages of new improvement initiatives including Google Docs for Ipads. Here are some recent events in Google Docs history: January 2010 – Google announced that Google Docs would allow any file type as well as 1 GB of free storage and 25 cents for each additional GB of storage to any user. March 2010 – Google acquired DocVerse, an online document collaboration company, which allowed multiple user online collaboration with Microsoft Office-compatible document formats such as Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. April 2010 – Google Docs added a drawing program to its suite, Drawings. May 2010 – Google removed the offline editing feature from Google Docs but promised its disappointed fans to introduce a new improved version in the near future. Sept 2010 – Google introduced a new revision history component to docs. This is actually a very powerful feature that I will show you in a moment.
• #9: As I’ve said, Google Docs consists of four applications: documents, spreadsheets, presentations, and drawings. It also includes support for third-party proprietary file formats such as HTML, OpenOffice, rtf, .doc, docx, .xls, .xlsx, and .pdf, to name a few (you can upload and edit some of them, but not all, e.g., .pdfs and jpegs). Just a quick FYI for those of you who are interested: Mobile Google Docs allows mobile users to view their documents and view and edit spreadsheets in a browser. Google Docs for iPhone and Android also allows viewing of presentations. Let’s quickly look at each application in Google Docs and its real-time collaboration features.
• #10: Google Doc’s most sophisticated component, in my opinion, is its word processor, Documents, which is modeled after word processors like Microsoft Word. A user creates a file. Other users who have access to it can view and edit it. In the latest version of Google Docs, a document can be shared with up to 200 individual users, and as many as 50 users can work on it simultaneously. This is the desktop. Note where it says Search Templates. You can base a new document on one of Google Docs’s thousands of templates and forms (for example, there is a spreadsheet for budgeting, a form for keeping a contact list of collaborators; there are calendars, etc.).  
• #11: If two users are editing a document at the same time, a box at the top of the screen will list the current collaborators. Here you see the red box, which represents Michael my ever-patient husband. If two users edit the exact same text at the same time, Google monitors the timestamp of each edit, applying them in the appropriate order. Google also provides a chat function so that collaborators can communicate as they collaborate. Chat can provide users with instant feedback on their edits and can also prevent conflicts. It works by clicking the arrow to the right of the names listed at the top of the screen, which opens a pane where you can chat with other users currently using the document.
• #12: You can also access the revision history from the file menu, which is a powerful new feature. It lets you view “track changes” and see who the collaborators were in each version by date. You can click on an older version of the document to revert back to it.
• #13: Collaboration in Spreadsheets works much the same as in Documents. Up to 200 users can share a spreadsheet file, and as many as 50 can work on it simultaneously. As with Documents, there is also a box at the top of the screen that lists the current collaborators, and you can click an arrow next to a name to reveal a pane for chat. There is a small colored square next to the name of each user which designates a color assignment. When the user is working in a cell, her work will have a box surrounding it with the designated color. This feature makes it easy to identify which user is working on what part of the spreadsheet. You can drag and drop columns to reorder them. Spreadsheets are limited to 256 columns.  
• #14: Presentations is essentially a slimmed-down version of Microsoft PowerPoint that allows users to create slideshows. With Presentations, as many as 200 users can share files. However, only 10 editors can work on them simultaneously. Other capabilities include viewing changes in real-time or using chat. You can share your presentations with other viewers or collaborators and publish them online under a unique URL, saving the need to attach them in emails. This capability eliminates the problem of people having different versions of presentation software and not being able to view a document because of an incompatible version.
• #15: The baby of the Docs suite, Drawings, provides features and capabilities that are, according to Google, similar to Visio. It is useful for creating charts, diagrams, and other schematics. A interesting distinction between Drawings and the other components of Google Docs is that online collaborators can only see changes when they are completed, not as they occur. So, if a user cancels an action before completing it, it will not be seen by the other editors.
• #16: System requirements for using Google Docs are as follows: Google Docs does not support all operating systems and browsers. Here is the latest and the greatest information from Google. You also need to make sure that cookies and JavaScript are enabled. If you want to edit drawings and are using Internet Explorer, you need to install an application called Google Frame from the Google Docs web site.
• #17: Before you can access Google Docs, you need to have a Google Account, which you can get by going to https://www.google.com/accounts/NewAccount If you have a Gmail account, you already have a Google Account. Then go to docs.google.com, and sign in.
• #18: 1) Good online collaboration tool, many say unsurpassed 2) Good version control: By using Google Docs, you no longer need to e-mail and manage different versions of the same file in order to collaborate, which can be confusing and time-consuming. That’s because anyone who is collaborating on the document can edit it online from anywhere. 3) All of your files are stored on Google’s servers so you don’t have to worry about losing data because of a hard drive crash or a nasty virus. 4)The software is free. Users can use it in place of more costly software such as Microsoft Office Suite. 5) Users can share any sort of document with other users, whether or not they have a Google account. This sharing feature is unmatched by many other word processors. 6) Google Docs saves all previous versions of documents. You can revert to previous versions. 7) Google has an auto-save feature which Microsoft Office lacks that can protect you from losing work due to crashes, etc. 8) As owner, you can lock shared documents so that you can give some users view only access. The “owner” of the document is the ultimate user with sharing power, but the owner can transfer this power to another user in real time. 9)Docs features a translation tool, which allows users to translate an entire document into a wide variety of languages. 10) You can publish files to the web or a URL that Google assigns and then give the URL out to those you wish to share the document with.
• #19: Does Google Docs Rock, like Google claims? I am not so sure. According to Bob Griffiths his article ‘Why I Don’t Use Google Docs,’ Google Docs is good for online collaboration but not much else. He claims that it is unsuitable as an everyday productivity tool like Microsoft Office. Here are just some of the shortcomings he cites. 1) You can’t open two documents side by side without opening two instances of your browser. 2) You can’t create a multi-column word document. 3) You cannot do mail merge (as you can in Microsoft Office Word). 4) Docs – users have a more limited use of fonts, and it does not include the popular Helvetica. 5) Can’t turn off the grid lines when printing spreadsheets. 6)In presentations there are only 15 themes. There is no ability to animate, create builds, or add transitions. 7) When you print, what you see is not exactly what prints. 8) You can upload files in many different formats, but you must convert them to their Google Docs equivalents in order to edit them.
• #20: Google Docs is popular in education, particularly in K-12 settings, because it’s inexpensive and because it promotes group collaboration. Educators have used Google Docs in the classroom for personal productivity, collaboration with their students, and collaboration with fellow educators. Personal Productivity Educators have kept track of grades, attendance data, and other information using Google Docs spreadsheets. They have maintained, updated, and shared lesson plans over time in a single document. They have created quizzes and tests using spreadsheet forms. Their students’ time stamped answers can be neatly ordered and recorded in the spreadsheet. Collaboration with Students Educators have maintained and shared schedules, contact lists, syllabuses, assignments, announcements, and project tracking data with their students. They have had encouraged their students’ creativity and teamwork by having them collaborate on group projects stored in one document. They have facilitated writing as a process by having students write in a document that they share with them. Teachers can check up on their work at any time and use the comments and chat features to provide feedback in real time. They have encouraged collaborative presentation skills by asking their students to work together on a shared presentation, and then present it to the class. Collaboration with other Educators and Teachers Educators have collaborated on documents with their fellow teachers, which can help them all track the status and success of students that they shared. Examples of such documents are agendas, handbooks, lesson plans, and guides.  
• #21: Very impressed with my ability to collaborate with others online. Like being able to store my files in the cloud so I can access them from any computer, but servers can go down. Word processor is very similar to MS Word – I like it with the exception of the comment feature and so called “track changes” feature. Woefully inadequate. Do like chat feature. Spreadsheets seems pretty robust like Documents. Presentations seems less robust than MS PowerPoint. I don’t like that I can’t do builds, animations, and transitions. The templates are in some cases odd. Example: Rustic, the birdhouse one I showed, and two others called pink n pretty and grass. I can’t see that people will use them often. Drawings, which Google has compared to Visio, is no Visio! Seems experimental, temperamental, and unsophisticated. It is hard to work with text, the lines, and the snap to grid. Not impressed with third party file handling. PDF files disappear for days from folders (Cloud or Google issue?). Docs could not handle by Word Docs with outlines and tables. Mess. Not sure why you need 50 (or 10) people working in a file simultaneously. Love the URL publishing feature. You open a document, go to Share in upper-right corner and select Publish/Embed, and you get a unique URL. Overall, I think Google Docs rocks for online collaboration! But I don’t like when the server goes down. At the end of the day, I am more comfortable using Microsoft Office, although it probably offers more than I need. For collaboration, I prefer Microsoft SharePoint (maybe because deep down I am a control freak and don’t really want anyone else in a document while I am editing it), although remote access and user access must be configured by my IT department.
• #23: Any questions? I know I covered a lot!