2. What are online collaboration
tools?
• We have seen how to collaborate with others on web pages such as blogs
and wikis and online collaboration tools are web-based applications that
allow you to work with others to create text documents.
• These tools are similar to Microsoft Office products such as Word, Excel
and Powerpoint and therefore fairly simple to use.
• These tools allow users the ability to create documents without the need to
download or install software on their computers.
• As the documents are hosted online, all users are editing the one document
which eliminates confusion of many different versions being created by
users who access the document.
3. Google docs in plain english
Watch this short video on Google Docs produced by the
Common Craft Show.
(This video can also be found at Blip.tv.)
4. Examples of online
collaboration tools
Presentation Web
sharing site conferencing,
shared file
Word processing tools space,
presentations
Project
Online list tool management
tool Video
conferencing
6. Creating a shared document
1. Go to http://docs.google.com.
2. Sign in with your Gmail account details
(the same details that you use to sign
in to Blogger).
3. Click on New in the top
left hand corner of the
page.
4. Select Document from
the drop down options.
7. 5. A new window will open with which is a blank document for you to write in.
The page contains similar formatting icons to Word.
6. Enter information about your experiences with Web 2.0 technology.
7. Save your document.
8. Click on the Share button on the top right hand side of the page. Select
Share with Others from the drop down options.
8. 9. On the left hand side of the page, leave the radial button selected on
Collaborators. This will allow others to edit your document.
10. In the white box add our email address (web2healthlibraries@gmail.com)
to share your document with us.
11. Click on the Invite collaborators button.
9. 12. A new box will appear with an
email template. You may like to
add a message to this email.
13. Click Send. You have now
invited another person to work
on your document.
14. You will now be able to see that
your document is listed as being
shared and the names of the
collaborators.
15. Close this window and then
Sign Out of Google Docs.
10. Google Docs tips
• Documents are automatically saved periodically but you still should click the
save button before closing the document.
• Files are saved in Folders similar to Microsoft software.
• For people to edit your documents you must invite them to be a
Collaborator on the document, and not just a Viewer.
• You can download you document from Google Docs to your computer in
various file formats including Word, PDF and HTML.
11. • You can upload documents created in other software into Google Docs to
share with others.
• You are able to track people’s changes to a document on the Revision
screen.
12. Blog prompts
• How different did you find Google Docs to Microsoft Word?
• What features did you like/dislike about Google Docs?
• Do you like the idea of people being able to change your document at any
time?
• What uses can you see for these tools in your workplace?
