Week #8, Week #18: Google Docs

Ohhh I love Google Docs!

I had heard about Google Docs in the past, and boy do I wish I had been familiar with these tools earlier this year! I don't have Office tools on my home computer, so doing anything besides the most rudimentary word processing was impossible, but it certainly is now. I like the fact that I save these documents to a "file" that I can access anywhere.

Also, these tools could have great possibilities for students who don't have computers at home or nearby. In my district, we have a program called eLocker that gives each student an online "locker" in which they can upload and save files for access anywhere. This is a great program, but if the student is like me and doesn't have Office at home, often times the files are not compatable, and he or she can't open files saved at school. Little Jenny works hard on a report at school, saves it to eLocker to continue work in the evening, and goes home only to find that she can't open the document because she doesn't have the correct word processing program on her home computer. Or, she has a Mac (we've had a few problems with Mac compatibility). With Google Docs, these problems are completely eliminated! Woooo hoo! An alternative to this problematic situation!

Also, I should say that I chose to explore Google Docs because I use Gmail and I also use Google Reader for my RSS feeds, so continuing with the Google family of products seemed easiest...and truly, it is VERY easy to use. I found it especially easy because the Google products truly have a similar feel and look to them, so if you use Gmail, you can use Google Docs. If you use Google Docs, you can use the reader, etc.