Thing #19

Apps

I started using Google Docs for word processing as my computer got older and inevitably slower. It was easier to just surf the web and work at the same time without slowing down my computer by running Microsoft Word.

I use the word processing docs a lot for personal use to keep lists of things like restaurants I want to try. A lot of these lists I share with my husband so we can both keep track of information.

I like these apps because they are convenient and free. I use 2 different computers at home and several at work depending on what I'm doing, so having easy access to materials is great. I'd like to recommend these tools to students because they help keep everything you need in one place. No forgetting your assignment at home, it will be available to you online with your Google or Zoho account. It would also be helpful for people who don't own their own computers and rely on libraries or computer labs. There wouldn't be a disk or flash drive to remember or have get corrupted.

For this exercise, I experimented with the presentations app; I hadn't used it before. It was easy to import PowerPoint slides and there were a lot of options for colors, designs, etc. I like that when you view the presentation you can include an "audience" who could watch it with you over the Internet. That would be great for when you want to show someone something but you don't want them to be an editor.

The only real drawback I see is what if Google's servers fail and you somehow lose your documents. But really that can happen with any computer crash or glitch with commercial products. I guess for the ultimate cautiousness you could back up your Google Docs in Word or vice versa since you can easily export to the .doc format.

For library staff this would be another tool like a wiki to collaborate with and easily share documents.

I've never used Google Docs to post to a blog before so I'm going to try that with this post.
......

and it worked!