Google does Docs, Spreadsheets, and Now Presentations!

I have made use of Google tools for several years now and I have used Google Calendar and GMail more than anything else but I have been using Google Docs more and Google Docs now has a presentation piece! If you aren’t familiar with Google docs they are a word processor and a spreadsheet. They are fairly compatible with Microsoft products but their real power lies in the ability to make them public or share between specific users which makes is easy to collaborate with people in the next office or people on the other side of the world.

The wonderful folks at Common Craft have a new video out - Google Docs in Plain English. There are other great videos out there if you are able to access YouTube just search on Google presentation or Google Docs and you can find plenty of support and tutorials.

Merlin Man on 43Folders uses Google Docs as a collaboration/communication tool.

My favorite use right now is to use a single shared document as a common space that 4 or 5 people have access to and that they can use to give each other to-dos, ask questions, etc.

Vinnie Vrotny from Illinois over at Multifaceted Refractions got messages from several colleagues to go on over to Google Docs where he talks about how 6 - 15 people were collaboratively learning Google Presentation. They were learning and posting their findings as they learned.

For an example of collaboration visit this unique presentation that has been created and edited by a group of educators on using Google Presentation. You can go view the presentation, chat in real-time if any of the presenters are online, even add your own tips to the presentation.

There is also a revisions button that allows you to track changes and revert to older versions.

I created a short presentation to play with called BrandNew - it includes a link to a text doc which contains a link back to show you how you can integrate the two apps. To make the link in the document work you must click preview.