What is Google Docs?
Docs is a rich text editor that allows for real-time collaboration between many people. It offers a suite of text- and paragraph-formatting tools, and lets you add links, drawings, or images quickly and easily. Your Doc is constantly saving as you make changes to it, so you never have to worry about losing progress. You can edit Docs on the go with mobile apps, even without an internet connection.
How Can it Help You?
Google Docs can be a great way to create long documents. Images can be added alongside the text, and there are many built-in templates for different needs. After you've created a Doc, you can share it with students or colleagues with read-only or commenting privileges. You can also collaborate on Docs with the people you've shared with, and see their edits in real-time.
Examples of Use
Instructors can:
- Create a Doc and format the Doc, and then share it with students
- Add comments and suggestions on students' shared documents
- See who accessed a Doc and when with the activity dashboard
Students can:
- Write an essay and see their instructor's comments in context
- Format Docs using built-in fonts, themes, and templates
- Begin an essay using the app, and finish it later on the web
How to Get Started
- Google Docs can be accessed at docs.google.com, or by using the iOS or Android mobile apps.
- Start a new doc from anywhere by typing "docs.new" into your web browser's address bar.
- Create a new Doc from within a Google Drive folder for easy organiazation