Centre for Learning & Performance Technologies
Home  |  Jane Hart  |  Consultancy  |  Social Learning  |  Tools  |  Resources  |  People  | Search

Tools   All | Tools Directory | 25 Tools | Top 100 Tools | Top 10 Tools Lists  | Share your Top 10

TOP 100 TOOLS 2009
Google Docs

Google Docs is a hosted service where you can create, store and share documents, spreadsheets and presentations and online forms  You can work on your own or collaboratively.  You can also import docs from MS Office and Open Office. 
 

Website www.google.com/docs 
Cost Free
Availability Online
2007 ranking 14
2008 ranking 7
2009 ranking Vote for your choice

Comments from those who selected Google Docs as one of their Top 10 Tools in 2009

  • So useful for collaborative working on docs, spreadsheets or for booking forms online. Great and free. Rob Hubbard
  • do more and more online now, particularly for collaboration purposes. Although now using Elgg much more for internal university collaboration on documents.  Sarah Frame
  • I use Google Docs for documents and spreadsheets, which I can easily share or publish. I use Forms to easily create surveys and bring the data into the spreadsheets. I also use it to get distance learners to collaborate. Brian Mulligan
  • filing cabinet, scribble pad, personal or collaborative work updates can be made on the fly Mags Amond
  • I’ve really been using Google docs in a big way in the past year. We’ve used them for shared ‘Word’ documents that we can work on collaboratively and also as ‘Forms’ to gather information from people - which then goes automatically into a spreadsheet.  (Carol Skyring)

Comments from those who selected Google Docs as one of their Top 10 Tools in 2008

  • "A free utility that enables you to work collaboratively with others on wordprocessed or spreadsheet documents as well as visual presentations. The GREATEST tool is the form tool that enables you to create forms that are posted on the web. As users enter the data, it appears immediately in your spreadsheet." Leigh Zeitz
  • "Another excellent collaboration tool.  I also like the options of documents, spreadsheet or presentation.  And the presentation tool has a nice chat feature built in." Britt Wattwood
  • "A realistic alternative to ‘traditional’ Office application suites. The ability to collaborate makes Google Docs a winner." Karl Goddard
  • "work from home; collaborate and chat at the same time!"  Mary Cooch
  • "simply the best!" Bill Miller
    "
    for writing, sharing, storing, presenting; I have given up MS Office entirely"  Jay Cross
  • "Originally I thought that I just wanted the 'edit from anywhere' feature in Google Docs (and Spreadsheets).  However, with a laptop that is not often an issue.  What I really like is the easy of distribution and updating as well as the collaborative features.  It is now part of my Online Learning Study Skills course"  Brian Mulligan
  • "I love the ability to connect students with collaborative writing projects. Google Docs allows the students to work together around their busy schedules. I love that there are a variety of output formats, as well, so accessibility is not an issue" Beth Ritter-Guth
  • "Word Processing & Presentation Tool" Daniel O'Shea
  • "Great for collaborating with colleagues or for creating docs that you may need to access from anywhere."  Heather Ross
  • "I can't image going back to the days of e-mailing draft documents within a group. Google Docs is the application I use when I need to collaborate on any writing project with a group."  Jennifer Maddrell
  • "for collaborative writing"  Patti Shank
  • "Google Docs is one of the main tools for collaborating with SMEs (Subject Matter Experts) during the course development process."  Christy Tucker
  • "A web-based word processing, spreadsheet, and presentation program that makes collaboration more efficient.  It is a free online creation tool which is great for teachers and students.  Also, Google Docs allows mobile access."  Steve Yuen
  • "I like SaaS principles."  Jose Carlos del Arco
  • "is a Web 2.0 technology tool that enables collaboration. A great feature is the ability to save a document in a variety of formats including Adobe Acrobat’s .pdf format. It’s free and can be used with other Web 2.0 tools to empower the collaboration process."  Rick Lillie
  • "is a simple wiki for sharing the development of docs and works really well with Google storing the material on its servers so anyone can access at any time."  Nigel Paine
  • "We use the spreadsheet function to keep track of LMS vendor issues, with all the admins contributing.  We use the presentations function to storyboard with clients and among ourselves.Ed Lamaster
  • "No more emailing docs back and forth.  And for school (I am going through my Masters) this simplified group projects and kept meetings to a minimum."  Kevin Jones
  • "Collaborative features rock"  Will Richardson
  • "it supports writing academic papers, bid documents, impossible deadlines and working with interesting, busy people. For students making the transition to Web apps the collaborative features support peer support and negotiation."  Andrew Middleton
  • "Google docs are great for collaborating and sharing information with others. You must invite friends to participate in your documents but it’s so easy to edit ALL AT THE SAME TIME!!!." Colette Cassinelli
  • "great tool for collaborative writing. I have been using it especially to co-write articles and conference proposals." Cristina Mendes Da Costa
  • "good way to create, share and collaborate on documents"  Florence Meichel
  • "We use it all of the time in our office and VLE. Makes shared project collaboration a breeze." Robert Chapman
  • "The best way to share and cooperatively edit documents with other people. It's solid and has no formatting issues when copying and pasting from outside sources."  Adam Kosh
  • "A great way to create a channel of communication between teacher and student between classes. Useful for writing assignments and feedback between classes." Jonathan Lecun
  • "I've just started using this and I love it.  I haven' taken advantage of it as a collaborating tool yet, but hope to soon."  Kris Stanhope

Comments from those who selected Google Docs as one of their Top 10 Tools in 2007

  • "perfect for collaboration"  Jay Cross
  • "Collaborate across companies and organisations. The future of application software."  Mike Alcock
  • "I know that the Google love must be getting a bit tiresome, but Google Docs really makes collaboration easier. During the course development process, it's more convenient to use Google Docs than for my SME (Subject Matter Expert) and me to send dozens of Word attachments back and forth. I always know we both have the most current version of our documents. The formatting is quirky, especially when moving documents back and forth between Word and Google Docs, and the Revision Tracking seems a little clunky as well. It isn't my first choice for a polished final document, but for building the drafts along the way it's very effective."  Christy Tucker
  • "As much as I like OpenOffice, Google's collaborative documents and spreadsheets are excellent for group work. With Google's simple interface, it's not difficult to get new users to join in."  Harold Jarche
  • "great collaboration tool" Karl Kapp
  • "I haven't used a desktop word processor in over 1.5 years. now that I can detach documents and spreadsheets directly into GD&Ss it doesn't get any easier."  Kevin Gamble
  • "While they don't have the power and depth of Microsoft Office, these tool make up for it with their simultaneous editing capabilities, their easy of access to and from the web and their overall useability"  Dave Lee
  • "Free, online, GSheets are so much easier to use than XLS!"  David Flanders
  • "Google docs are great for collaborating and sharing information with others. You must invite friends to participate in your documents but it’s so easy to edit ALL AT THE SAME TIME!!!." Colette Cassinelli
  • "for collaborative document development when we work in very small groups"  Gianni Marconato
  • "This tool is certainly beginning to catch on among my colleagues as we develop articles, rewrite chapters, and draft policies"  Michael McVey
  • "an easy way to collaborate"  Matt Lisle
  • "For writing, collating, preparing presentations, tracking, reporting – online and offline – I still haven’t found a way to avoid these tools"  Andrea Barrett

Reading List

Directory of Learning Tools

Advertisements

iMindMap - Free Download


© Centre for Learning & Performance Technologies, 2007-2009