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Everyone has used Microsoft Word to create documents such as letters, resumes, recipes, etc. Now there is a way to do all the things you used to do in Microsoft Word (and more!), but online using your gmail sign in as part of the Google family.

Picture courtesy of Richard Masoner at Flickr.com.

The availability and use of online productivity web-based applications (such as Google Docs) have exploded over the past two years and for good reason! These applications give users the ability to create and share documents over the internet, without the need of installed desktop applications. This means you can access your documents from any computer with an internet connection, without having to save them to a disk or memory stick.

One large benefit to web-based applications it that they eliminate the need to worry about different software versions or file types as you email documents or move from PC to PC. Another bonus is that they easily accommodate collaboration by allowing multiple users to edit the same file. You can even use many of these tools, such as Google Docs to author and publish posts to your blog.

For this activity, participants are asked to take a look at the web-based word processing tool, Google Docs. Create a simple document and then document your discoveries in your blog. If you're up to the challenge, you might even export your document as an HTML file or publish it through to your blog.

To learn more about Google Docs, complete this online tutorial (put your mouse over the text and click to open a new window with the Google Docs tutorial).



Google Docs - Activity #1

1. Go to Google Docs and sign in using your Gmail login. Select "Documents" from the top menu bar.
2. Explore the site and create a few test documents.  You could rewrite your resume, or write a letter to a friend.
3. Try out a few of the different features, then go to your blog and write a blog post about the experience. 

Google Reader

Google Reader is another web service that allows you to organize the many websites and blogs you enjoy.  The Reader tracks new content on the blogs and news services you follow and shows it all on one convenient page.

This is a great tool for students who want to keep up to date with their school's website, news articles relevant to their courses, etc. 

To see how Google Reader works, complete the following activity.



Google Reader - Activity #2

1. Click here to open a new window with a quick tour of Google Reader.
2. Read each page and click "Next" until the only option left is to try it out.
3. When you click "Try It Out," Google automatically directs you to your own Google Reader page.  Have a look around the page; it looks very much like your GMail or iGoogle page, with the same menu at the top.  You will use the same GMail address and account for the Reader as you use for Blogger, GMail, iGoogle, and Google Docs, because they are all owned by the same company.
4. Explore the page, then write a blog post about the experience.  In your blog post, tell us how you plan on using Google Docs and Google Reader to improve your learning experience, or how you could use it in the workplace.
5. Send us an email at adult.learning@gmail.com to let us know you have completed Activities 1, 2 & 3 on Google Docs and Reader and published a post about it to your blog. Click on the form below and fill it out to be eligible to enter the monthly draw.