GOOGLE DOC

 6.6 GOOGLE DOC

Google docs is a free web-based Word processor, Spreadsheet, Presentation, Form etc along with online data storage solution from Google. To use this, one does not need to buy any specific Office suite of products (ex MS Office etc). This is Google‟s Software-As-A-Service (SaaS) version of the Office suite. Since Google docs is web based, you can access it from anywhere through the Internet, you need not worry about copying it to transfer it somewhere else, or about its latest version and you can easily share it with anybody for real time collaboration.

6.6.1 Using Google Docs 

1. Go to the URL (website) – http://docs.google.com. You will get a screen like the one below.

2. You can use an existing account (ex Gmail, yahoo) to login on the right hand side of the above screen. If you don‟t have an existing account, you can easily create one using your last name, first name, preferred user name (if available) etc. Once you login, you get the screen as in Figure 6.11. 

3. On the left hand side of the window, if you click on Button „Create New‟, you would see the drop down options (Document, Presentation, Spreadsheet etc) as shown Figure 6.11. 

4. Select „Document‟ option from the drop down. Type some text here. You may format it as any word document. 


5. Click „Save‟ button on top right corner. When you save the file, it will ask you to enter the document name. Notice that there is a „Share‟ button also. This can be used to share the document. We will discuss about sharing a little later. 

6. Give the file name as „Test document for IGNOU BCA Student‟ and by default this document is saved on the Google server. 

 7. You can also download this document locally on the computer in various formats such as DOC, PDF, RTF etc. By default, the document is saved in the folder –C:\Documents and Settings\dell\My Documents\Downloads on your computer.  

8. You may also upload an existing document from your machine using the upload button.

Similarly, you can work on other types of docs such as spreadsheet, presentation etc

6.6.2 Sharing the Document

 In Google Docs, to share a document means to give someone else access to that document. This can be done in two ways:
  • Email the document as an attachment
  • Invite others to read or edit the document online.

1. Bring your cursor on a document name in the list, the word „Action‟ appears on the right side. When you click on that drop down arrow, a menu appears with „Share‟ as an option. 

2. Choose Share. Another sub menu opens up. „Email as an attachment‟ emails the document. 

3. Click on „Email editors/viewers‟. This option is used to invite people to either view the document or to collaborate (view and edit) on the document. The people you have invited must have Google Docs account to view the document. 

4. A shared document is marked as „Shared‟ in the list on the main page. 

6.7 LAB EXERCISE

Lab Exercise 1 (Browsing the Web)

1. In Google Chrome do the following:
  • Set it as the default browser.
  • Set www.ignou.ac.in as your home page.
  • Show „Home‟ button in the tool bar.
  • Create a folder „Search Engines‟ in the Bookmark Manager.
  • Go to the site www.yahoo.com and bookmark it. Save the bookmark in the folder „Search Engines‟ created above. Similarly, bookmark the sites www.google.com and www.bing.com and save the bookmarks in the same folder.
  • Check your history.
  • Go to the home page directly using the home button.
  • Create another folder called „email‟.
  • Go to www.hotmail.com and bookmark it in „email‟ folder.
  • Delete the „email‟ folder.
(Note: For all above options use icon (settings) on the browser toolbar)

2. Open Internet Explorer and do the following :
  • Set IE as your default browser.
  • Set blank page as the home page.
  • Change the appearance of the browser.
  • Go to many different sites.
  • Delete your history.
  • Explore different tabs and options under Internet Options.
  • Add and Delete pages to Favorites.
(Note: For all above options use Tools  Internet Options from the main menu)

3. Open Mozilla Firefox
  • Explore its menu options 
  • Do all the exercises that you have done for Chrome and IE in question 1 and question 2.  
4. Go to site www.hyundai.co.in and copy the image of all Hyundai cars on our computer.

Lab Exercise 2 (Searching the Web) 

1. Use different Search Engines available – for example www.live.com, www.ask.com, www.about.com, www.shopzilla.com, www.yahoo.com, www.find.com, www.monster.com. Determine what each search engine can be used for. Name two more search engine that are not in the given list. 

2. Go to Google India site. Set the number of results on a page from 10 to 15. Save your settings.

3. You want to buy a LCD TV. You want to compare only Sony and Samsung TV. Create a search string that gives only Sony and Samsung TV‟s in the result list and not Toshiba or LG TV‟s

4. Search on the author Erich Segal
  • Search on all the books written by Erich Segal.
  • Search on Erich Segal who is not an author or writer and has not written any story.
 5. You want know the travel to Agra from Delhi by road. You have no idea about the distance and the direction. Using the internet search, find out all the details you need.

6. Search for all the museums you can visit in Mumbai.

Lab Exercise 3 (discussion Forums and Groups) 

1. You and your friends are planning to go on a camping trip. Create a Yahoo group so that all the friends interact and plan for the trip. One of you can be a moderator who creates the group and invite all your friends to join the group. Each one can contribute to the discussion and planning of the trip, for example to decide on the location, things to take, bookings, etc. 

2. Create a group in Google Groups. 

3. Register for the forum on http://www.proud2bindian.in and participate in the discussion on the active topics. Check the latest posts, latest threads and popular forums. 

4. You want to set up your own Discussion Forum Community. Think of a subject for you forum. Search the Internet and study the hardware and software requirements to set up a forum. List all the steps need to be taken. Also note down free and paid forum software available.

Lab Exercise 4 (Wiki) 

1. You and your friends are planning to go on a camping trip. Set up a wiki and invite all your friends to join it. Create a link to the place where you would be going and a list of items that need to be taken. Ask your friends to update the list if they can bring any item from the list. This way everybody will know who is bringing what through the page. 

2. Discuss how the communication in the above case (question 1) is different from communicating through email or through discussion group. 

3. Search the Internet for different wiki engines available. Consider any five and compare them. 181 Browsing and Discussion Forum 

4. Go to www.pbworks.com and setup a wiki there. Develop wiki content in collaboration with few friends. Check the page history. Compare the revisions of the page. 

Lab Exercise 5 (Google Docs) 

1. Create a new document in Google Docs. Share it with two other people. One should have only view access. 

2. Create a presentation on Google docs. Ask your friend to review it and comment on it. Use „Discussion‟ option for your discussions on the presentation. 

3. Create a spreadsheet on your computer. Upload it to Google Docs. 

4. You are a group of four people who are working together on a project report. Create a report on Google Docs and work on it simultaneously, each from your own machines. Check different versions of the document.

Post a Comment

0Comments
Post a Comment (0)