GOOGLE DOCS

What is it?

Google Docs is a real-time collaboration and document authoring tool.

Who is it for?

A free app developed by Google or included with the purchase of G Suite.

What can it do?

Multiple users can edit a document at the same time, while seeing each others' changes instantaneously. Users can produce text documents, slide presentations, spreadsheets, drawings, and surveys.

Included with Google Docs is Google Sheets and Google Slides, in other words it provides the ability to create spreadsheets and presentations within Google Docs.

The formats used are compatible with Microsoft Office and Open Office, so you can switch between these programs as needed.

All interactions and files are contained in Google's Internet servers (the cloud), and are accessible from within a web browser window.

Google Docs provides the following features: 

Google Sheets:

• Create spreadsheets and manipulate data in Google Docs
  

Google Slides:

• Create presentations within Google Docs
  

Smart editing and styling tools to formate text and paragraphs.

Choose from hundreds of fonts, add links, images, and drawings.

Templates:

• A variety of pre-made documents including resumes and reports
  

Accessibility:

• Access, edit and create documents from phones, tablets, or computers. Includes offline accessibility

Collaboration:

• Everyone can work in the same document at the same time with real-time editing
• Google Docs allows you to share files, chat, and comment

Saving in real-time:

• Google Docs automatically saves any changes as you type and provides the ability to revision history to see old versions which are sorted by date and who made the changes
  

Works with Microsoft Word:

• Open, edit and save Word files with a Chrome extension app. Convert Word files to Google Docs or vice versa
  

Add-Ons:

• Google Docs has the ability to use add-ons such as Lucidchart Diagrams to create flow charts and diagrams
  

How do I access it?

https://www.google.ca/docs/about/

Google Sheets: https://www.google.ca/sheets/about/

Google Slides: https://www.google.ca/slides/about/

Google Docs Support: https://support.google.com/docs?docs_site_home#topic=9110468

Is it University approved?

Google Docs is NOT a University of Calgary approved software.

Google. (2020). Google Docs. Retrieved from  https://www.google.ca/docs/about/ (accessed 23 July 2020).

Google. (2020). Google Docs: Help Center. Retrieved from  https://support.google.com/docs?docs_site_home#topic=
        (accessed 23 July 2020).

Google. (2020). Google Sheets. Retrieved from  https://www.google.ca/sheets/about/ (accessed 23 July 2020).

Google. (2020). Google Slides. Retrieved from https://www.google.ca/slides/about/  (accessed 23 July 2020).