Thing 7 - Collaborative Tools

Collaborative tools allow you to create word documents, spreadsheets, presentations with your coworkers, family and just about anyone else you can think of.  Are you thinking "Can't I do this with Microsoft Office?" Yes, you certainly can but read on.


Remember the last time you collaborated on a document with someone. And remember how you were constantly deleting email after email just so you could free up space in your mail box for the next revision? Now remember all those emails from your coworkers stating I don't see that, where is that? Or the familiar whine, "Why does my copy have funny spacing?" These are the reasons to use these tools!

Now, think back to the description of a Web 2.0 tool from Thing 2. The tools reside on the Internet and require zero downloading of software. No software, no updates, no money spent.  Everyone works on the same "version" and in real time. This is the very essence of collaborative tools and also what makes them so great.


Getting Started


We will be looking at two collaborative tools, Google Docs and Zoho. For a little more background information read this article about Zoho Writer and look at this Common Craft video about Google Docs. There are minor differences between these two tools. Choosing between the two seems more a matter of personal preference. If you are planning on working extensively with any of these online tools, you will want to explore both of these tools in depth.




Assignment

 1. This Thing is better experienced by doing rather than reading. Open an account in either Zoho or Google Docs. Create a new document or upload an existing word document. Play around with the different features. Invite the medical librarians, medicallibrary@healthpartners.com, and others to collaborate on your document. Look around the help features. Publish your document and post it to your blog.


2. Create a new presentation or upload an existing power point presentation. Be sure to include an image in this presentation. If you don't have an image file, use this file. Move the image around your slide and resize it. Change the templates.







Address the following questions in your blog

1. Why did you choose one tool over the other?


2.  Were you surprised at the versitility of these tools?

3. Is this something you would really use if you had access to Microsoft Office? Why or Why not? Does the collaborative aspect make a difference in your decision?

4. Why did you chose this Thing?

5.  How much time did you spend on this Thing?

*Extra Challenge*

Create a either a power point presentation or a start a spreadsheet using a different tool and post it to your blog. It doesn't have to be very long!