Collaboration With Google Docs

Librarian/Liaison for the Kate Gleason College of Engineering, Linette Koren, led a workshop Friday morning at Wallace Library for Google Docs where both parents of current students and alumni of RIT gathered in the BIB Lab for an interactive tutorial of the program.

Google Docs is a free platform that allows users to upload or create word processing, spreadsheet and presentation documents, and save them to the Google Web site. It allows users to share and collaborate on documents with the capability to save the document within the Google index program or publish it to a Web site. Koren explained that while this program is a useful tool, risks and benefits should be considered. "You need to be smart about what you put out there," Koren said.

To start using Google Docs, all you need is to create a Google account and you can begin uploading and collaborating on documents. Throughout the workshop, Koren showed the capabilities of Google Docs in real time, allowing parents and alumni to see the benefits of the Web site. "It was very helpful. I think I would like to explore the program more," said Edwina Belding, parent of a current RIT student.

After the presentation, many parents and alumni lingered to ask Koren questions about the program.

"I think that this is a product that will constantly evolve," said Koren, presenter and user of Google Docs.