1 of 9 07/07/2011 17:12 Module 2 Cloud Computing Module 2 Cloud Computing "Spending on IT cloud services will triple in the next 5 years, reaching $42 billion worlwide." In cloud computing, the word "cloud" is used as a metaphor for "the Internet," so the phrase "cloud computing" is used to mean a type of Internet-based computing, where services (such as servers, storage, applications and so on) are delivered to the users computers and devices through the Internet as an on-demand service. There is no more installing and updating software on your own computer. You will simply log onto the site that runs the service and will do your creating/saving/editing/ in the cloud. Many of the cloud computing services are free and this and other modules in the course will look at some of these services.
2 of 9 07/07/2011 17:12 Intoduction What exactly is Cloud Computing? Cloud Computing is a term that is often bandied about the web these days. So just what is Cloud Computing? A basic definition of cloud computing is the use of the Internet for the tasks you perform on your computer. The "cloud" represents the Internet. Have you ever used Hotmail or Facebook? Then you have used the Cloud. You have used software (an email account for example) that is not installed on your computer. You have saved information onto a computer other than your own. This is the essence of Cloud Computing. It is about using the internet - the Cloud - to access programs that are not stored on your computer. Some people would say that Cloud Computing is really just hype for what many people already do. Others see it as a fundamental shift away from the traditional way of using your PC. In this module we are going to look at a cloud computing service that is being widely used by pupils and teachers worldwide. This application is called Google Docs and is like on online office suite that lets you create documents, spreadsheets, presentations and forms. You don't install anything on your computer and all the files you create are stored securely online as opposed to on your computers hard drive. All of Google Docs features are accessed through any internet connected computer. You can also share your documents with others and so several people can work collaboratively on the one document.
3 of 9 07/07/2011 17:12 Module Format Time: This module should take you 4 hours to complete, but may take longer depending on your familiarity with IT and the speed of your internet / broadband connection. Pre-knowledge This module does not require any pre-knowledge of Google Docs. This module is aimed at learners with no previous knowledge of the above service. Participants however are expected to be comfortable with internet browsing, working with folders and files, sending and checking email, copying and pasting links etc. It is recommended that your browser software is fairly recent. If you are having any problems accessing the services online then sometimes updating your browser to the latest version can help. Only do this though if you experience any difficulties. Internet Explorer 8 can be downloaded Here Mozilla Firefox 3.6 can be downloaded Here Module Objectives and Learning Outcomes. Having completed this module you should be enabled to: Have a greater understanding of Cloud Computing Use Google Docs to create store and share a range of documents
4 of 9 07/07/2011 17:12 Getting Started With Google Docs Since its introduction in 2006, Google Docs has changed the way people think about office productivity tools. First word-processing documents and spreadsheets and then slideshow-style presentations (which made their Google Docs debut in 2007). Unlike traditional productivity applications, which you buy, install on your computer, and later upgrade yourself (for an additional fee), Google Docs' applications are Web-based. That means your documents, spreadsheets, and presentations are stored on the Web, and you can access them from anywhere you have an Internet connection and a Web browser. Imagine the possibilities: No more having to remember to transfer a file from your desktop computer to your laptop before you hit the road. No more wondering whether the version you're working on is the current version. No more having to back up all your documents because Google stores them securely online. But one of the greatest advantages of Google Docs is the ability to share your documents with others and collaborate on them in real time. If you've ever collaborated by emailing a flurry of files or waiting for someone else to give you a document on a usb pen drive, you'll love collaborating in Google Docs. When you share a document with some collaborators, those people can sign in and work on the document whenever they want, from wherever they are. Multiple collaborators can work on a document at the same time. All edits happen to the current version of the document, so you never have to worry about working on an out-of-date file. If someone makes edits you need to undo, you can roll back to a previous version using Google Docs' revision history feature. Best of all, Google Docs is free. Yes, you heard that right-it won't cost you a penny to use. There's nothing to install on your computer, and Google takes care of fixing bugs and updating the applications. It's no wonder that millions of individuals are choosing Google Docs to create, edit, and store their documents. To see an overview of what google docs offers watch the following video. Click on the link to start the video. The video will open in a new window. Google Docs Overview So how does one get started with Google Docs. Well all you need is an internet connected computer and a Google account. 1. Go to www.docs.google.com 2. If you already have a Google account (for example a gmail account)enter your details and start using the application straight away 3. If you don't have a google account then click on the Create An Account link and set up your free account by filling in the details. You will have to verify the account by clicking a link in the email that you will receive on setting up the account. 4. The following video will take you through this process. Click on the link to watch the video. It will open in a new window Setting Up A Google Account Video Tutorial
5 of 9 07/07/2011 17:12 The Google Docs Workspace
6 of 9 07/07/2011 17:12 Having set up your account go to www.docs.google.com and log in to see your Google Docs Home Page There's a lot to see on the Docs home page, but it's divided into four main sections: A search box at the very top of the page next to that colorful Google logo. A left-hand menu that lets you organize and display your documents in various ways. The Docs list in the center of the page shows recently created or saved documents, along with information about each, such as who created it, who's sharing it (if anyone), and when it was created or last saved. A right hand panel that gives a preview of and information about any document that you have highlighted in the centre panel The Docs home page is where you go to find and open a document. It's also where you organize all the documents in your account. The following 2 videos will give you an overview of how to perform some basic tasks in the Google Docs homepage. It will show you: The Google Docs Interface How to search for and filter your documents How to create folders/collections to organise your documents How to upload/convert/download documents to and from google docs Click on the links to watch the videos. The videos will open in a new window. Using Google Docs Video Tutorial 1 Using Google Docs Video Tutorial 2 Having watched the video tutorial we would like you to: Log in to your Google Docs homepage at www.docs.google.com Upload a Microsoft document e.g. a word, excel or powerpoint document to your home page. If you use Microsoft office then upload any word processing/spreadsheet or presentation file that you might have on your computer. There are certain size limitations for files that you upload to Google docs. These are oulined below.if your file doesn't meet these requirements then google docs will not convert it into an editable document Create a New Folder/Collection and give it an appropriate name Move the uploaded file to this folder File types and storage limitations (Important!!) You can upload any file type to be stored in Google Docs, but you can convert only certain types of files to an editable Google Docs format. Things you need to remember while uploading a file to Google Docs, please keep the following in mind: You can only upload and convert these file types: For spreadsheets:.xls,.xlsx,.ods,.csv,.tsv,.txt,.tsb For documents:.doc,.docx,.html, plain text (.txt),.rtf For presentations:.ppt,.pps There are some file-size limits when uploading and converting existing files. Imported docs that you wish to convert to Google format can't be bigger than 1MB. Docs with images or logos are often larger than 1 MB. Maybe try deleting any large image from the document before uploading Imported Presentations like PowerPoint's that you wish to convert to Google format can't be larger than 10 MB For new files that you create with Google docs there are also file size limits. Presentations for instance can't be bigger than 10 MB in size. That is about 200 slides Your total storage for all your files in your Google docs account is currently 1GB If you've received an error message when trying to convert one of your files, wait a few minutes and try again. If you continue to see an error, the list below will help you troubleshoot the most common errors: We're sorry, a server error occurred. Please wait a bit and try again. This is a temporary error, try converting the file again in a few minutes. Document too large. Sorry, that file is corrupt, or an unknown format. Unable to convert document. The file is too large for the conversion process; consider dividing up the original file. The file cannot be converted. Check if it has a supported format. If the file has a supported format, try uploading it again. Try converting the file again in a few minutes. If it still doesn't convert you may need to upload the file again.
7 of 9 07/07/2011 17:12 Creating Content With Google Docs To get started on a new document, click the New button on the upper-left corner of the screen and then select the type of document you want to create. The following video will show you how to create documents in Google Docs. It will: 1. Show you how to create and format a word processing document 2. Show you how to create and format a spreadsheet document 3. Show you how to create and format a presentation document To watch the video click on the link below. The video will open in a new window. Using Google To Create a Word Processing Document Using Google Docs To Create a Spreedsheet Using Google Docs To Create a Presentation Having watched the video we would like you to: Log into your Google Docs Home Page at www.docs.google.com Create a new document, spreadsheet and presentation. Enter some content, images, etc and save these 3 files to your docs homepage When you create a new document sometimes you have to refresh your browser before the new document appears in your account. Also every time you create a new document it opens up in a new tab
8 of 9 07/07/2011 17:12 Sharing Documents With Google Docs The preceding section and videos have shown that the Google Docs word processor, spreadsheet and presentation applications are convenient, flexible, powerful, and easy to use. This section shows you what makes Google Docs revolutionary, going to the heart of how Google has changed the landscape of document creation: the ability to share a document with others, collaborating on it simultaneously in real time. Whether you're planning the itinerary for a family reunion, working on a group report for class, or putting together a project specification for work, collaborating on a shared document means that everyone who shares the document always has the latest version right at their fingertips. And you can work more efficiently because several people can edit the document at the same time-no more waiting for a document to be checked back in before you can work on it or wondering who's going to merge the changes three different editors made. This chapter tells you all about sharing and collaborating on a Google Docs document, The following video will show you how to share documents that you create within Google Docs. Click on the link below to watch the video. It will open in a new window. Sharing in Google Docs Having watched the video we would like you to be able to find the url link for one of your documents. This is important because as an assignment at the end of this module we want you to paste the link to a document, that you created and have saved in Google Docs, to the discussion forum for this module. To do this: 1. From your docs homepage click to the left of the document you want to share. This highlights the document 2. Click Actions>Share>Sharing Settings 3. In Sharing settings your document will be listed as private. Click on the change link to allow access to your document. 4. Select the option to make the document visible to "Anyone with the link" Then click save 5. You will see the link to your document. Right click on the link and click copy 6. Now you will be able to paste the url of your document
9 of 9 07/07/2011 17:12 Module Assignment As a module assignment we would like you to: 1. Using Google Docs create 2 new documents. A word processing document / spreadsheet document / presentation document (You may have done this earlier in the module. If so then those documents can be used for this assignment). You do this by logging into your Google Docs account at www.docs.google.com and clicking on create new. Put some content into each document and save them. Please note that if you are inserting an image into your presentation document then the image has to be less than 2mb in size. This is a limit set by google docs. 2. Get the url link for each document that you created. You do this by clicking to the left of the document to highlight and then clicking Actions>Share>Sharing Settings. You then have to click the change option and then under visibility options select anyone with the link and click on save. The link to your document will then be visible. Do this for each document one at a time 3.Right click on the link and click copy. Then go and paste it into the discussion forum area for this module. Your post to the discussion forum for this module should contain 2 links to the documents that you created. The link below will take you to the discussion forum area for this module. Add some comments on what you thought of Google Docs and how you might use it. Module 2 Discussion Forum Instructions on posting to the discussion forum: When the discussion forum link opens, click on "Add new discussion topic". (see the images below) A new window will open up. In the subject text box enter Google Docs Project. (see the images below) In the message area paste in the urls of your documents, any comments you might have and then click the "Post to forum" link at the bottom. That's it!!