Productivity & Utility

Applications used to produce documents, spreadsheets, diagrams, bibliographies, or to accomplish clerical work and applications that are either a component of the operating system or helps to extend the operating system in some way including applications to visualize operating system environments. As well, applications focus on the direct transfer of files between two computers.

Google Apps

December 20, 2013 by Alex Chapin
Categories: Analysis & ModelingProductivity & Utility

google-apps-icon

Availability: UNCC Community
Components: Docs, Sheets, Drawing, Slides
Comparable: OpenOffice, Microsoft Office

Google Apps is a service from Google providing independently customizable versions of several Google products under a custom domain name. UNC Charlotte has Google Apps for Education which  integrated with Active Directory.

Google Apps features several Web applications with similar functionality to traditional office suites, including Gmail, Google Groups, Google Calendar, Drive, Docs and Sites.Read more…

Tags: clouddrivestorage

Google Docs

February 24, 2015 by Andy Voelker
Categories: Productivity & Utility

Availability: Faculty/Staff
Part of: Google Apps
Comparable: OpenOffice, Word

Google Docs is a cloud-based word processor that can be accessed directly through any web browser.  Documents are automatically saved to Google’s servers (Google Drive), and a revision history is automatically kept so past edits may be viewed (although this only works for adjacent revisions, and there is currently no way to find and isolate changes in long documents). Documents can be tagged and archived for organizational purposes.

Docs also gives users the ability to share the document.  Typically when a normal document is shared the recipient accesses a copy from one point in time.  With a Google Doc the document is shared in real-time, so recipients can always access the most recent version of the document.  Doc owners can also grant permissions for the recipient to comment on the document, edit, or revision.  This introduces real-time collaboration, where multiple users can be editing the same document simultaneously, see each others’ edits, and even chat with each other in a sidebar.  There are many other powerful features in Google Docs.

UNCC has the basic Google Apps suite available for all faculty, staff, and students.

 

Tags: cloudword processor

Google Drawing

February 26, 2015 by Andy Voelker
Categories: Design & VisualizationMultimediaProductivity & Utility

Availability: Faculty/Staff
Part of: Google Apps
Comparable: GIMP, OpenOffice

Google Drawing is a basic cloud-based paint/drawing application that can be accessed directly through any web browser.  Drawing is useful for making basic sketches, diagrams, and performing basic image editing.  Drawings are automatically saved to Google’s servers (Google Drive), and a revision history is automatically kept so past edits may be viewed (although this only works for adjacent revisions, and there is currently no way to find and isolate changes in long documents). Documents can be tagged and archived for organizational purposes.

Drawing also gives users the ability to share the document.  Typically when a normal document is shared the recipient accesses a copy from one point in time.  With a Google Drawing the document is shared in real-time, so recipients can always access the most recent version of the document.  Sheet owners can also grant permissions for the recipient to comment on the document, edit, or revision.  This introduces real-time collaboration, where multiple users can be editing the same document simultaneously, see each others’ edits, and even chat with each other in a sidebar.

Tags: cloud