Google Docs is a program included in G Suite and is used to create documents. Documents created with Google Docs are saved in the cloud on Google Drive and are linked to your Google account. This means that no matter what device you are on, you can access your documents as long as you have an internet connection.
Accessing Google at IU
All students, faculty, and staff at Indiana University have a Google account linked to their IU account. This account can be accessed through the Google at IU page.
If you are not affiliated with Indiana University, continue to the next section.
To access the Google at IU page, in your browser's address bar, type:
Today we will be working with an existing document. We will modify some of the formatting to make the document easier to read and more interesting. We will work with features of Google Docs to adjust spacing, add an image, and add a table.
Now that you have logged in to Google, you can copy the practice file and begin working. As soon as you begin making changes to the document, all of your edits will be automatically saved to Google Drive.
Copying the practice document
To follow along with the steps in this course, you will need to copy the practice document to your Google Drive.
To begin copying the practice document in a new browser window,
The file begins to open in a new window of the web browser. Before the document will open and can be edited, we need to make a copy of it.
Move to the new browser window.
To copy the document file, in the browser window,
Click
A copy of the file is now open and, by default, is saved in your Google Drive. The filename now has the words "Copy of" at the beginning.
Exploring the Google Docs interface
Now that Google Docs is open, take a moment to study the diagram below to learn the vocabulary we will be using throughout this course.
In the upper left corner is the document name, Copy of Google Docs: The Basics - Introducing Google Docs. Under the name is the menu bar consisting of menu items such as File, Edit, and Insert. Under the menu bar is the toolbar. This contains small buttons that represent tools.
