Media and Tech for Teachers: November 2009

Tuesday, November 24, 2009

Online Word Processors

Web-Based Word Processors

by http://askbobrankin.com/free_online_word_processors.html#

Word processing software is one of the most common applications found in offices and homes around the world. The top two word processors,
Microsoft Word and Corel's Word Perfect, are very capable, but are also
expensive and require a lot of disk space on your computer. There are
some excellent free and open source word processors
you can download, but you still have to install and maintain the
software. And all of these are "landlocked" in the sense that it's
difficult to collaborate and share documents with others online.

Fortunately, there are several free online
web-based word processors that you can use to create, edit, publish and
share files online -- without having to purchase or install any
software. Here are reviews of the online word processors that are
leading the pack...

Google Docs

Google Docs web-based word processor Google Docs
(formerly Writely) was not the first online word processor, but I
mention it first becasue Google is a trusted name when it comes to
online applications. Google Docs not only offers you a great online
word processor, but it also provides you with online spreadsheet
and presentation programs as well. This suite of products is similar to
the Microsoft Office suite, and it is completely compatible with
Microsoft Office products and files.

Google Docs offers most of the same formatting features that
Microsoft's Word does, however, it also offers you the option of
publishing and sharing your files online live. There's no software
to install, and no hard disk space required. All of the software, as
well as the files you create, are stored online. You can access your
documents from any computer with an internet connection.

Buzzword (class account media350@gmail.com, eclions)

Buzzword online word processor

Buzzword
is another free online word processor that you can use. It was created
by Adobe and functions much like Google Docs, although the interface is
a little sexier. You can save files created in Buzzword in DOC and RTF
file formats. In order to use this WP you will need to have Flash
Player 9 and sign up for a free Buzzword user account.

The current version of Buzzword is a "preview" version that allows
you to compose, edit share and publish documents. It's possible that
Adobe will release a fee-based version with advanced features at some
point, but I hope they will find some other way to monetize this
venture and keep it free. Regardless, you can take advantage of this
slick online freeware word processing app now.

iNetWord (class account setup)

InetWord online word processor

If you're looking for an online word processor that has nearly all the features that Word has, and that is also Internet friendly, then iNetWord
could be what you are looking for. This free web-based word processor
will allow you to format and compose documents similar to how you would
in Word. Some differences between iNetWord and Microsoft Word: Word
will allow you to customize your character styles, it has a grammar
check and it has point level fonts whereas iNetWord doesn't. iNetWord
allows you to share folders and publish to the web with a single click
of the mouse whereas Word can't.

iNetWord takes a while to load, even with a broadband connection,
but it does offer an impressive feature set including spell check,
tables, merge fields, multiple document support, and the ability to
track changes in a document.

(iNetWord is in Beta. Registration requires a phone number and an email. I cannot recommend it for school use.)

ThinkFree

ThinkFree online office suite

ThinkFree
is yet another free online based word processor. It, like other online
word processing suites, offers a word processor, a spreadsheet and a
presentation platform. What I like about this particular online word
processor is that it offers you up to 1 GB of storage space for your
documents and files. I also like that this Java based program will be
offering several updates during 2008 including: better security
architecture, enhanced AMI structures, enhanced scalability, new
templates and a upgrade release scheduled for sometime between April
and June 2008.

It is easy to see that many facets of business and personal
productivity are quickly moving to the virtual realm. In order to keep
up, most business tools and software programs

will need to integrate themselves with the Internet in order to remain
viable. Free online word processors are just the start of the virtual
office transition, so keep your eyes open for new virtual tools that
can make getting stuff done even easier.