The Digital Life- Type Anywhere With Google Docs

Thumb drives are perfect for the on the go student, so small you can plug them into the back of your school computer and forget them and so pocketable you don't notice when you put them through the wash.  Before if you were working on a project both at school and at home you would need to carry one of these, but not anymore.  We are about to step into the world of cloud computing.

What you'll need:
Hardware: A computer running Windows XP or higher
Software: A Google account, Microsoft Office and OffiSync

Step 1: OffiSync-Installing

First we need to download OffiSync, the software we will use to synchronize our files to Google Docs.  Go to  http://www.offisync.com/download.html and click "Download Free Version". Next, run through the install process.

Step 2: Configuring the Software

Now that OffiSync is installed we can set it up to work with Google Docs.  First we need to open Microsoft Word.  When Word opens you should see a new toolbar, if you don't, right click the toolbar and select OffiSync from the dropdown menu.  On the OffiSync toolbar we are going to click the save icon, which will prompt you to accept the EULA.  After you have accepted, enter your Google account information and click "OK"

Step 3: Saving to Google Docs

When you have entered your information you will be brought to the Saving dialogue where we will specify a file name and where we want to save the file.  You may be presented with a message stating that you do not have any Google Sites, ignore this as we are focusing on Google docs right now.  Expand the Google Docs menu and select your destination folder (Folders can be added in Google Docs).  Then type your filename and click save.  Note: Do not select "Keep as Office file format" as your file will not be editable in Google Docs

Step 4: Editing Your Uploaded Files

With your file(s) now uploaded and organized in Google Docs we need to be able to make changes to them.  For this we have two options: Word or Google Docs.  To edit in Word: open up a blank document and click "Open and search for files" on the OffiSync toolbar.  You will  be brought to a page similar to the one used to save files.  Again we are going to expand Google Docs and select the folder where you saved your file, select the file and click "Open"  To edit in Google Docs: open Google Docs, click your file and you're done.