Instructify

BY BILL FERRIS

The web is full of free online word processors. EtherPad sets itself apart by letting multiple users collaborate in “really real” time. By that they mean you see someone else’s updates as they type them in. Google Docs, for example, has a considerable lag between updates, so contributors could unknowingly contradict or duplicate each other’s edits. With EtherPad, you can see your work partners wreaking havoc on your text as it happens.

EtherPad makes adding collaborators really easy. Just send everyone on a team your EtherPad URL, or type in their email address and EtherPad will invite them for you. Each collaborator’s text is highlighted in a different color so you can keep track of who wrote what. That means if Little Johnny wants to write that Little Suzy has cooties, it’ll be pretty obvious who the perp is. You’ll also be able to tell if one student is not adding much to the discussion, or if someone is overwhelming his or her classmates.

If you’re giving a group writing assignment, EtherPad is one of the best tools for it that I’ve seen. Want to start collaborating right now? Improve this review by going to http://etherpad.com/2al9zXHrV9 and add to it yourself.

[UPDATE 5/14/10: EtherPad's servers go offline today, meaning you can't start new pads, and existing projects, including our example pad mentioned above, are no more. However, Google has made EtherPad's source code open source, and you can find completely legal, fully functional EtherPad alternative sites. See EtherPad's announcement for more information.]

EtherPad

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