Pages vs. Google Docs vs. Notability - Which App Do I Use?

Pages vs. Google Docs (Google Drive) vs. Notability - Which App Do I Use

You will find yourself using two primary applications for word processing at Tampa Prep.  One is an app called Pages and the other is Google Docs (i.e. the Document function in Google Drive).  While both apps provide similar functionality, you will find that your word processing and page layout capabilities are greater in Pages.  Google Docs has some functional limitations compared to Pages.  If you need to adhere to MLA standards you want to use Pages and perhaps, Google Docs on Google Drive.  Notability is intended for annotating a document/drwing or marking up a document/drawing that you are given by your teacher.  Notability is not meant to be used to submit homework assignments which require MLA formatting.

Pages is a full-blown word processing and page layout application.  You can embed images, add many different kinds of formatting and include tables and charts, etc. in your documents.  Pages includes many different templates for you to choose from to use for your word processing needs.  Documents created in Pages may also be saved in many different formats including .docx (commonly referred to as Word documents) and .pdf (commonly referred to as pdfs).  You can adhere to MLA formatting standards easily using Pages.  One limitation, as we have recently discovered, is that Pages cannot automatically display line numbers.  There is a workaround for this, however.  Please contact me if you need a template with line numbers for assignments.

Google Dirve contains an online Office-like suite of services which includes basic word processing (Docs), spreadsheets (Spreadsheet) and presenation (Presentation) software. Google Drive allows real-time collaboration with others for editing, commenting, creation, etc. Documents may be saved in formats such as .pdf, .rtf, text, etc.  Items created using Google Drive are not as elaborate as items created using other apps such as Pages, Numbers or Keynote which have greater functionality.  

Typically, you will want to use Pages if you have a term paper or other document that you need to create that requires more attention in the form of images, charts, specialized formatting, fonts, etc.  Google Drive is good for a quick document, such as responding to homework questions  or work that basically requires a relatively simply formatted document.  Please note that if your teacher requires you to submit a document that is double spaced in Google Drive, you will need to first log into Google Drive on the web (via an Internet browser), opt to create a new document and set the spacing to double-spaced there prior to typing the document in the Google Drive App on the iPad.  Doing this will set the spacing default to double -spaced in Google Drive on the iPad.  It might help to select the Desktop version of Google Drive when you open it in the browser as opposed to leaving it set to the mobile version for ease of access to formatting options in a document.  Notability is best for annotating (marking, writing or drawing on a document). Please be sure that you have set Notability to sync with Google Drive.  We cannot recover Notes from Notability unless they are backed up...  Check to be sure that you have your Pages, Keynote and Numbers set to back up to iCloud as well. (Settings, select app (Pages, Keynote or Numbers) and toggle "Backup to iCloud" to the "On" position.  Create an initial backup!

When in doubt - use Pages to ensure that you are following MLA standards.  Do not be afraid to ask for clarification or help if something is not clear.  You can ask a teacher, ask your advisor or come see me or email me.  We are all here to help.