Etherpad is a collaborative writing tool that is particularly suitable for asynchronous group work: brainstorming, collecting ideas, drafting texts, etc. Etherpad offers a kind of digital notepad (1) with basic formatting options (2) on which several people, e.g., all group or course members, can write at the same time. It can be integrated into ILIAS courses and groups via “Add object”.

The author colors can be used to assign changes to the people involved. The colors can also be deactivated if necessary.

Various functions can be activated/deactivated via the settings (3), e.g., a chat window can be opened for parallel discussion (4) and the author colors can be displayed. In addition, Etherpad can also be write-protected via this option. This can be useful when the writing process is complete and you want to leave the pad visible for documentation purposes.

The text is automatically saved continuously. You can view the complete history of the pad using a “slider” and export any version in various formats (.doc, .pdf, .html, etc.) (5).

If you are looking for a low-threshold writing tool for collaborative work, Etherpad is the perfect choice.