Google Docs! I absolutely love this new tool! I like the ability of collaboration without a million meetings trying to be arranged around everyone's schedule. I like the idea of students also being able to collaborate with one another. I think it would boost morale in the classroom as well as create a "team" atmosphere where all students feel vested in the work of their classmates. The last minute passing of the USB drives at the end of every class period in hopes that everyone gets their work saved without being tardy to the next class is also put at rest with the use of Google Docs. I like the fact that this tool allows students to save their documents and access them from any computer due to the fact that our computer labs get booked at times and they might not always be in the same lab or on the same computer during the life of the lesson.
Issues again as always is having enough computers to assign students work on a computer. They do not all have computers at home and choose not to use the public computers in the community, so this is sometimes an obstacle when planning assignments such as this. Another concern would be how much independent work is the student actually doing on his or her project, rather than letting others complete it for them. I know the idea is collaboration, but how far will they take that?
I think this might be useful while working on a 6 weeks project where the students can work at their own pace (within a 6 week period) on the 3 available computers I have in my classroom as they finish assignments early or as we have down time. Other students will still be able to comment or help out other students that have worked at different times. I think Google Doc could be used during cross curriculum projects between my science class and the technology class for example, since they all have access to computers during that particular class period. They might can use the 10 minute journal time at the beginning of technology to visit Google Docs for science class. I'm sure that teacher would love for me to take up some of her precious time! It's a thought anyway :o]
I'm thinking I could use Google Docs while writing a new parent/student letter for the beginning of the year or while getting ideas projects together for Community Science night each semester with the other grade level science teachers. This would be a great way to collaborate project lists between grade levels for CSN to see what projects are going on and to make sure none are duplicated. Material lists via emails are also something that could be handled more easily for CSN or labs by Google Docs.
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Great ideas for using this tool!
ReplyDeleteI especially like the idea of being able to use Google Docs to collaborate with co-workers on projects and planning sessions. What I like about the tool is that anyone in the group can edit the doc at a time that's convenient for him or her. So, for example, if we're working on a presentation together, you can work on it first period during your conference time, and I can work on it fifth period during my conference time, and, as you pointed out, we don't have to go through the hassle of trying to find a time when we're both free.
I also love the idea of students being able to store their work on Google docs instead of having to share a USB drive among a whole class. The main problem I've run into when trying to use it with students, though, is that they have to have an email address to use it, and many of them are unable to log on to their email accounts while at school. Hopefully if enough of us express a desire to use it, though, that problem can be solved!
I LOVE the idea of using docs for cross-curricular activities, and I'm SURE that the technology teacher would love for you to take up some of her class time! ;P
Great response! Thing 7 complete! Only one more to go...