Click here for Jing video of me trying out Google Docs.
I played with Google Docs a little bit and it seems pretty easy to use for a college student like me. I uploaded a word document and was able to edit it just like with Microsoft Word, I also was able to send the document to my mom for editing and received her comments right on the actual document instead of me having to open a new similar document and saving it to my computer so I could adjust the older version. It makes it so much easier because then I'm not having to compare two separate documents on my computer and then edit the older version and send it in an e-mail to be edited again. As the video below explains it would cut down on a lot of the document clutter that people who need to do a lot of editing of documents experience.
With Google Docs you are able to access your documents from any computer since it is over the internet. The advantages of Google Docs being used in the classroom would be that students would be able to upload their documents to the Google Docs, so they could access them from a computer at the school. You could use this technology to have students peer edit each others work or even have you the teacher do an edit of the paper before the assignment is actually due. It would be a good way to turn in papers so that they can't say they forgot to print it or anything. It would allow easier access to the students documents for the teacher and the grading could be done on the Google Docs and returned quicker.
The disadvantages of Google Docs would be that it is a little more advanced then most programs and could probably only be used in higher level education like middle school or high school. You could possibly use it with younger students if their parents could help them with it. One way to use it in the younger grades would be as a way of communicating with parents. Letters that need to be sent home could be uploaded to Google Docs instead and then parents could go on and access the letters without worrying about the student not giving the letter to their parents.
I think that Google docs is a new and innovative way to do peer editing. Before, peer editing seem like such a long process with either opening files, struggling to read handwriting, or just waiting to receive the work. With Google Docs one can access their edited paper with just a click of a button. I think this is a great idea!
ReplyDeleteAw that's really cool! Thanks for posting that video- I was really confused about how it worked. Hope you do well with your google doc module this week. My email is mcgrewem@msu.edu so you can invite me as a collaborator for it.
ReplyDeleteI think google docs arent definitely useful. However, i do think its better for an older group of students, high schoolers or college kids, rather than the lower grades.
ReplyDeleteWhoa! That Jing thing is cool! I want to try it now. :D
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