To get started I took a Google Docs Tour and found a video where teachers have only good things to say about the new technology (obviously a Google promotion, but what they say is true). Google docs has made some classes, where computers are available in schools, a lot more interactive; people learn, the best, by doing, and not just by listening to a teacher's lecture. In the video the teachers found that students are more excited to learn and have raised the level of their work because they know that a lot more people will be looking and criticizing their work; especially, if they publish their work onto the web for all of their parents and peers to view. http://www.flickr.com/photos/14922438@N00/ /CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
A good way a teacher can incorporate Google Docs is in a Language Arts/English class. When writing papers, students can create their own documents. To get started they can type their rough drafts and after they're done, share their document with other students and the teacher, who can then edit the draft. Utilizing the revision history will help in finishing up a final copy that will be published and submitted to the teacher.
Another way Google Docs is useful for teachers is to post quizzes. Check out the "how-to" slideshow in the blog, Free Technology For Teachers.
I like your idea about using a Google Doc through the writing process. Do you remember all of the many drafts we'd get back in high school papers? Quite unorganized. I think Google Docs are a great organizational tool, and I couldn't think of a better way to use it!
ReplyDeleteI agree that students might be more "into" a paper on a Google Doc because more people can access and critique it. Additionally, students might be able to dish out and receive constructive criticism better than they would if they were sitting face-to-face!