Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Thing 7
Google Docs - gone are the days of floppy discs and flash drives with the use of this tool. I remember when I first started teaching, and trying to find ways to help students to save their information, and being able to reopen the documents, edit, etc. Wow, this is such a cool tool! I have learned so much from this, and I know this would be an invaluable tool for teachers. It is such a struggle to overcome the lack of technology necessary to be successful in schools, but this is a valuable way for students to have access to documents regardless of where or what they are working on. The group editing feature is also amazing, knowing that a teacher can monitor who all has contributed to the document would also greatly encourage the use of rubrics, and help to provide a backup for documentation purposes. The video about the school that was saved using this tool is inspiring to think that through the use of technology alone, the students interest in education raised tremendously. This year, I worked with a teacher who needed this very tool to help with tracking her students work, so yeah! The only issue I could think of is the students having accounts, but I am sure we caan work through that one. I am thrilled to know about this.
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I, too, was extremely happy to discover Google Docs because it gave me a place to safely "save" things and allowed me to access those documents from any computer.
ReplyDeleteI also see great potential for this in the classroom. For example, when working on a group project, kids don't need to crowd around a single computer; instead, with Google Docs, they can edit and collaborate simultaneously from their own computers.
I like what you had to say about the school "saved" by Google Docs. I think that integrating technology into a lesson is often a great way to engage and motivate students. Getting the opportunity to use something like Google Docs can draw students into a task, and when the technological tool is used appropriately and is well-suited to the assignment, it can be such a rewarding learning experience!
Thing 7 complete!