Google Docs

It took awhile but I'm starting to explore the various online technologies available to utilize in the classroom. I've been following Richard Byrne's blog, "Free Technology For Teachers" with it's plethora of outstanding free (mostly) online resources.

After using Google Docs in my graduate program, I found a need for it in my Computer Technology class. During our team video projects, the students need to collaborate and create a script. Instead of students sitting around and working on one computer, they are able to edit the same document in real time. I can also view the team's progress and include comments and suggestions on their scripts. There is no need to send a Word document as an attachment back and forth to each other anymore and figuring out which version is the most recent. We've also used the Google Docs slide presentation when each team presented their specific topic in Cyber Citizenship with success.

The students have discovered that if they collaborate on the same sentence or on the same slide, they cancel each other's edits. Other than that, it's a pretty cool tool.