Google Docs' sharing features enable you and your students to decide exactly who can access and edit documents. You'll find that Google Docs helps promote group work and peer editing skills, and that it helps to fulfill the stated goal of The National Council of Teachers of English, which espouses writing as a process and encourages multiple revisions and peer editing.
Teachers are using Google Docs both to publish announcements about upcoming assignments and to monitor student progress via an interactive process which allows you to give guidance when it might be of maximum benefit – while your student is still working on an assignment. Through the revisions history, you can see clearly who contributed to what assignment and when; if a student says he or she worked on a given project over the last two weeks, it will be documented (no more "dog ate my homework" excuses).
Students will find that Google Docs can help them stay organized and keep on top of their assignments. They never have to remember to save their work; it happens automatically. It's easy to collaborate online with fellow students, even when they aren't in the same place, and they can get feedback easily from teachers, parents, relatives and tutors, and enter updates anytime from anywhere. And kids can go back to the revisions history to see how their assignment has evolved, and who has helped.
Some real-life example of Google Docs collaboration in action:
In October of 2007, Google held a "Global Warming Student Speakout". We invited teachers to join us in a project that gave students from all over a chance to collectively brainstorm strategies for fighting global warming and have their ideas published in a full-page ad in a major newspaper. If you're interested to see how we used Google for this, check out the Global Warming Student Speakout site.
Revision is a critical piece of the writing process—and of your classroom curriculum. Now, Google Docs has partnered with Weekly Reader's *Writing for Teens* magazine to help you teach it in a meaningful and practical way. Download the PDF.
"In the Acalanes Union High School District teachers across the curriculum are using Google Docs to expand collaborative learning. In World History classes several teachers revamped student presentations on Imperialism from in-class Power Points to collaborative online Google Docs presentations. This enabled students to test their ideas and showcase their work to a larger audience. Advanced Placement classes in English and European History moved peer edited outlines and essays to Google Docs enabling students to access learning 24/7. In psychology, one teacher re-focused student research papers to include a Google Docs component so student research results are shared.
Students appreciate the ability to collaborate online in their own time frame. Teachers as well as students appreciate the stronger accountability for individual effort on group projects. Google Docs enables teachers to observe the projects as they unfold, giving students feedback prior to the final outcome. Teachers are able to individually assess student participation and content using the revision tab on Google Docs to see how editing is proceeding and to encourage students as they work.
And the students aren't the only ones using Docs to collaborate. At one school, parent council meeting agendas and meeting outcomes are in Google Docs. Also department chair and staff meeting agendas have moved from paper to Docs encouraging staff leadership, collaboration, feedback and 24/7 access."
Name: Cheryl Davis
Grades: High School (9-12)
Title: Technology Coordinator - Acalanes Union High School District
School: Acalanes Union High School District
Location: Lafayette, California, United States
"Many of my students use Google Docs when they are working in teams, both with essays and presentations. In some point of progress, the students invite me to join them and have a look at and give comments on their work. It helps me, as a teacher, to be able to participate in the process, not just see the final product. The students also appreciate that they can work without having to think about different software at home and at school."
Name: Olof Andersson
Grades: Year 7 to 9
Subjects: Mathematics and science
School: Kvarnbergsskolan
Location: Gustavsberg, Värmdö, Sweden
Website or blog: http://blog.olofandersson.eu
"In my attempt to avoid sitting through days and days of PowerPoint presentations in my high school computer classes (and boring the students in the process), I decided to upload each of my students Online Safety PowerPoint's to a Google account and the class joined the presentation. One student talked aloud while everyone listened and chatted about the presentation. The students asked questions in the chat, added their own information and followed along in the presentation.
For the first time I can EVER remember as a teacher - 100% of the students were engaged in the presentation and participated in the chat. The students were enthusiastic and offered insightful and appropriate comments. The students liked being able to add their input without interrupting the presentation. I will definitely use Google shared presentations again."
Help students create digital stories, escrapbooks, projects and reports
Teach about creating effective presentations - basics and "beyond bullet points"
Provide a mechanism for groups of students or colleagues to work collaboratively on a presentation
Provide multimedia alternatives for book reports and book reviews
Help students and teacher create better presentations
Structure meetings
Structure presentations to groups
Provide background for a guest speaker
Provide media center orientation information - available to all at any time
Enhance wikis
Create interest in a topic, title, or author
Demonstrate new technology tools
Create promotions for new titles and events
Create visuals for morning news programs
Make training and workshop presentations available for review
Record school and media center events and make them available to parents, teachers, students
Present new information to teachers and/or students
Promote book fairs and special events
Create presentations to parents - available later online for review or for those who could not attend
Organize research on topics of interest
Create slideshows and online presentations for and with teachers on unit or lesson topics and make available to students from the media center, classrooms or homes
Create templates for student work
Work collaboratively on a presentation with a colleague
Present remotely - without having to carry equipment or worry about fonts, etc.
Create step by step tutorials on any topic with photos, illustrations, narration, audio
Create online booktalks and trailers for new titles or topics of interest
Create templates for projects and research reports - group or individual
Activity 2 - Classroom Examples
Review the examples below in order to see how Google Docs can be used in the classroom.How Students and Teachers can use Google Docs
Google Docs' sharing features enable you and your students to decide exactly who can access and edit documents. You'll find that Google Docs helps promote group work and peer editing skills, and that it helps to fulfill the stated goal of The National Council of Teachers of English, which espouses writing as a process and encourages multiple revisions and peer editing.
Teachers are using Google Docs both to publish announcements about upcoming assignments and to monitor student progress via an interactive process which allows you to give guidance when it might be of maximum benefit – while your student is still working on an assignment. Through the revisions history, you can see clearly who contributed to what assignment and when; if a student says he or she worked on a given project over the last two weeks, it will be documented (no more "dog ate my homework" excuses).
Students will find that Google Docs can help them stay organized and keep on top of their assignments. They never have to remember to save their work; it happens automatically. It's easy to collaborate online with fellow students, even when they aren't in the same place, and they can get feedback easily from teachers, parents, relatives and tutors, and enter updates anytime from anywhere. And kids can go back to the revisions history to see how their assignment has evolved, and who has helped.
A great site on how to use Google Tools in the Classroom:
http://googletools.barrow.wikispaces.net/
Some real-life example of Google Docs collaboration in action:
In October of 2007, Google held a "Global Warming Student Speakout". We invited teachers to join us in a project that gave students from all over a chance to collectively brainstorm strategies for fighting global warming and have their ideas published in a full-page ad in a major newspaper. If you're interested to see how we used Google for this, check out the Global Warming Student Speakout site.
Revision is a critical piece of the writing process—and of your classroom curriculum. Now, Google Docs has partnered with Weekly Reader's *Writing for Teens* magazine to help you teach it in a meaningful and practical way. Download the PDF.
Teachers speak out
Students appreciate the ability to collaborate online in their own time frame. Teachers as well as students appreciate the stronger accountability for individual effort on group projects. Google Docs enables teachers to observe the projects as they unfold, giving students feedback prior to the final outcome. Teachers are able to individually assess student participation and content using the revision tab on Google Docs to see how editing is proceeding and to encourage students as they work.
And the students aren't the only ones using Docs to collaborate. At one school, parent council meeting agendas and meeting outcomes are in Google Docs. Also department chair and staff meeting agendas have moved from paper to Docs encouraging staff leadership, collaboration, feedback and 24/7 access."
Name: Cheryl Davis
Grades: High School (9-12)
Title: Technology Coordinator - Acalanes Union High School District
School: Acalanes Union High School District
Location: Lafayette, California, United States
Name: Olof Andersson
Grades: Year 7 to 9
Subjects: Mathematics and science
School: Kvarnbergsskolan
Location: Gustavsberg, Värmdö, Sweden
Website or blog: http://blog.olofandersson.eu
"In my attempt to avoid sitting through days and days of PowerPoint presentations in my high school computer classes (and boring the students in the process), I decided to upload each of my students Online Safety PowerPoint's to a Google account and the class joined the presentation. One student talked aloud while everyone listened and chatted about the presentation. The students asked questions in the chat, added their own information and followed along in the presentation.
For the first time I can EVER remember as a teacher - 100% of the students were engaged in the presentation and participated in the chat. The students were enthusiastic and offered insightful and appropriate comments. The students liked being able to add their input without interrupting the presentation. I will definitely use Google shared presentations again."
Name: Colette Cassinelli
Grades: 7-12
Subjects: Computer Applications, Graphic Design, Digital Video Production
School: Valley Catholic School
Location: Beaverton, Oregon
Website or Blog:http://www.edtechvision.org
Overview for Educators (Presentation) http://docs.google.com/Present?docid=ddnctvgt_170cbskvf68&skipauth=true
Source:http://www.google.com/educators/p_docs.html
Other Google Document Examples:
Google Docs UsesSource: http://webtools4u2use.wikispaces.com/Word+Processing+%26+Productivity+Tools
Google Presenter Examples
Online Presentation software uses:Source: http://webtools4u2use.wikispaces.com/Presentation+Tools