Google Doc seems to be a very useful technology that allows students and teachers to create, store, and share files, spreadsheets, and presentations online. Students can work on the file from home then go to school and access the same file. This technology assumes that every student has access to the internet from their home. Of course, most students do have access but not every student does.
http://www.google.com/educators/p_docs.html
I had not used Google Doc until a previous class where a presentation was posted and shared for each student to make changes/revisions. It was a great way to work on a presentation since students were located in different states and taking an online course. The only issue I had with Google Doc was that with 6 or 7 users accessing the presentation at approximately the same time, it slowed the response time. However, the fact that we all were able to work on a project from multiple locations without trying to email a large file was great!
I can see the benefits of Google Doc for teachers just in the reduction of paperwork. As a teacher of a 4th grade class, the amount of papers was tremendous and overwhelming in my first year of teaching. I carried a tote with hundreds of papers to grade, everywhere I went just to keep up. Now teachers can access Google Doc with almost any wireless device.
Google Doc would be a useful tool for writing assignments as well as accomplishing peer-reviews. Students could work on their writing projects at night and have access the next day (no excuses, I forgot my papers). The ability for a teacher to track the revisions would show the work progress of each student.
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/6043448/teacher_insights_using_google_documents.html
This type of technology is essential for teachers to know about and use in the classroom. Now that I am familiar with Google Doc, I can think of numerous ways that I could have included it in my classroom instruction. I contacted my friends that are still teaching and was informed that they utilize Google Doc in the classroom daily.
It is too late for me as I am no longer teaching but I wonder if there are other teachers that should be using Google Doc but don’t. I will continue to use it even outside the classroom as it is convenient to share files, spreadsheets, and presentations with co-workers. Large file are difficult to email and can be stripped out of the email due to security setting on military installations.
alcornopeas 