As the video indicates, "going google" is a new innovative way to collaborate, correct, and communicate on documents. It is fairly different from Microsoft Word in that it doesn't have exactly the same features, however, the use of google drive and documents is extremely relevant in education and my future classroom.
My partner and I collaborated on a google doc together during our time earlier for our class assignment, but we explored more of the editing possibilities during our GAIN time. I specifically wrote incorrect spellings and sure enough as I kept typing Jennifer was able to go back and correct my mistakes. It was amazing! We both enjoyed learning how to explore the peer editing aspect of google documents.
I have a bit of experience with google documents myself. My church history class here at Johnson utilized a google document for class notes and study guides. This document allowed us (60 students) to collaboratively keep track of the hundreds of people Professor Mead told stories about that were deeply connected throughout church history. This is just one way personally that I have had experience with the use of google documents in the classroom verses the use of multiple different separate word documents. Google documents allows for one copy instead of the confusing multiple copies of the same desired result.
One of the fascinating ways the secondary teachers utilized google docs in the classroom lesson plans was in a language arts classroom on a lesson about a historical novel, in this case My Brother Sam is Dead, students were asked to use a google document to collaboratively gather questions for each chapter as they read the novel. Also the class used the google documents tool to interact with selected vocabulary words and the teacher remained a collaborator as well and could go back and correct student misunderstandings of different definitions. Overall, in the classroom the use of google documents could be helpful in engaging students, and formative/summative assessments.
A second lesson plan out of the several I looked at that I loved was the collaborative book review lesson plan in the secondary school purpose section. The teacher used the tool of google documents to allow students to keep their reviews on one google document. This allowed students to review the some of the same novels and offer differing perspectives upon the same author and story. This remains so relevant to me as an educator because I believe that each person has their own perspective and approaches literature/story with differing life experiences. Therefore, each of us offers a unique perspective upon the human experience portrayed within the same novel as our best friend also reads. More often than not, the experience we bring to the story conveyed with deepen and stretch the thought of others. Therefore, the use of google documents in this particular lesson is perfect.
Overall, the experience I have gained this evening on google documents will deeply strengthen my ability to incorporate technology into the classroom, but will also aid in grouping and collaborative learning techniques. This was extremely helpful!
Excellent!
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