Module 3

My Learning Experiences

I enjoyed watching the video tutorials about Google docs on Atomic Learning. They were step by step and easy to follow. There were however HEAPS of them. I mainly focused on learning the basics of creating a document. I created one around a lunch time dance program that I am co-ordinating next term with another teacher from my school (who is also doing this course) and shared it with her. I made her a ‘collaborator’ so she can add and edit the document. This actually took longer than expected, as it wouldn’t work at first. It took me a while to realize that you can only make other people collaborators who have google accounts, so once I put in her gmail account it worked. I now look forward to having a go at creating more Google docs including Spreadsheets, Presentations and Forms.

Google docs in the Classroom

There are so many things about Google docs that make it easy to use in the classroom and accessible for students:
-It is available 24 hours 7 days a week globally- so students can access it at home or school
-It saves work automatically
-There are various kinds of documents that can be used/ created
-It allows for online edits in real time, which is great for
1. Student collaboration in group tasks
2. Teacher/ peer/ student feedback
3. Makes the lesson interactive
4. Teachers can easily monitor what students are doing- who is putting in what percentage of work in a group task

Finally, I think the biggest benefit of Google docs in the classroom is how it could motivate students to improve the quality of their work, as they are no longer producing work just for one teacher to see, but their peers and parents. It allows students to become publishers on a world-wide stage.