Google Docs (Thing #20)

My first reaction to Google docs was-why?

Why would I bother when I’m so comfortable with Microsoft Office? I can e-mail myself a document so it’s available anywhere I have an Internet connection. Well, once I started playing around with it I realized its utility.

First, students will have a much easier time collaborating on projects/presentations with Google docs. They can share the finished work online and I can look at the revision history to see who did most of the work.

Peer edits can now be assigned for homework. Previously, I had to do this in class so they could mark-up each other’s paper.

I also like the idea of assigning a particular topic for the students to research. The students can report their findings to a single doc which I could save and use as a resource folder later.

For example, let’s say I’m teaching comparative advantage in economics. I can have students go out and find a real-world article demonstrating the concept, a video clip, a political cartoon, an explanation of the concept and so forth. If they all save it to the same document we’ll all have a great resource. The best thing is that it’ll be there when it comes time to study for the test!

I like it.