Google Docs in Education

Google Docs in Education

Many of you are probably familiar with Google Docs, a WIKI style tool by Google that allows for collaboration on single or multiple documents. At CATEC (Charlottesville Albemarle Technical Education Center) we are beginning to look at the value to such software tools for our high school students as part of an instructional strategy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eRqUE6IHTEA

As we prepare students for 21st careers, what about using such a tool for writing resumes? It certainly makes sense to use Google Docs as a holder of your resume for you, and perhaps a few close confidants, to review, edit, update etc. What if you had students begin their high school, or perhaps earlier years, by creating a resume and then updating it throughout their K-16 years? All of those clubs, extracurricular activities, community service projects, etc could be logged and KEPT TRACK OF as they occurred. Of course someone, the student, would have to remember to log on and update the activity sheet. More importantly, as with resumes today, they need to demonstrate the VALUE that the activity had and the impact of the individual's involvement. While somewhat scary, as the student graduates and begins employment, the resumes could even be open for others to view your history (how it has developed) and perhaps to provide advice.

Currently we, at CATEC, are providing school improvement and strategic planning documents to be reviewed by our team for the purposes of review and collaboration. No longer the need to send these documents out via email, and then have to collect seven different markups to edit on the original. Also no longer the need to distribute hardcopies, only to find the red markups and then throw away all the wasted paper.

Think about the practical application in our classrooms. The teacher assigns a group project which encompasses the need to perform research on a variety of different areas under one topic. Students would all be responsible to contribute and to edit the work of other students to verify accuracy. The dog can no longer eat the homework; it's there for everyone to see. No longer the issue of one student doing all the work and the other 3 cruising, the history log indicates who did what. Most importantly, students can edit each others work to ensure that the information is accurate. The entire team would be responsible if information provided was not properly stated.

Isn't that the essence of working on a team? One part falters; the entire group takes the consequence? This would give everyone in the group the power to influence, edit, revise, and add value while also checking the accuracy of the total project.

I'm sure there are downsides to everything, but this, at minimum, is a unique opportunity to expose students to a new way of doing things (actually its teamwork and problem solving which isn't new) and a way to use new web 2.0 tools that prepare them for 21st century applications.

What do You think? Let us know. www.catec.org