Google Docs - by Milena
I think Google Docs will save a lot of my nerves in the future. Up till now I saved all my work on a memory stick because I usually do my prep partly at school and partly at home so I use two different computers. In the process I often had to do some extra work such as converting .docx files to .doc and vice versa because of 2 different versions of Microsoft Office. Also I try to make worksheets fun and colorful so I use different fonts only to find out that I don't have the fonts I used on my home computer installed on the school laptop. Docs should change all this for me.
As a language teacher the most obvious way I can use Docs is for writing assignments. I can comment on student's work from the very first draft they make and help them structure their work better. After the assignment is finished we can go back to the mistakes they made and see how did they correct them. This walking trough steps they took can help them memorize the dos and don'ts much better then simply looking at the final version of their work in notebooks.
Working on end of the unit projects sometimes requires my students to go back to what we learned by rereading. Instead of going trough different books it would be much easier for them to create a Google doc and write down information that they find important and when time comes just go trough what they wrote.
One more thing I can use Docs for is collaboration with other language teachers. During team meetings we often take notes so we all come up with different versions of the same texts. This way we can put all of our notes at the same place and make it available to all of us right away.
As a language teacher the most obvious way I can use Docs is for writing assignments. I can comment on student's work from the very first draft they make and help them structure their work better. After the assignment is finished we can go back to the mistakes they made and see how did they correct them. This walking trough steps they took can help them memorize the dos and don'ts much better then simply looking at the final version of their work in notebooks.
Working on end of the unit projects sometimes requires my students to go back to what we learned by rereading. Instead of going trough different books it would be much easier for them to create a Google doc and write down information that they find important and when time comes just go trough what they wrote.
One more thing I can use Docs for is collaboration with other language teachers. During team meetings we often take notes so we all come up with different versions of the same texts. This way we can put all of our notes at the same place and make it available to all of us right away.
1 comments:
Paul McKenzie said...- Google Docs does save a lot of time. You also mentioned how it enables you to collaborate conveniently with colleagues. These are important, but for me the most valuable asset is that it allows students to collaborate. Web2.0, or Social Media as it's starting to be called now, is all about networking, sharing, collaboration, and presentation. Docs embodies most of these assets and therefore lends itself seamlessly to the social learning theories of connectivism and social constructivism. It's all very IB :) Thanks for the post, I'm going to feature it on 2FeetUp.
Google Docs Reflection - by Milica R
I really like google docs. They're easy to use and I already have a bunch of ideas about how I'll be using them next year with my students and with other teachers.
What I like about Module 3 of this course is the fact that learning to use google docs, and using other google apps in general, has immediately made my life easier. From realizing how our LS Language B team meetings can be more productive just by creating one google doc instead of working on 3 separate excel spreadsheets, to getting quick help from Rada through google chat when I was unsuccessfully trying to change the language on my blog and google docs account from Serbian to English, my week has been made easier. I guess I like the collaborative aspect of it all more than anything else. :)
As I was watching the last video on google apps being used in that school, and having previously uploaded a presentation just to see how it all works, I did realize that the whole thing is not perfect. My presentation didn't quite work how it was supposed to and I found the idea that thanks to google apps we could be available to parents any place any time a bit scary. However, the benefits of it all are much greater and I look forward to putting it all into action next year.
What I like about Module 3 of this course is the fact that learning to use google docs, and using other google apps in general, has immediately made my life easier. From realizing how our LS Language B team meetings can be more productive just by creating one google doc instead of working on 3 separate excel spreadsheets, to getting quick help from Rada through google chat when I was unsuccessfully trying to change the language on my blog and google docs account from Serbian to English, my week has been made easier. I guess I like the collaborative aspect of it all more than anything else. :)
As I was watching the last video on google apps being used in that school, and having previously uploaded a presentation just to see how it all works, I did realize that the whole thing is not perfect. My presentation didn't quite work how it was supposed to and I found the idea that thanks to google apps we could be available to parents any place any time a bit scary. However, the benefits of it all are much greater and I look forward to putting it all into action next year.
2 comments:
Lena said...
- By reading your blog I'm starting to get a picture of what kind of student you were.. :)
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Paul McKenzie said... - It makes my job a lot easier too. As you may know, I am using a combination of Google Reader and Google Docs and doc folders to peruse participant progress in this preparation program (who loves alliteration? Anyone, anyone...). If I have time, I'll put together a screencast video of the process - many parts of it could be considered for 1:1 laptop standards next year with our students.
And here's a great one from Jennie - take her advice - watch the video below and think "school" when you hear "business."
The GOOGLE DOCtor is in!
Image via Wikipedia For whatever ails you...there is a cure! This week's focus on our 1:1 laptop Teacher Training program (we need a better brand name) is Google Docs. Once you have a gmail account, you can upload any file from you computer (or create a new one on gdocs) and place it in the cloud (see video). Having access to my work "wherever and whenever" is very liberating. Working in the isolation of a word/excel/powerpoint Microsoft document feels like an barren wasteland now. Collaboration on one "live" space creates a community of thought. The type of docs I currently use are for planning sessions, a shared continuum doc, accreditation docs, students progress charts, book lists with global librarians, conference notes shared with attendees, school mission statement, developing policy docs, "how to" powerpoints, and hundreds more. Substitute "business" with "school" as you watch this video:
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