This year in the WAMS Google Docs has been introduced for teacher and student use. Google Apps is a great digital tool that is offered free to schools. You can read more about what Google offers and the Apps at http://www.google.com/educators/p_apps.html. Students and teachers at Woodward now have access to gmail, Google docs, and even Google sites. All of the resources are accessed or delivered through your favorite web browser. Students and teachers can now share and access documents and mail anywhere they have internet access.
English teachers in the Middle School have been early adopters of Google Docs. They immediately recognized that students could collaborate on projects, submit essays, and teachers could provide feedback on essays; and all of this could be done asynchronous and from anywhere internet access is available. Jan Holland, WA middle school English teacher, said that she could make comments to students, and they could make revisions, and submit a final paper; she further stated that even “after a student finishes the paper, I can make comments, and the improvement in their writing continues.” In Microsoft Word you have a comment feature, but with Google Docs students can engage in live interactive comments, teacher or peer review.
The sharing features in Google Docs enable you and your students to decide who will be allowed access, and how the document will be edited. In using Google Docs, group work and collaboration can be promoted through the process providing a stronger final product, but more importantly a more productive and meaningful writing process. The group work does not just involve a written essay, but in a social studies class, a presentation can be prepared by a group of students, and then presented live in class from Google Docs. It is extremely important that our students be able to collaborate, but they also most be able to communicate effectively as well. Google Docs is helping our teachers prepare out students for the 21st century learning demands. One of the NETS for Students Standards is Communication and Collaboration, which states, “Students use digital media and environments to communicate and work collaboratively, including at a distance, to support individual learning and contribute to the learning of others.”
Teachers are using Google Docs both to publish instructions about assignments and to enable them to monitor student progress . The monitoring process is ongoing and interactive. If it is a group project, the teacher can view the revisions history, and see who contributed to what assignment and when; if a student worked on a project it is clear to see. The individual students in the group can b
e graded for their contributions–a process that has been difficult to clearly show in the past.
English teachers are not the only ones finding the great benefits of Google Docs, but they have been leading the way as a department in the WA Middle School. Check out the Basics of Google Docs and see what other teachers are saying about it. Once you start with Google Docs check out the Tips and Tricks resources from Google.
Have you ever wanted to take a vacation to South Asia? Students in Mr. Sorrow’s class did exactly that. Well, they did not actually travel there, but they planned a 14 day vacation to a country in South Asia. The students were given 10,000 virtual dollars to buy plane tickets, book hotel rooms, plan excursions, and eat at restaurants. The students were learning about the history, economy, government, and people through a very interesting and unique assignment. The students worked extremely hard in groups to research using the Internet their respective countries.
A great site with video on one point perspective is the 
