Integrating Google Docs

One of the best uses for google docs is the ability for teachers to view and comment on documents in real time. It allows teachers to easily see what students are accomplishing during class time, and also provides instant feedback to improve student writing.

Examples from a co-taught class of struggling readers. To provide efficient feedback during class time, as well as monitor student progress, my co-teacher and I will split up the class, and work with them in circle 'teams'. 

When students work on assignments outside of class, they can alert you via email when they've made changes. Students also receive alerts when teachers make comments on their documents outside of class. Students love it when they catch you on their documents outside of class time!

You can ask students to print out the document and hand in a paper copy, or, grade the document directly online, which is my preference for a few different reasons. I can provide more valuable feedback with much more information if I am typing out my response to their writing. I remember my junior year in high school, my English teacher used to type out his feedback for all his students, then cut them into strips and staple it to our papers. In the current digital age, we can take advantage of technology's ability to streamline our housekeeping  tasks.

Another compelling reason is that students can choose to continue to revise their work to improve their grade. When students finish activities, they can work on revising these assignments. Students' writing benefits from this process, and it is a meaningful use of time. After students complete another level of revision, they send an email alert, and continue the dialogue about the topic and their writing.

As with any other classroom activity, it can be time consuming without efficient protocols and implementation strategies. Here are some hints and tips for how I streamline this process in my classroom.

1. At the beginning of the year I create folders for each class. When I assign an essay or other activity that I want students to complete using google docs, I create sub folders for those assignments, and drag student documents into the folder as I receive them.

2. Since students will be sharing their documents via email, I post my email address in the classroom so students have easy access to that information. I also post my email address on my class website so that students can copy and paste my email address rather than having to copy it by hand. This works well for my students with disabilities who may have problems typing in all the characters correctly.

3. When I grade assignments I post the grade in the title of the document. When it comes time to input grades I don't have to open up the document in order to access the grade.

Please share your experiences with google docs in your classrooms, any tips to add or questions to ask!