Google Apps Topic Review - Improving the writing process with Google Docs
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Google Docs allows for improved writing through online collaboration. It allows multiple users to work on documents simultaneously. Changes are automatically saved, and a revision history tracks all edits. Comments can also be added in real time. This facilitates feedback and collaboration between students and teachers anywhere, anytime. The integrated tools can help strengthen writing skills and make the writing process more effective.
Google Apps Topic Review - Improving the writing process with Google Docs
- 1. Topic Review | Google Apps Google Apps Education Edition: Improving the writing process with Google Docs From hammer and chisel to stylus to pen, and now to the computer, the art of About Google Apps Education Edition Google Apps Education Edition is a free suite writing – and of teaching writing – has evolved since our earliest times. Today, of hosted communication and collaboration educators have new ways of updating the writing process, and the way they teach applications designed for schools and universities. it, as they prepare students for an increasingly digital world. Google Docs supports Google Apps includes Gmail (webmail services), effective writing with free online tools for creating, collaborating, revising, and Google Calendar (shared calendaring), publishing – tools that can improve the writing process for students and teachers Google Docs (online document, spreadsheet, presentation, and form creation and sharing), alike. This paper explores Google Docs’ capabilities and shares insights from Google Video (secure and private video sharing – educators on the benefits they’ve seen in their classrooms. 10GB free) and Google Sites (team website creation with videos, images, gadgets and About Google Docs documents integration), as well as administrative Google Docs is part of Google Apps Education Edition, the free communication and tools, customer support, and access to APIs to integrate Google Apps with existing IT systems. collaboration solution that features the familiar Gmail email platform. Offering word For more information visit: processing, spreadsheets, presentations, and forms, Google Docs provides an easy google.com/a/edu way for teachers and students to work together on projects, reports, and more, and to collect and share information in a secure online environment. Anytime, anywhere access Web-based Google Docs safely stores documents • online, making them accessible to authorized users from any computer or mobile device. Teaching and learning doesn’t need to stop when the bell rings – with Google Docs, writing, and online collaboration, can happen anytime. Collaboration support Google Docs lets users invite others to work on the • same document at the same time, without the hassle of attaching and sending documents. Sharing privileges ensure access by only the right people or groups, and allow either editing or read-only access. • ntegrated writing reference tools A built-in dictionary and thesaurus let I users look up words without leaving their documents, and integrated web and encyclopedia search helps speed research and references. Word Count capability provides feedback on sentence length, average words per paragraph, rated reading ease, and other analytics that help writers improve readability. • Autosave and revision history Continuous autosave ensures that current work stays safe, preserving ongoing drafts and edits. A complete revision history makes it easy to review, compare, or revert to a prior version at any point. Figure 1: An integrated Thesaurus, along with a Dictionary and web search capabilities, are included in Google Docs
- 2. Shared folders Files and docs that are regularly used by teams or groups stay • About Google Certified Teachers (GCT) organized and up-to-date – without managing or communicating changes. Educators who are selected to attend a Google Teacher Academy become Google Templates Ready-made templates covering a wide range of document and report • Certified Teachers. The Google Teacher Academy types help jump-start writing projects. You can also create and publish your is a free professional development experience own document templates to establish assignment structures for your students. designed to help K-12 educators get the most Templates can be copied with one click and then modified like any other document. from innovative technologies. Google Certified Teachers are: Forms Flexible built-in forms, easily sent via email or published as a webpage, • • Exceptional K-12 educators with a passion make it easy to collect and organize surveys, reviews, project updates, and more. for using innovative tools to improve teaching Responses automatically fill online spreadsheets, so you can view input and and learning. responses all in one place. • Creative leaders who understand their local needs and can spread innovation as Writing together, learning together a recognized expert. Because it’s built to support online interaction, Google Docs promotes the • Ambassadors for change who model high transition from individual work, with limited or paper-based input and feedback, expectations, life-long learning, collaboration, equity inclusion, and innovation. to true collaboration – a steady stream of comments, edits, and revisions. As Matt Montagne, a Google Certified Teacher (GCT) at Castelleja School, says, “Google Docs has facilitated a fundamental shift in our school culture.” Google Docs makes it easy to involve contributors, so documents of all types can benefit from sharing, teamwork, and collaboration. Figure 2: Document sharing simplifies group collaboration without the hassle of attachments Nic Finelli, a GCT from School District Five of Lexington and Richland Counties, experienced the benefits of faculty collaboration on a letter to the school board, recalling that “More than 20 faculty members contributed to the letter on their own time, without having to meet or stay around before or after school.” Shifting collaboration to an online environment also opens up a new set of document contributors. Students from different classes, different schools, anywhere in the world, can work together on assignments by sharing secure access privileges. “More than 40 students worked together, editing one spreadsheet,” explains Millburn High School’s Michelle Blakley. “This let students from different classes work together, so that everyone was involved in the work.” Easy, collaborative revisions Google Apps lets students move beyond paper drafts, one-by-one peer reviews, and waiting for teachers to complete physical edits. Online comments and real-time editing mean that students can see comments as they come in, acting on them and streamlining the input process. “I had a specific day when students would bring in their drafts,” recalls Chris Sloan, GCT from Judge Memorial Catholic High School. “They’d get one session of peer response and then write revisions. Now a lot more revising takes place because real conversations happen within the doc, which has in general led to better writing.” With better input and ongoing feedback on changes, students can continue to develop their work without waiting for paper-based reviews.
- 3. “More than 20 faculty members contributed to the letter on their own time, without having to meet or stay around before or after school.” —Nic Finelli, Google Certified Teacher School District Five of Lexington and Richland Counties, South Carolina “Now there’s a lot more revision taking place Figure 3: because there’s more conversation happening in Color-coded the Doc, which has in general led to better writing.” comments can —Chris Sloan (GCT), Judge Memorial Catholic be added in real High School, Salt Lake City, Utah time to shared documents As document collaborators, teachers can provide feedback whenever it’s important in the revision cycle – not just at designated due dates. “Before Google Docs, I wasn’t able to give the feedback like I can now,” says Erik Wittmer, South Western School District. “I can access papers from wherever I am. Feedback is crucial during the entire writing process and Google Docs has allowed me to communicate more with my students.” What’s more, Google Docs’ selective sharing can facilitate online writing tutoring by letting tutors work in documents concurrently with writers, reviewing, adding comments, and suggesting clarifications. Google Forms, integrated into the Spreadsheets found in Google Docs, can guide the editing process and provide handy notices. “I have peer editors answer specific questions on a Google Form,” explains Carol LaRow, a GCT and educational technology consultant. “When the form is submitted and appears in a spreadsheet, teachers know that the paper is ready to look over.” Since forms take just minutes to create, and can be shared easily in email or links, requesting and receiving feedback becomes a natural part of the editing process. Figure 4: Easy-to-create forms collect and organize structured other information Always ready, always available Google Docs supports the creative process by being ready and available whenever inspiration hits. Jim Sill, a GCT from El Diamante High School, recalls one story of late-night creativity. “Late one night, I opened a recently edited document from one of my classes. I saw that both group members were signed on and actively writing a poem at that very moment. I sat and watched as their poem took shape. When they noticed that I was signed on, I began to add my own lines. Here we were, well after school hours, writing a poem together.”
- 4. With Google Docs, students can continue the writing process whenever and “24/7 access has changed everything about my class. It has removed one of the biggest obstacles wherever they’re ready to work. It’s no longer necessary to complete assignments to learning.” in the classroom or meet in one place to work together and make progress. “24/7 —Jim Sill (GCT), El Diamante High School, access has changed everything about my class,” Jim Sill continues. “It has removed Visalia, California one of the biggest obstacles to learning.” This engagement is possible for students who are not physically present in class, as well. “When my students are finished with a composition, they can go back through the Bryant High School’s Paula Barker agrees. “A student who was home sick emailed revision history when they do self-assessments his group saying that he wanted to participate on a project, even though he was of their writing growth.” home,” she recalls. “Using Google Docs, he was able to type in his comments and —Chris Sloan (GCT), Judge Memorial Catholic High School, Salt Lake City, Utah contribute, even though he wasn’t physically present.” Trackable progress Comprehensive document revision history – made possible by nearly continuous autosave – is helpful for both teachers and students. Teachers can look at a document and understand how the document has evolved from early drafts or how peer reviews and comments were incorporated into the final product. With the ability to compare versions, a teacher can see exactly which parts of the document have changed in an clear, color-coded view. For group projects, teachers can also assess the contributions of each of the team members, as the revision history will record who made what changes, and when they were made. Figure 5: Full revision history makes it possible to review, compare, and revert to previous versions of a document If they don’t like a revised draft, have a change of direction, or lose computer access, students can easily go in, find, and revert to a previous version of a document, feeling confident that prior content has been saved. They can also compare different versions to reflect on the changes and lessons learned throughout the process that they can apply to future assignments. “When my students are finished with a composition, they can go back through the revision history when they do self- assessments of their writing growth,” explains Chris Sloan. 21st century classroom Google Docs translates innovation in technology – hosted documents, online collaboration – directly into the writing process, changing the way students and teachers communicate and work together. Google Docs works seamlessly with the other products in the free, easy-to-use Google Apps suite. Once the writing is done, teachers and students can easily embed documents, presentations, and spreadsheets into a website with Google Sites, allowing organized online access and skill-building in digital publishing – without requiring knowledge of code. A curriculum calendar created in Google Calendar can include a Google Docs attachment with each calendar entry, effectively creating an interactive syllabus. You can also preview Google Docs directly in Gmail, without leaving your inbox. Integrating a full spectrum of online communication capabilities, Google Apps Eduction Edition is a collaborative computing platform for the 21st century classroom. © 2010 Google Inc. All rights reserved. Google and the Google logo are trademarks of Google Inc. All other company and product names may be trademarks of the respective companies with which they are associated. ST38-1002_K12