Google+Docs-Rebekah


 * Google docs** allows users to create and upload a variety of documents and also share those documents with others. “Sharing” the document can range in meaning from simple viewing to collaborative editing.

In the ESL classroom, I can see several possible uses for this technology.
 * 1) Not all students have access to the entire Microsoft Office suite, and Google docs gives all equal access to a variety of document templates (word processing, spreadsheets, calendars, etc.) without requiring expensive software upgrades…or illegal downloads, as the case may be J.
 * 2) Students could upload or create written documents and either collaborate with their classmates for peer editing or submit documents to the instructor for feedback throughout the writing process.
 * 3) Students could collaborate with students from another school, another city or even another country in order to create and/or edit documents. If, perhaps, students were researching an element of American culture, they could upload a document and invite an American friend to fact-check their document.

Julie McBride This would work well when creating a research project. The teacher builds steps to the project and the student submits the information and the teacher comments on the document. The student submits the changes and next step.... The other nice part is a student, that may not have a computer at home, can access the information form any computer.

My idea: Erica Spohr Are these documents posted publicly or by private invitation only? I think another great use for such an application would be collaboration among teachers. Currently at my school at the end of each session all the teachers who have worked with one student (usually 4 or 5 people) have to provide comments and information on student performance to be compiled together into one document. We do this by endless e-mailing of excel spreadsheets back and forth, and I have always thought there should be an easier way to share this information. The one drawback I can forsee about using a web-based format is that it may be more difficult to protect student privacy.