Google is now offering an alternative to Microsoft Office or Apple Pages, called Google Drive. A word processing program, that is essentially accessible from any where there is an internet connection. With this program, a student is no longer tied to one specific computer or hard drive. He can become a mobile learner. One example that was given in the handout said a student could begin working on a writing project in the school's computer lab, then later add content during English class on a tablet, the revise the paper at home on the family's PC. This is possible through the use of Google's cloud. Using the cloud gives unlimited storage space on Google's servers for Google Docs and up to 5 gigabytes for other formats, including Word, Pages, PDF, or video files. This is a comprehensive way to store all your documents in one place. As student could virtually work wherever and whenever the inspiration hits them. And they would also never have to be concerned about whether the right program was installed on the computer to which they have access.
Additional advantages make it an attractive option for schools as well as personal use. For one, and quite importantly, it is free. There is no software to purchase. Schools can also take advantage of what is called Google Apps. A special account that can be set up for a school, business or other organization as a subset to the larger Google community. This allows the school to control the site and monitor the activity of students. It does require an permission slip signed by parents for anyone under 13 years of age since each child would need a Google account to access it. Which could be a concern for parents with more conservative views about the computer access of their children (myself included). However, this could also be a huge plus for schools who do not have a large budget for technolgy. They could have access to all these latest programs as well as unlimited data storage without having to bog down their own servers or spend and absorbent amount of money on programs.
Another advantage is its ability to share and collaborate with others at the same time. According to Google, up to 50 people can work on the same document at the same time. I cannot personally understand how that could be, but it definitely sounds interesting. It has a feature that will allow students and teachers to see revision history of the document so they can return to a previous version if needed. And it saves the work every two seconds automatically. Since Common Core is a huge concern for educators, this feature will make the revision, editing and rewriting requirements much simpler. Being able to collaborate with a teacher, get immediate feedback, make changes, and even publish a document without ever leaving the program is a huge timesaver as well.
One purpose of the Common Core initiative is to better prepare students for college and beyond. One of the ways outlined is getting technology introduced and even required as low as kindergarten. This will help them to have a wealth of 21st century skills to help prepare them for the future. The Google Documents program, on many fronts, seems to be an exciting and interactive way to teach children the skills of writing and technology at the same time. With the program's ability to meet many of the standards for the Common Core while providing a cost effective option for schools, I see this being a homerun for everyone involved.
Very nicely written up!
ReplyDeleteThank you!