I've taken a bit of a plunge into (for me is) the unknown. I've introduced my grade 7/8 computers, and grade 5/6 homeroom kids to Google Docs.
The grade 5/6 kids are ENTHRALLED (or at least some are, and some more are prepared to be). When they had their 5 paragraph essays to word process (yes! I make my kids do 5 paragraph essays because of some traumatic events of my past resulting from my inability to write an essay of any kind), a few of them elected to use Google Docs because they could work from home. Today, I shared a "view only" copy of their new social studies mini-research assignment. Hopefully, this will be a back up for those pesky missing papers and will lead into some interesting sharings with their data. However, I was jolted with pangs of guilt when, after school, two students were "chatting" with other students already at home. (Well, looseleaf and pencils can be used for academic purposes OR writing nasty notes to your recent enenmies).
I've created a word processing unit which covers word processing as a process and allows students to learn 3 kinds of word processors: commercially available (ie Word), open source (ie Openoffice.org), and online (Google Docs). I've put it together for my grade 7/3 computers class and I'm teaching it now. I'll share with anyone provided they contribute to the refining and extending of it. (It is pretty basic!)
I'd also like any kind of feedback, sharing, tips, suggestions, inspirations....from anyone using these or similar online tools.
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I would love to see what you've done with the Google docs. It's my next plan to try them.
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