Google Docs - a useful collaborative tool
Google Docs is a simple online word processor (and spreadsheet) with basic functions. With a decent online connection it responds quickly and can be used as a place to store documents. One of its strengths for a teacher is the ability for documents to be edited collaboratively. As an alternative to a wiki, it provides a familiar interface and ease of sharing. For many children it will be easier to use than a wiki. It is easy to look at different revisions and compare ‘before and after’ texts.
There are lots of features in Google Docs - some work better than others - but for simple collaborative working, it provides an easy way for a group to work on a piece of text together.
I can think of several good uses for this with my class but is it OK for us to use in Primary as we can’t use the Google Search Engine?
Supported this when it was ‘Writely’ however others e.g. zoho office and thinkfree (sorry cannot post links) provide more features and clearer GUIs. If you want something more radical check out desktoptwo.com and thinkature.
Many of these web-based apps (generally in beta) make blogs and wikis seem old hat and less immediate forms of collaboration/communication.
Shirley
There’s no problem using this in class, Shirley. Like a blog, the only people who can contribute are those who have been invited.
Thanks for the info, Andy.
Here are links for
Zoho Office
desktoptwo
thinkature
A quick look suggests these are worthy of further examination. Thinkature in particular looks very interesting.
Hi Andy - I have also used the sharing capability of the spreadsheet in class. It was very successful when we collected our resting pulse rates into one sheet, 60 children all working in the same space. Great fun. Take a look at my post and let me know what you make of it.
http://tbarrett.edublogs.org/2007/09/17/sharing-a-google-spreadsheet-in-class/