GAIN

Google Docs is an impressive new word processing system, which allows multiple people to work on a document at once, and to be stored in the "cloud," called Google Drive, or Google's server; this means that it can be accessed anywhere through the internet. Google Docs is very different than the word processor that I am accustomed to using, Microsoft Word, in many ways. Most of these differences are improvements. First of all, Google Docs is free, as opposed to Microsoft Word, a benefit many schools are taking advantage of. Secondly, as mentioned previously, because Google Docs stores its documents on the internet, your documents can be accessed anytime, anywhere, on any device with internet capabilities. One of the biggest differences between Word and Google Docs is that on Google Docs up to 50 people can work on the same document, at the same time. This makes collaboration with others extremely easy and efficient. Students can work together on projects, and teacher can quickly give feedback in a way not possible before with Microsoft Word. Also, Google Docs saves one's work every two seconds, and one can go back and look at a history, "revision history," of all the saves, as well as who made the revisions. Therefore, work is never lost. Also, hyperlinks, research, and pictures are inserted with ease. Students can place these in their projects, and teachers can place them in assignments for the students. Lastly, students can turn in homework assignments through Google Docs, and there are therefore no more excuses such as lost or forgotten homework. These are the major strengths of Google Docs that Microsoft Word does not have that stood out to me.

One weakness of Google Docs is that one must be connected to the internet in order to use it and work on a document, unless one has saved it to another device, in which case it would have to be copied into the Google Doc. Another problem could be simply teaching employees or students to use this new program instead of Microsoft Word. Otherwise, there are not many weaknesses in comparison with Word.

Google Docs could change and improve so much of the learning and collaboration processes in schools, and even help to meet the Common Core Standards. For example, one of the Common Core Standards is to "Develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach." Google Docs can help students meet this standard because of their history capabilities; students can easily erase parts of their work, and then go back and look at them again, and then edit and revise as needed. Teachers can even be a part of this process, giving feedback in real time as students are working.

Another Common Core Standard states that students must "Use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing and to interact and collaborate with others." Using Google Docs, students can easily insert hyperlinks and research into their papers, as well as work together on a project through Google Docs, even if they are not physically together. When they go home from school, they can continue working on their project together from their own homes.

Common Core Standards for third grade state that students must be able to use technology to produce and publish writing "with guidance and support from adults," (fourth and fifth graders must do the same with "some" adult guidance and support); with Google Docs, as mentioned previously, teachers can quickly give feedback even as the students are working, guiding them through the writing process.

In Common Core, students are expected to be practicing their keyboarding skills, as well as collaboration skills, and through Google Docs, students can see just how important these skills are, and they can be put to practice. Students must understand the importance of keyboarding and collaboration skills in order to be a part of the global marketplace; what better way to learn than to actually use those skills in the classroom? Students can even take notes on the same document, and in that way help each other understand the major points of a lesson.

Google Docs can even help with meeting Common Core math requirements, as math symbols and graphs are a part of Google Docs.

In using Google Docs, I found the program to be easy to use and navigate. There is a clear tool bar at the top, and much of it is actually quite similar to Microsoft Word. It is easy, however, to type over others' work on a shared document, and collaborators must therefore have a clear idea what their job is, or work in different areas of the document. The chat and comment functions do, however, allow collaborators to communicate with one another outside of the document. While Google Docs allows up to 50 people to work on a document at once, this could cause chaos and confusion. Other than that concern, I had a very good first experience with Google Docs; I am very impressed and look forward to using it in the classroom.