I've had a little experience with Google Docs as our church uses this to coordinate worship planning and Praise Team leadership schedules. I'm amazed, though, at what all is available. Not only could I just make a simple document or spreadsheet to access from anywhere, I could use templates galore to organize my life. There are even lesson plan templates, grade books, school year calendars, syllabis, just about anything a teacher could want. Amazing. Really, one could organize most of her life through Google...e-mail, calendars, documents for personal and professional needs, Google Reader, create another website, the possibilities are endless.
But could Google Docs replace MS Office? It may be possible in the future, but I don't see it happening quite yet. I suppose it'll become a learned action to work at a site like Google Docs, but for now, most people sit at their computer, open their own document, and save it to their personal computer.
Throughout each "thing," I've been wondering about those students who don't have a computer at home. They are out there, after all. With all the amazing things we can do online, what does it mean for those without online access outside of school? It seems to be a lot to demand that they figure it out on their own, as these tend to be the kids from a lower income home and/or less parental support/involvement. Google Docs could be part of the solution as it would allow students to open their documents from a variety of places, but I still wonder where are these places (just at school?) and how will these kids access a computer if they don't have transportation? These may be unfounded worries, but I do wonder.
The one thing that I always advise teachers who wonder about Internet access is to teach the kids about obtaining a library card. Many of the kids I talk with don't have one, and don't know that most libraries have Internet stations where they can continue to work on assignments while away from school.
ReplyDeleteTrue, but there is also the question of whether they have a way to get to the library and how often will they need to get there. I totally agree that technology is essential for education and for living and working in our world, but there is a huge difference in possibilities when one student can sit down after dinner to finish a project while another has to wait for a ride to the library and then is limited to a one-hour work session.
ReplyDelete