People remember pivotal moments in their lives, moments they’ll never forget. Moments when something shifts or changes so dramatically, that life will never be the same. This is the story of how Google docs changed my life as a 21st century educator.
“Hey what are you guys doing?” The group broke out into smiles, quickly collecting their books and disbanding.
“We’re getting on Google docs! Tonight!” A smile spread over my face. I was surprised (and relieved) to discover that my students were conspiring over their homework! Their “date” was to sign into their Google doc account and work on a their project at the same time. Little did they know, I was going to crash their party.
That night, at five o’clock, while a pot of pasta boiled on the stove, four students and myself signed onto a shared Google doc. At that moment, I could see four student cursors, each labeled with their username, typing in four separate areas. Simultaneously, a chatbox allowed them to communicate with each other in an instant message format.
“You forgot the word ‘S’ in since.”
“I like the word ‘murky.’”
“We only need a good end sentence.”
As my pasta bubbled excitedly, comments kept popping up in the chatbox. The fifth graders were editing each other’s work, complimenting word choices and collaborating on their writing in real time! Highlighted words and suggestions appeared in a separate comment side bar. I quickly clicked on the revision history only to see the color coded and time stamped contributions of each and every participant. Not only was a multitude of learning happening, the program automatically saved every seven seconds, so nothing would be lost AND it was happening AFTER the school day. My mind raced with the possibilities that Google docs presented for our class. I quickly captured a screen shot…just as the pasta boiled over.
Fast forward months later and using Google apps is simply our way of working. Long gone are the struggles of losing projects in the maze of the server, or tears because a student forgot to save their work. The issues of incompatibility with programs between home and school don’t impact our productivity. No one has to tote a stack of papers back and forth to school or a memory stick for that matter. As a class, we can focus more on the work and collaborating.
Using Google apps is contagious! We developed peer conferencing documents, created mathematical spreadsheets with 30 students online at the same time, presented group slide presentations for a science experiment and completed comprehension quizzes using Google forms. Actually, by including a script called Flubaroo, student submissions in a Google form are graded and emailed to their accounts within minutes! As a teacher, I’m able to give constructive feedback to students without the exchange of endless papers.
From a student saying “I am proud of myself for working in Google docs because I am getting better at typing,” during his November video conference, to a parent reporting how her son shared his Google slide presentation and commented, “He’s never been so proud!” No. Google docs didn’t just change my life. In Room 23, we are ALL learning how to utilize technology together and that is a good thing. For as John Dewey said in 1911, “If we teach today’s students as we taught yesterday’s, we rob them of tomorrow.”
Ellen Kraska is a fifth grade teacher at Loyola Elementary. She is passionate about making school "fun" and engaging all students by utilizing technology, cooperative learning and the arts. She loves watching sports and taking adventures with her husband and two daughters.