Just to let you know, I'm finishing this assignment after everyone has left for the snowday/early release at 1pm. Note it is 4 pm and I'm still here! It is the end of the month tomorrow and I still haven't done my "thing" for the month!
Do you think that using Google Docs can improve your productivity? Why or Why not? If yes, how?
Perhaps. I was all excited and was going to use Google Docs after learning about it in August. But when it came time to use it in Jan., I introduced it, and the kids didn't want to use it. Since students here all have user folders, rather than putting their projects on one Google Doc, they just saved it in one person's user folder so we could pull it up. It wasn't a problem when someone was absent because I have access to everyone's folder. I can see the benefits, but we just didn't need to use it this time.
Tell us some ways you have used Google Docs to collaborate with others.
See above. I played with it when we did it in class, but I haven't done anything w/it since.
Have you participated in a wiki? Tell us about it.
Carrie and I created a Wiki for our Dept. to discuss "things that were going on" (changes we weren't happy with). We thought it would be a great forum and possibly more confidential than sending stuff back and forth on e-mail. However, since you access it through the internet, one of my colleagues pointed out it wasn't as confidential as we thought. That killed the Wiki. So did lack of time to get on the Wiki and "bitch" so to speak. It was easier just to talk about it at lunch or keep it to yourself.
Other than that, I have not particpated in a Wiki.
Have you created a wiki for a group to use? Why? How did it go?
See above.
Other comments ...
I thought the article about the Prof. having students submit their writing to Wikipedia was an interesing idea. I totally agree w/improving student performance by having a different audience - that really can help. Having students reflect on the type of writing needed for Wikipedia was also interesting. I still hope, however, that higher ed institutions and ours at CHS will continue to "ban" its use, so to speak. I think it is fine as an initial search for keywords, and to determine if something is "common knowledge" or not, but other than that ...
The real question is how to we get kids to use tools they aren't as familar with, i.e. the CHS Media Center home page w/all our paid subscriptions. I will admit, sometimes it is easier to search on Wikipedia. Why can't "Britanica Online" be just as easy to use, or how can we teach students to use it better?
1 comment:
FYI ... if you limit the members to a pbwiki and keep it private, it truly is private if you use it off a network. But it is true that at any workplace, anything accessed on the network isn't necessarily private -- that's why it isn't the greatest idea to check bank accounts, etc., either (though I doubt the tech people have time to be roving through the server :)
I think students will see the benefit of Google Docs when they don't do all their classwork "at school" ... they won't have the luxury of having networked folders forever, so you've planted a seed :)
Post a Comment