It is an application I have utilised briefly in the past - usually when a colleague shared a useful document, but besides from having a few things sitting in my personal account, that was about the extent of my involvement.
Teachers seem to have really gotten on board with Google Docs in the classroom though, and through speaking to colleagues, and perusing Twitter, the ETA Facebook and Yammer, I began to realise that Google Docs had a greater capacity than that of a document repository.
Many schools, including Department of Education schools, have professional Google accounts set up and the ease of access at school really gave me an opportunity to experiment a little. To ensure I keep Google Docs in my mind, I keep a page open continually on my laptop so I can easily add things to the documents I am working on. I haven't had any login issues, occasionally I have to go back to the portal and log back in, but that is not too much of an inconvenience really.
I was excited to set up access on my iPhone and iPad, however, I had immense difficulties until I found out (from my spouse) that the email handle for access was not @det.nsw.edu.au but in fact was, @education.nsw.gov.au. Success! I have now got access to both my personal and professional accounts on my devices. I think the success of an ICT tool is how easy it is to access, and so far, Google Docs is excellent.
So, a few of the uses for Google Docs:
1. Firstly, I set up a document and sent 'Share' requests to my two Extension 2 students. In the document I added links to all of the Syllabus and support documents that they need to have access to, I typed up the ideas they were discussing with me and then, when I had a little spare time, I did a quick internet search to locate resources, the names of texts that explored similar concepts, canonical texts that would assist with their research, extracts from texts to expand their access to writing , poetry, images and anything else that I felt could inspire them or require them to expand their thinking. The students add ideas to the document in class and in their own time, and the fact that they can access the page anywhere they have internet connection is very handy.
2. Secondly, I utilised a very detailed research task for my Advanced English class so they would further their understanding of the context of Module A: Comparative Study of Texts and Contexts Elective 2: Intertextual Connections - 'Nineteen Eight-Four' and 'Metropolis' (http://www.boardofstudies.nsw.edu.au/syllabus_hsc/pdf_doc/english-prescriptions-2015-20.pdf). The task was something I used with a previous class, but it took quite a while. To develop the teamwork capacity of my current class I decided I would approach the task differently, instead students would complete the research in pairs/groups of three, and they would upload their information to our class Google Doc. Twenty individuals can edit a Google Doc at the same time, so it meant that students were busily working on the same resource, in their teams, at the same time. There was some novelty, at first, with editing each other's work/deleting things and then undoing, but I moved each heading onto its own page and before too long the activity was flowing nicely. The research task was really helpful and using Google Docs meant time saving and the creation of a resource I could then download and upload to Edmodo and the class Facebook Group (a closed group with no profile access) and I could print copies for those who requested. The task available in the Into English Student Book for 'Nineteen Eighty-Four' and 'Metropolis' (here: http://intoenglish.com.au/hsc-english-student-books/1984metropolis-student-book-ebook).
It did take some time to email students to invite them to the page but it has been completed now and I can continue using it for the rest of the year. I found an amazing array of resources online for the new Area of Study: Discovery so I have popped the links into the document under headings so students can view them in their own time, when needed.
3. I have undertaken programming with a colleague and to share ideas, when not in the same place, I set up a Google Doc. I hope, that when I am next able to assist her with the development of resources, that I will be able to upload activities so they are readily available without having to save items on a flash drive or email items that then inevitably change in formatting between computers.
4. Developing 'Mini-Lessons' for writing instruction has been something that I have been working on intermittently over the last term and a half. Nancy Atwell's, In the Middle: A Lifetime of Learning About Writing, Reading, and Adolescents is a fantastic text that advocates for explicit, bite-sized, writing instruction. My faculty has been fortunate enough to be working with a professor from Western Sydney University who introduced us to Atwell, and our plan for 2016 is to shake up the teaching of writing and develop a series of Mini-Lessons to target the needs of our students. Google Docs has been my notepad, where I pop ideas, where I type up things staff have suggested, and where I drafted a funding request for my faculty to have time to spend on developing aspects of this project. Being able to access the document anywhere meant it was just easier to get things done.
Atwells most recent edition of In the Middle: https://booko.com.au/9780325028132/In-the-Middle-A-Lifetime-of-Learning-About-Writing-Reading-and-Adolescents
An older version of the text (a little cheaper), still jam packed with wonderful ideas, is available: http://www.amazon.com/In-Middle-Understandings-Writing-Learning/dp/0867093749
I have really enjoyed my foray into the land of Google Docs and I think the next thing I will try is Google Classroom!