Google Docs

Integrating technology into the classroom for educational purposes is a popular topic and trend not only nationally, but on a global scale as well. This is not only a great way to enhance the learning experience for students, it has actually become a necessity given the current landscape in which we live. Technology has become so prevalent and so deeply rooted in a number of career fields that it has become the responsibility of teachers to find new and innovative ways to incorporate more technology into their instruction to not only bolster their own practice but to build the fundamental skills needed for adequate to proficient technology use that so many students will need to possess for success in their future. The International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) has compiled a number of technology standards that one day will likely become state instructed and assessed in order to require these very skills from students. Understanding the benefits that technology can provide for teachers and students leads to the inevitable conclusion that technology holds a very important role in the classroom in terms of its incredible ability to alter, strengthen, and innovate the learning experience.

Now I consider myself to be an individual on the forefront of this thought process. I have always been an avid supporter and user of a number of new technologies, software, programs, and applications. I enjoy learning more about new technology and the benefits it can potentially provide. I especially see this topic through a different lens now as a teacher in the classroom. I currently work with 8th grade special education students teaching Social Studies. What I have come to understand from my experiences in the classroom is that the traditional stand and deliver method of instruction where the teacher models in front of the classroom through lecture and guided practice followed by student replication, is outdated and frankly, ineffective. This just isn’t how students truly learn. My students have show that they learn best through hands-on experiences that allow them to take part in meaningful learning experiences themselves and solve problems through trial and error learning rather than through imitation. Technology provides the tools for students to have this opportunity to take part in many more kinesthetic, hands-on learning where they themselves get to take charge of their own learning.

One example of technology that I have incorporated into my own classroom to enhance student learning is the use of Google Drive. Google Drive is a cloud-powered technology that allows students to work, create, edit, discuss, and share documents all in an online work space. The documents students are able to create are numerous and include word documents, PowerPoints,  spreadsheets, forms, questionnaires, assessments, and more. The most fundamental part of student learning that I believe is often lost, is that of creativity which is best conveyed through the creation of student-generated products. One of the primary ideas that today’s modern-age classroom is built upon is differentiation of learning for all students. This stems from the idea that each student of the classroom is a unique learner with his or her own fundamental strengths and weaknesses related to their own ability to learn and process information/knowledge. Possessing this understanding that all students are different and that each has their own preferred and adept method of learning, isn’t it fair to assume that each has their own uniquely suited method of displaying their knowledge and acquired skills? Google Drive presents students with the ability to do just that, portray learning and mastery of skills and concepts in a multitude of ways which can align with a number of learning styles.

I have used Google Drive technology in my own classroom to facilitate projects, assignments, and assessments. A great example was a project in which I was using to assess my student’s learning following a unit on the American Revolution. Students were required to convey their mastery and learning that had taken place throughout the unit in a culminating summative assessment which could portray their knowledge of the topics discussed throughout the lessons comprising the unit. Now, as previously stated, all students absorb and take in knowledge given throughout a particular unit in a variety of ways. This created the challenge of designing an assessment method that took into account the differentiation of my students that would provide and equal yet equitable way for each to deliver evidence of their understanding in a way best suited to their skills and strengths. Enter, Google Drive. Through Google Drive I was able to present a number of options for my students to submit a unique assignment for summative assessment purposes. Students were provided the opportunity to create a Google Slides presentation (PowerPoint) displaying the events and progression of the war and the events that transpired as well as the elements that led to its outcome (with accompanying images and media as well). Students could write an essay through Google Docs for those that are most articulate through writing. The file management system of Google Drive also allows students to record Podcasts through third party software or even record video skits, re-enactments, or portrayals and upload these files for submission as well. Therefore the types of submissions, the variety of work that I was allowing was vast, but the core knowledge being displayed was present throughout, all funneled through one medium, Google Drive.

Another underrated aspect of Google Drive that I see in my classroom is its potential for increasing classroom discussions and collaboration. Not only does this technology allow increased peer-to-peer interactions through partnered assignments and collaborative work on projects, but it increases the communication between teacher and student as well. Google Drive allows for teachers to provide instant feedback to their students as the technology allows updates to documents to occur in real time for all users with granted access to see through the creation of “living documents”. EdTech magazine has published a number of articles chronicling the success and utility of these tool related to its incorporation into the classroom. Speaking specifically to its ability to lend itself towards increased communication author Meghan Bogardus Cortez explains

Google has also made collaborative learning easier. Teachers can share content with their peers in one way — such as through a document that can be edited — and then share a different version with students — a document without editing functions. Discussions in the classroom are more easily facilitated by a student response system that allows teachers to start question-driven discussions on their class’s virtual page. The Share to Classroom extension lets educators send a website or other content for a lesson to all their students at once. “The new extension lets me engage my students and help them drive their own learning on 1:1 devices at our school,” writes Catherine Davis, director of academic technology at Pilgrim School in Los Angeles, in a Google blog. In an op-ed from the Alaskan Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman, educator Prudence McKenney indicates that Google Classroom is used at Colony High School “as a platform for students to access daily assignments and provide faster, more detailed and meaningful feedback for students.” She gives the examples of educators giving out and grading a quiz in real time, rather than having to wait to return paper copies. “Using Google Classroom allows the students to have instant feedback and gives the teacher detailed item analysis regarding which questions were answered correctly or incorrectly by which students,” writes McKenney. “At a glance, the teacher can see areas that might need reteaching or clarification.” Also, by using a web-based classroom, students who miss class can easily catch up on assignments (2017).

During the previously described assignment and other activities that I assign using Google Drive, there is typically a degree of teacher monitoring or teacher review that takes places. This makes this technology extremely valuable due to the ease in which I am able to highlight errors or provide feedback to students directly on their work for them to adjust.

In addition to the in-depth benefits that have been outline, it cannot be overstated that Google Drive is simply such a great classroom tool to have for all of the obvious reasons as well. Google Drive with the appropriate access to resources and the technology also creates the potential for a paperless classroom in which facilitation, completion, review, and submission of student work can take place entirely in an online setting. The ISTE team explains “Google Classroom is a powerful and effective tool for teachers striving for a paperless classroom. While not a learning management system in the traditional sense, Google Classroom is a blended program that can replace the paper world teachers and students have long lived in. The free resource, available to educators who have a Google Apps for Education account, can save teachers time, help keep classes organized and improve two-way communication with students” (2018). All of these unique possibilities and unique design to meet the differentiation needs of students while still keeping one of the most fundamental aspects of the classroom in place; discussion and collaboration. With the growing rise of technology and new innovations present each and every day, Google Drive and Google Classroom is definitely one of my core methods of technology integration present in my classroom that I will continue to build around. Through the use of this technology I can establish classroom routines, manage student learning, bolster the skills and knowledge of my students, all while meeting their needs as digital citizens in this every growing technological world that we live in. I encourage all of my fellow educators that have not had previous experience with Google powered programs to take the time to learn more about them.