Tool #4: Documents and Reader prove to be very useful already!

I was excited to read that tool #4 concerned Google Docs as I just started using it a few days ago. Three of my colleagues and I are currently planning a trip for students to Africa. We were beginning to collect many documents about the trip and couldn't always sit down to meet in person to edit the documents together. Google Docs has allowed us to share documents and edit them. While it was difficult for me to give up the complete power over a document, and allow others to format, it has been extremely useful and I know I will be using this tool again.

Google Reader will also be useful in the coming school year. I am currently subscribed to several 11 tools blogs: being Patty Joyce, Beth Bray's Blog, Onward and Upward Learning, Everyday Mathematics from Mr. C, and Director's Thoughts. I've also subscribed to Gwyneth Paltrow's blog Goop because she provides fun to read newsletters about travel and trends.

• Briefly discuss how you think these 2 Google tools will aid you in your particular classroom or benefit your students in their learning process.

Out of all the tools I have read about so far I believe that these two will create an efficient way for students to share their and organize their knowledge. These two tools may not have the creative bells and whistles I have seen in other tools, however, they will be very useful with the new net-books in my classroom as everything is saved to the internet. I have watched teenagers struggle with keeping their assignment organized and share responsibilities when working with their peers. Someone forgets the document in their printer, another student's printer didn't work in the first place, the USB drive is lost; there is always an excuse, legitimate or not, for why assignments are not ready to be turned in. I think that Google Documents will allow students to share their work with others, collaborate with peers and teachers, organize their thoughts, and not lose important information.