GoogleDocs for Online Student Collaboration

Are you faced with the challenge of doing group work in an online course?

One way to address this is to use GoogleDocs. When you are working on a file with others, you can communicate with the chat feature in real time. You can discuss your ideas and make revisions to the document simultaneously. You will be able to see what other group members are typing or editing. The revision history feature demonstrates all of the progress of the group work. For example, who has participated, which alleviates the question if everyone in the group contributed. Instructors can use the comment feature to provide feedback on group work. The instructor can create a template to use in GoogleDocs for consistency or provide guidance on a particular project. 

To get started, check out this GoogleDoc: The Paperless Classroom with GoogleDocs for more helpful tips and instructions. 

Using BLOGS in your Online Class

I bet you are wondering why you would want to integrate blogs in your online classroom? Well, there are plenty of reasons. Blogs help students realize that they need to write for the public. In other words, they need to be able to convey their opinion and justify why they have that particular stance. This is an important skill to teach students. By having students create a username that only you as the teacher knows, protects their identity. Anonymity also encourages normally shy students to participate more comfortably in the virtual space. Blogs can be used to keep students on track as far as their weekly readings. For instance, you can have your students blog about their weekly readings and connect it to current events. By doing this, students will be making real-world connections. Blogs can be used for reflection, journaling, peer review, collaboration and portfolios.

Check out this Prezi for more tips and free blog platforms.

Have you implemented a blog in your online class? What was your experience?