Google Apps

    I evaluated Google Document.  This is a very user-friendly application, and one that I have used in many different settings on many different occasions.  I have used this application to create a word document that I am trying to take/edit from home to work.  I have used it as a document that I have shared and edited with colleagues, so that we can each edit the document at our own given times.  I have also used it with students, so that they can save their document in a place that they can come back to on any computer at any place.
    In order to use this application in an educational setting, a student would need to know basic typing and spelling skills.  It would make the process easier if the student has used a word editing application before, in order to know basic functions and button uses (such as tab, enter for new paragraph, different size font, bold, italic, underline...).  It is a very simple application once a student has learned the basics of the program.  It is much more basic than applications such as Microsoft Word, or Open Office.  It is a simple word editing application that has fewer buttons for editing the document and adding extensive material.  However, if the editor wants to edit using these more advanced features, the editor needs to know what each of the features does/how to get to them, instead of simply how to push the button.  Having less buttons to push means needing to know more about what needs to be done in order to get your task fulfilled.
    In order to share Google Document, the creator simply needs to create a new document, copy the web link that they created, and send it to the people they wish to share it with.  Or, they could create a link button in their Wiki, Webpage, or Blog.  This application can be used to teach anything in education that a teacher would normally type up to print off for students.  It could also be used to allow students to type assignments or reports.  Instead of printing, teachers and students could simply share the link to their file that they have created.  This application would make collaboration much easier for teachers and students because it is readily available on the web.  Once the link is shared, anyone who knows the address can access the document at anytime.
    The teacher does have to take into consideration that extra students could see the document and share their input.  It would make cheating easier, but students must be held accountable for their honesty just as they always have been.  Teachers also need to make sure that if they assign homework using Google Document, they need to take into consideration those students who don’t have Internet access to collaborate. However, perhaps these students could go to another team member’s house to collaborate, as they would in a traditional setting.