Tara Kane's 7th grade science class (pictured left) used Google Docs to collaborate in groups on a recent assignment involving cells. A typical lesson involving the organelles within a cell was given a fun and interesting twist. Students had to come up with an analogy for the cell and it's parts and relate them to structures within their chosen object (one group chose a prison, for example).
Students were working simultaneously as a group on single document, completing a table (template provided through Google by Mrs. Kane) that related each organelle to something on their analogy and providing a rationale for each. The teacher, as Google Doc editor, was able to "peek" in on student work and progress and offer guidance. Students peer reviewed and helped one another as the lesson continued; they even used the built-in cameras on their MacBooks to take a picture of their cell analogy (a Cheeseburger pictured here) and imported it into the Google Doc.
Students were working simultaneously as a group on single document, completing a table (template provided through Google by Mrs. Kane) that related each organelle to something on their analogy and providing a rationale for each. The teacher, as Google Doc editor, was able to "peek" in on student work and progress and offer guidance. Students peer reviewed and helped one another as the lesson continued; they even used the built-in cameras on their MacBooks to take a picture of their cell analogy (a Cheeseburger pictured here) and imported it into the Google Doc.
Another middle school science teacher, Sue Sharber, facilitated a lesson in a similar way using Google Drive. In this case, students were learning about controlled experiments and the necessary components needed to collect viable data. Students designed and executed their own experiments. With the help of the MacBook cameras and Google Presentation (see below), students were able to brainstorm their ideas, plan their experiment, document their lab setup and compile their data in a group presentation within the cloud. Students even utilized Google Sheets to collect, analyze and graph their data. Experiments that included a reaction included student-created YouTube videos with links in the final presentation.
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