Google Docs

I've become a fan of google docs and am promoting it to my kids....in this case I'm referring to my own children, but think that I am doing a dis-service to my classroom students if I don't also share the benefits of this internet-based tool with them.  I have promoted the use of collaborating with my children and peers via google docs recently in two very different scenario.  

Scenario 1: A daughter has to write a science lab report for school.  Using google docs, allows her document to be waiting for her at school if there are a few spare moments to jump on a computer during class, and it doesn't matter if she has the latest version on a flash drive.  We also use google docs so that I can proofread her writings from anywhere...a week ago we collaborated in this way while I was in a Fargo, ND hotel room....we chatted via gmail, collaborated via google docs, and spoke on the cell phone when we needed to discuss something in depth.  It was wonderful.  This afternoon (a Sunday) she just yells up the stairs and tells me things are ready to be reviewed and I open the document between other computer tasks, give my feedback, save & share, and she's back at it.  Very cool!!

Scenario 2: Grant writing.  The Washburn Robotics team is applying for a grant from NASA and I was collaborating on the writing of the grant with the other advisor.  I wrote up my responses in google docs while sitting at a Caribou one Saturday morning and then he could open it at his leisure and add too it.  The only hiccup we had was that google docs did not let him edit our document if he used firefox, but internet explorer and safari seemed fine.  Not sure why that happened....  But, overall I love that we're not constantly wondering who has the latest version or when it was last updated.  Google docs keep track of it for us.

Now, I'm still not comfortable putting ALL of my files on Google docs, but for the times I have, its been great.  Try it, you might like it.  :-)