A personal use for Google Docs, would be to upload all my genealogical documentation - photos, wills, deeds, baptismal certificates, etc. - in files by family name. When I want to share something with a newly discovered cousin, I won't have to search for files on my computer and send them as attachments because I can just include their email on my share list for the particular file of interest! In the past, I rescanned photos and documents because by the time I needed to access them again, the computer containing the scan was history. Google Docs fixes that problem.
Professionally I can share documents with colleagues and parents, although it still requires action on the part of the parent(s) to be effective, just liek an email. The point in the prompt regarding students needing email address is definitely a concern. When I started my Romeo and Juliet Blog, I was surprised how many of my 7th and 8th graders are not allowed to have email accounts because parents are concerned about it. Where it's good that parents are watching the email, I wonder how many of those kids have cell phones that text and do what the email would anyhow?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Excellent point: email block while cell phones are allowed. It's perhaps a generation divide between adults and the kids. When I taught, I required my students to have an email address. I sent out a letter to parents explaining the need and requesting their permission. I followed up with any parent who had reservations (3 in 2 years out of 300 students). Every parent signed permission. What could help is to recommend to parents that they keep the student's password, so as to check the account whenever they wish. Google accounts therefore open up the Google Apps. An alternative is Gaggle.net. That is geared to classrooms, although there may be an expense. What do you think about the parent letter option?
ReplyDelete