Google Docs in the Classroom and Common Core

More and more as I research and prepare for our school distric't use of Google Apps for Education, I am coming across posts that individual teachers write about their experiences using Google Docs in a variety of classroom settings.  Caitlin Tucker, an 9th and 10th  grade Honors English teacher from California, recently published a blog post about her experience using Google Docs with her students in the process of a formal essay assignment   She outlines the process really well in her blog complete with YouTube video of her screen cast  while she was editing with her students to demonstrate the rich, in-depth conversations she had (digitally) while supporting her students in the writing process.  She emphasizes in the blog that this was a lesson completely aligned with Common Core Standards and one that she would not have easily, efficiently or masterfully met without this process:

"I asked students to use the instant chat feature on their document to send me questions or comments as they worked. It was ironic how much individual feedback I was able to give in 90 minutes with 30+ students working quietly at their computers.I successfully edited every paper shared with me 2 times before the final draft was submitted. For those concerned about addressing the Common Core Standard that requires students “develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach,” this is a wonderful way to support students in this process. You are also using “technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing and to interact and collaborate with others,” which is another writing standard!"

 I encourage you to read her post, Synchronous Editing with Google Docs to Teach the Common Core, about this and get excited about the use of Google Docs in the classroom! RY