Google Drive

During the course of this class, I was introduced to Google Drive. Google Drive consists of a variety of applications such as Google Docs. I feel that this technology would be helpful in the classroom because it encourages student collaboration. Students can use these applications to access and share documents so group work can be completed more easily. Students can also use the chat feature to discuss and assign tasks to their group members.

Teachers can also use this to monitor student learning. For instance, teachers can view students’ revision history and observe their progress on an assignment. Furthermore, teachers can use this feature to see how much each student has contributed for a group project. Through this application, teachers are also able to give students feedback on their work and post comments and suggestions. Clearly, this application has benefits for both teachers and students.

As I enter my fieldwork experience next semester, I will look for opportunities to use this technology. For example, I could assign students a project on researching a mathematician. Students could complete their research in groups and collaborate to present their findings. In this process, I will be able to monitor any revisions being made, the distribution of work, and be able to provide comments to help guide the students in the right direction. Moreover, their final product could be shared publicly so other students could learn about other selected mathematicians.