Option Command

For this module, I would like for us to meet in class on Thursday 3-5 to discuss Google Apps (Team Edition). For Thursday class, please have already signed up for Google Apps and have watched the brief video.
http://www.google.com/apps/business/index.html

The purpose of this class is to expose all of you to the wonderful new tools that can be used in the 21st century learning environment. I want to step away from the tools for just a second and talk about one the great changes in education. It is the move away from “rugged individualism” to collaborative work. In general, I believe that wisdom of the crowd is greater than the wisdom of the smartest individual. In the workplace, we know that one of most valuable traits of a great employee is the ability to work in a team environment. In preparation for the workplace, educators often assign class and/or lab projects to foster teamwork.

In the blog module, some of you were working in teams of two to accomplish the goal of creating the blog. I also exposed the class to several Web 2.0 tools. This was to prepare you for the next few modules (Google Docs, Wikis, and the final project) where the class (for now on TEAM) is going to be responsible for the deliverables.

Back to the tools:

Google Docs is a free online office suite that is designed for collaborative work. The suite has the following components:

Word Processor (Word)

Spreadsheet (Excel)

Presentation (Powerpoint)

While these tools are not as powerful as their Microsoft counterparts, they are largely compatible with Microsoft Office and meets the needs of a majority of students and knowledge workers. Documents are accessible from any device that is connected to the Internet and are stored online. This allows for collaborators to work on a document at anytime and anyplace in the world

Project Guidelines:

My role for this module, is coach and tech support. I would like the team to choose a team leader for this project. Please let me know who the team leader is and make sure he/she shares the document with me.

The team is to produce a comparison paper about the pros and cons of Google Docs and Office. The paper has to be done in Google Docs, using Angel discussion groups, or any Web 2.0 tool. No “face to face” meetings, phone or email are to be used for communicating. Microsoft Office is only to be used for comparison purposes. The purpose of these restrictions is to immerse you in a new way of communicating, teaching, and learning. You will be graded using the same software review rubric and criteria we used in the Cool Tools, Pt. 1 module and a collaboration rubric.

The paper should be between 750-1250 words and is due May 31 @ 6pm.

Software Review Guidelines

1. Summary of what the software does.
2. Ease of use.
3. Ease of navigation. (Can you find what you are looking for?)
4. Documentation (Does it have a help screen? Is it helpful?)
5. Educational Value (Is it useful in the classroom?)
6. Production Values (Does it look professional? Does it work well?)
7. Pro and Cons

Software Review Rubric