Google Docs
Last semester I used Google Docs as a key tool in my class. It was a course on learning theory as applied in Science Education. I had them create a Wikipedia type of glossary of terms that they were responsible for keeping accurate. One of the things I like most about Google Docs was what I could use it for in small groups. I had student in groups and asked them to do their work in Google Docs. They spread out around the building, wherever they felt they could work best. I asked them to each include me as a collaborator on their document. I sat in front of my laptop and could watch as groups developed their ideas by click between documents. I could give on-the-fly feedback right into their document. I could call them back to the classroom by typing a quick note in their document. And when they came back to class I could share out their work my just clicking between documents that were already on my machine (or at least displayed there), without any “collecting”. It seems a trivial thing that I actually stumbled onto by accident, but I think it points to the incredible power of the unexpected opportunities provided by ubiquitous computing in a networked environment.
As a student I found it extremely useful. The real time ability to focus on a particular person’s input was harnessed by the organization imparted to the files by the software.