Edit a document as a class – Students participate and can easily see what everyone is doing. Prepare the document ahead of time, and share at the beginning of class when you are ready for them to access it. (This can be easily done by sharing with a particular contact list already created in Google Contacts.) Once you’ve shared it out to the classroom, students can get in and begin editing. Be sure to share it with a contact list, so that it requires students to sign in before being able to edit. This way, you have a record of who made what edits or changes. If you simply share it via the link, it may get a little chaotic.
Model writing for students – Create a document and model the writing process for students as you write a story or craft an essay together. This works best with younger students, and smaller classes in which you can easily allow for 100% participation among students.
Storytelling in groups – Give students a particular topic, name the groups, and let them get started! This is a great way for students to share the writing process with each other, adding text and images to make the story come alive. This can be shared with the class post-writing, so as to showcase and give feedback on specific objectives. This process works best when the teacher creates a document for each group, and then shares it with the group’s members, since the owner or creator of a document has full access. Then, students can access the document and begin editing simultaneously, making comments, asking questions, and working together.
Amanda M. Orozco 