Google Docs vs. Googe Sides

One of the problems I encountered early on using Google Docs was the lack of formatting options.  A few people that I talked to said they preferred Word because you could do more with it.  After playing around for a while I found that Google Slides provided a way to make documents with set formatting and I was able to achieve almost anything I wanted.

Our school produces very 'pretty' student portfolios with many of the teacher taking a lot of time to make good looking assessment samples and graphic organisers.  Google Slides was perfect for this... but, as time went on I began to question some of the documents I was making.  Did it need to look good?  What was the real purpose of this sample?  Was I inadvertently hamstringing what I was trying to achieve because I was trying to make it look good?

The answer was yes and no.

For some samples we wanted the wow factor,  for others the task itself was more important.  Student collaboration and refection was required and a document that grew and provides space for students to show learning was needed.  In this regard Google Docs was better, despite having limited formatting.

We used a Google doc to share out the learning intentions and tasks for  Narrative writing, this allowed students to type work, upload photos of their handwritten work and allowed them to make ongoing changes based on teacher and peer feedback. It meant that all of the student work was in one place, a huge bonus when it came to assessing student learning.  This term we are trialling using a discussion paper about planets in our solar system using Google Docs because it allows for collaboration and growth of ideas.  Because isn't this the kind of learning students take part in in higher education? In the workplace? Isn't our job to teach and prepare them for their future? Whatever it looks like.

So really, like anything in teaching, it's about selecting the right tool for the job.  When you want a 'pretty' summative assessment, Google Slides will do the trick perfectly.  But, when you want living, growing collaborative work that's powerful and engaging... It's going to get messy - Use a Google Doc.

What are your thoughts for using these Google Tools?