Lesson 6: Google Docs & Spreadsheets (Think, Explore, Do and Survey Results)

Lesson 6: Google Docs & Spreadsheets (Think, Explore, Do and Survey Results)

Think
Before you began this course, what did you do (or still do) when you need to collaborate with other students on a project outside of class? In other words, what do you usually do if you want to show someone what you have done? What do you do if you need to work on it at the same time? How do you feel about doing collaborative work? Please write a brief description.

To be honest, I'm currently feel frustrating to the collaborative work which two of my friends and I am working from this June. We are participating the Nikkei Stock League, which college students compete to create the stock portfolio for virtual investing. Although I tried (am still trying) to update our work regularly, the other team mates were left behind. My assumption from leaving behind our schedule is that it is time consuming to make contacts with each other. For example, if the other team mates would like to say some opinions toward our progress to our work, we use emails to make contacts. By using emails, we can surely contact with each other, but the process itself is not interactive. I think that the interacting process is significant to our group work because team members can actually see the updated versions of the original samples. We had so many email attachments of the revised versions of the same file names over the summer in order to update our work regularly. For example, if one team member made some corrections to our portfolio, he/she has to send the updated versions of the files to all of the members. This is confusing and time consuming. This kind of difficulties arises when the team members have to work at the same time and the deadline is nearby. Thus, I have some feeling that the group work is not efficient for our progress to our projects. Therefore, we almost work individually in order to keep up with the schedule. Therefore, I had difficulties in collaborative work, and I have to alter those difficulties in order to work effectively and improve our friendship.

Explore
It is easy to learn a new way to create, share, publish, collaborate, and access you work anywhere. The video that follows explains more about Google Docs and Spreadsheets. Watch it a few times, stop and start it at critical points (the narration is fast!), take some notes. Try to identify two or three things about using GDS that could make studying easier for you.


Advantages

1. GDS makes homes for documents.
2. Only the updated, original versions of the text were kept in the GDS
3. GDS makes editing easy and more accurate than before.
4. Increase securities

Disadvantages
1. Necessary to have access codes to log-in
(This is also an advantage of GDS because this increaes security.)


Explain
1. What are the main skills needed to use GDS?
First, we have to keep in mind the fact that GDS is totally the different kind of software. Since the GDS has the distinctive features,
I think the users are necessary to have some background information of Web 2.0 (probably Web 3.0 in the future).
Since the GDS may functions as some kind of educational tools, I think we should have some ideas of concepts of Education 2.0 in order to fully utilize GDS. I think the concept of Education 2.0 is the fact that those software (especiaaly as an free applications) will be incorporated in the classroom in the near future. Therefore, having some Education 2.0 background is necessary in utilizing GDS.

2. What are the affordances of GDS (what does it make possible, what does it impede)?
What does it make possible is that GDS makes editing easier. To be more specific, the functions of GDS makes it possible to process the regular routine transactions easier. They can surely reduce the complexity of the routine works. What does it impede is that GDS cannot alter our everyday lives completely. For example, the GDS doesn't have some kind of huge impacts on the society such as the ones brought by Google. Surely, the Google changed the way how we think, business opportunities, and future perspectives of high-tech industry in silicon valley.

3. How can GDS be used to network professionally and connect you (& other students) to learning resources?
In order to network professionally, I think the awareness of Education 2.0 is necessary. Although the Education 2.0 is my own word, I think that the movement toward the Education 2.0 is certainly growing. The awareness of Education 2.0 means to introduce IT softwares into the school classroom even from elementary school. Although there are a lot of controversies toward Education 2.0, the growing awareness of Education 2.0 is necessary to expand the GDS.

4. What skills and understandings have you learned about GDS that may promote your development as an effective learner in the digital age?
I think the GDS makes me possible to become aware how to become an effective learner in the digital age. Although I had (=having) so much difficulties in collaborative works, I didn't do anything to overcome our difficulties.
I suppose that's the fundamental stumbling blocks to become an effective learner in the digitla age. Therefore, I actually feel and experienced that taking out of barries of utilizing softwares are the difficulties, which have to be overcomed in order to promote our development as an effective learner in the digital age.

Survery Results