Google docs & Collaborative Lesson Plans

Collaborative learning...a concept inwhich we have learned through research supports the social aspect of learning in both the cognitive and constructive theories of education. However, most current teachers were not encouraged through their early education to work in teams. So how do we teach our students this strategy when we ourselves may not have it in our repetoire? Through exercises just like our exploration of Google docs. By practicing the methods ourselves.

I have appreciated the Education program's conscious attempts to model the evidence-based practices as professionals we have learned help our students acquire knowledge more effectively. By utilizing these methods as the "student" vs. the "teacher" I think the benefits are two-fold. First, by using it during instruction we are privileged to see the method modeled by instructors who already had the opportunity to practice implementing the concept. Secondly, as the student, I think it provides an insight to what our own students will experience; to experience the uncertainity and discomfort of trying something new I believe brings a level of empathy to our own instruction which benefits our students and heighten the quality of the instruction itself.

I also enjoyed the opportunity to work with a colleage collaboratively in a manner which worked well with both of our schedules. Often times special education teachers do not have the same planning time as the general education teachers with whom we share common students. Google docs provides an opportunity to brainstorm and create collaborative lessons for both the general education classroom with the benefit of modification insight from the special education instructor and a way for the special education instructor to make greater modifications within the resource classroom lesson while maintaining the themes and contents of their homerooms while they are out of the room during direct instruction.

I hope that I will be able to utilize this tool to its full potential once I enter the instructional classroom.