Let´s Learn with Google Drive

Let´s Learn with Google Drive

Do you know what Google Drive is?

It is a free cloud-based storage service that enables users to store and access files online. The service syncs stored documents, photos and more across all of the user's devices, including mobile devices, tablets and PCs.

This tool offers different options such as Google Docs, Google Slides and Google Sheets. Those options make up Google Drive's office suite. Google Docs is a word processor, Google Slides is a presentation program and Google Sheets is a spreadsheet program. Respectively, they can be compared to Microsoft Word, Microsoft PowerPoint and Microsoft Excel. Although the Google versions lack some capabilities that those Microsoft Office applications have, they are simple, collaborative and free.

When an user creates a file or folder, he or she becomes its owner by default. Then, the owner can control the level of visibility (public or privately shared with specific Google accounts) and transfer ownership to another user using Gmail addresses. The owner can also regulate permissions for both folders and files, using access levels such as "can edit," "can comment" and "can view." In that way, users can work on different options it offers at the same time while being at different places, just by accessing to the cloud. (Rouse, 2018)

Linguistic skills can be reinforced with this tool

This tool is a good option to reinforce most reading and writing skills. However, I think that it can be best used to make students practice their writing skills in an interesting and interactive way. The use of the diverse options that this tool offers usually includes written information. In that way, teachers can assess students´writing skills. 

Activities That an EFL Teacher Could Carry Out Using Google Drive

Activity #1-Using Google Drive to assess writing: The teacher asks students to make groups (number depends upon the quantity of students) and assigns each group a specific topic, or gives them options of different topics, and let them choose the one that they like the most. Second, once each group has a topic, the teacher will ask students to investigate about that topic (the teacher should be specific about what he/she wants students to include in their investigation) at home. At home, students will investigate about the topic and create a document using Google Docs in which they include what they investigated. The teacher asks students to be careful with plagiarism and try to use their own words when writing the document. Finally, students can share the document with the teacher so that the teacher can check it online reducing the use of paper.

Acrivity #2-Using Google Drive to assess speaking: The teacher asks students to make groups (number depends upon the quantity of students) for preparing an oral presentation to be presented in class. Again, the teacher can assign each group a specific topic, or give them options, and let them choose the one that they prefer. The teacher will ask students to create a presentation at home so that it serves them as support when presenting in front of the class. The teacher will ask them to use Google Slides to create the presentation so that all students of each group can work together at their homes, give ideas to each other as well as feedback. When the presentation is ready, students will share it with the teacher. Finally, students will make the oral presentation using the presentation that they prepareda at home.

Activity #3-Using Google Drive to assess grammar and punctuation knowledge: The teacher will upload a collection of paragraphs in Google Drive (the number of paragraphs depends on the number of students; there should be one paragraph for each student) and share it will his/her students. The teacher will assign one paragraph to each student. He/she will ask students to check their correspondig paragraph, look for all the mistakes they can find, and correct them. After all students have worked on their paragraphs, the teacher will show the paragraphs in the class using a projector and ask each student to go in front of the class, read aloud his/her paragraph, and explain to the rest of the class what he/she did; what he/she corrected. 

Tips

I have some recommendations if you as a teacher can use google drive for teaching.

1. First of all, you have to make sure that all your students have acces to good internet connection.
2. Also, you must consider that for using this tool, students will need a smartphone or computer, so make sure all of them have one.
3. If you use this tool for evaluating writing, you should prepared a scoring rubric to assess your students´ production and partipation. 

I want to include a Protocol that I had to prepare for one of my major courses. In this Protocol I created some activities for EFL students in which they use Google Drive, so I invite you to take a look at it. It may will give you ideas about how to implement this tool with your students. 


Google Drive is really useful for teaching and learning purposes. The option it offers for users to work together in real time but in different places is amazing. Technology is aimed to ease and improve many aspects of human lives. Therefore, teachers and students should take advantage of what technology offers.


Reference

Rouse. M. (2018). Google drive. Retrieved from https://bit.ly/30lktUv