1. Community Based
1.1. The basis of these apps allow this to be based around a community.
1.2. Since the teacher can set up a community in this format, not only the students can be part of the classroom community. The teacher can bring outside individuals into discussions and projects. There could possibly be experts from different fields that could come and be part of this classroom community and provide guidance for students.
1.3. Parents can also be brought into the classroom community. Google services can help bridge the gap between home and the classroom. It can also help with ESL students and their families. There could be a better line of communication if the teacher could translate main ideas to parents who don't speak English as a first language.
1.4. Speaking of ESL, I've seen teachers translate tests and important assignments in a student's native language to help them understand concepts better. This tool only strengthens the classroom community for everyone.
1.4.1. I have used Google Translator to work with a student from China last year in Educ 536 - K.Maguire
2. Centralized Documentation System
2.1. If a teacher decides to incorporate Google services into his/her classroom, there will be less chasing students down for assignments and mix ups in emails and such.
2.2. There is one centralized location for all information flowing in and out of the classroom. Students theoretically could know their grade on an assignment and the mistakes and comments a teacher makes on that assignment instantaneously.
2.2.1. DLynn-When my daughter entered 6th grade, a flash drive was no longer necessary because of Google Docs. They produce all of their papers and presentations on Google Docs. Her teachers share study guides and assignments on Google Docs, so she can access all of the necessary information at home and she only needs to know her gmail information.
2.2.1.1. M Kennedy: It allows the student less things that can be lost! Thanks for the post!
2.3. If parents are involved in the above community I was talking about then they could visit and see progress of student work. Since permissions can be granted to whoever the teacher wishes, the parent and student could have exclusive rights to certain documents and files that would lay out a students progress in the class and show examples of student work.
3. Most Google based Apps, including docs, have a very small learning curve. Most students would be able to figure out these apps with little to no help.
4. Collaboration
4.1. With Google Docs and Apps, students can collaborate on a single document, pull in other documents into a collection or pull in other resources using Google Drive to make a very rounded collaborative project.
4.1.1. I like that students can use multiple services (such as Google docs and Google sheets and share them with their peers. It's also nice that you can decide whether people can just view it or edit it, or let certain people edit but not others. C.Loring
4.1.1.1. M Kennedy: It gives the teacher ultimate control on what can be worked on and what can be viewed. The teacher can also set up certain parts of an assignment that can only be completed by certain students. This helps stop the "one student doing everything" syndrome.
4.2. Since students are tied into the Google Ecosystem they will have everything they need to work on collaborative projects. Email services (gmail), blogging sites, social media (google+), cloud storage (google drive), video creation software (YouTube) and document creation programs (Google Docs) are at the tips of student's fingers. The beauty of this is that they are all interconnected by Google.
4.3. Students can even go outside of the school district and even the country to collaborate with other students around the world. Google Translate is an app that could help bridge the language gap between students from across the world.
5. Ease of Use
5.1. The documents are always kept in the same place and readily available to the student making access to them extremely simple.
5.1.1. We used Google Docs last quarter for a Drexel online project. I like how several people can work at once. K. Maguire
5.2. With Google Education services taking off at a very rapid rate, more student's will be accessing these tools. Students will have themselves ingrained into Google's ecosystem. Google's operating system, Chrome OS, and their line of inexpensive computers, Chromebooks, will make the ease of getting a computer and setting up a Personal Learning Network will soon be easier than ever.
5.2.1. I think the idea that there is a universality to Google services is one of the best things about it. They are so user friendly and affordable. The more students are familiar with the operating systems the more opportunities teacher have to incorporate them meaningfully in to the