Google Docs for Drafting and Editing

This past year, I transitioned from traditional pen-and-paper peer editing to an online format using Google Docs. This was made possible by having each student set up a Google Docs account at the start of the year, when we sent home a permission form to the parents of each child on my team.  We received 100% support: each form came back, and all kids signed up.

When it came time to write our first paper, I spent a class period going over how to use Google Docs instead of the traditional Word.  One of the key points I figured out was that I needed a clear system by which students would name their files, and a protocol for sharing them with me.  For naming, I chose a combination of descriptors that I would use all year:  Period, Assignment, First initial and last name - for example, if Milan Kundera were in my period G class, and he created a draft of his essay for Under the Persimmon Tree, his file name would be:  G UTPT Essay M Kundera.  This is critical because, as the year gets rolling, I end up with tons of documents cluttering my Google Docs home screen.  I need a quick way to sort and file them:  I create folders for each period, and then subfolders for each unit / assignment.

 Then, when assignments come in, I can quickly sort by period and assignment, and drop the papers into their proper folders, keeping my home screen cleared.

So, with naming settled, I shared my email address with the students for sharing purposes, and I was ready to roll, and assignments started coming in.

One other little trick: I use the 'star feature as a way to check off when I've reviewed someone's draft - that way, I can quickly track which assignments I still need to see.


I've found that using GD has a number of benefits over the traditional paper form of doing business.  These benefits include:

• Being able to set deadlines at more flexible times.  For example, I might have one paragraph of a draft due by Friday evening at 9 pm - by that time, students need to share it with me.
• Being more focused in feedback I give.  One problem I had with collecting drafts was I'd comment on everything.  On GD, I set myself a couple limits: I would post 2-4 comments, focusing on big areas of concern in a document, and I came up with a set list of shorthand comments that I could use, such as a generic "GUM" at the top of a paper if the student needed to work on grammar / usage / mechanics.  I've found that, by giving just a few good comments, students are better able to focus on making improvements and I spend less time marking up papers.
• I can track student progress when necessary.  For example, through looking at revision history, I can see when a student worked on a document.  This has been helpful in parent discussions, to be able to show that someone either hadn't touched a document in the two weeks prior to a due date or that someone was spending entirely too much time on their work.  Either way, it's a great starting point for a conversation with the student or the parent.
• I have immediate access to exemplars.  When work comes in, I can flag documents that stand out, copy them into new docs, and remove student names.  On research papers, I've been able to create a 'master bibliography' by merging the works cited from several top students.
• I can give live support to students who need it.  On occasion, I've seen that a student was actively working on a document while I was online - I am able to access the document and discuss the work with the student.  Often, it's a quick "How's everything going?" in the side bar, giving them a chance to ask questions if needed.

For peer editing, GD has proved a boon as well.  Editing on paper was always difficult - it had to be completed in school (unless students trusted one another with hard copies of their documents), and the quality of the editing was entirely dependent on who actually got the document.  This was a problem - after all, we all have students who really need a lot of help on their paper, do we pair them with the solid writers?  What then happens to the solid writer's paper - will she or he get any good feedback?  

Online editing is an easy fix for the time constraints.  Students can start their editing in class, and finish it at home overnight or over a weekend.   Then, to fix the issue of editing quality, I created peer editing groups.  Within each group, each student is given a specific task - for example, student A might be responsible for checking the first body paragraph for content and integrity - does it support the thesis statement?  How?  This way, each paper has several editors examine it, and students focus on specific structural elements, rather than the document as a whole.  Overall, this has worked quite well.

My next step in this process is to broaden the audience for these papers.  Last year, the writing and editing was contained within my team.  This coming year, I hope to collaborate with another 8th grade team (we all cover the same units, in roughly the same order) so that both my students and myself can gain from the perspectives of others who, while familiar with the texts we are reading, bring in a different set of classroom experiences.  This pushes the comfort zone a little - how will my students compare with another teacher's?  What strengths and weaknesses within my own skill set will be exposed?  

This is a door I'm looking forward to opening.

If you have experience using Google Docs for peer editing, or have other suggestions regarding editing collaboratively with other teams / students beyond your classroom, I would appreciate your ideas!