So, I'm the math teacher parent who's also responsible for proofreading Spanish assignments and English papers. What's up with that? (Rabbit Chase: I realized this week while talking to my students that I scored higher on the ACT in reading and English than in math and yet I teach math. I like it better.)
Anyway, back to my point. Ryan has her own Google account, and I have her do all assignments in Google Docs. This accomplishes two very beneficial things.
1) She can access it any where from any device. We're a family of two laptops, three smartphones, one iPad, a school iPad, and a school chromebook. She could be working from any of those devices depending on whether we're at home, school, traveling, going to basketball games, etc. She can easily work when she has time, and always pick up where she left off on the next device.
2) She can "share" the doc with me for easy editing. By "share," I am referring to Google's definition of the word. She can give me editing privileges where we can both see the document LIVE from our individual screens. LIVE. Like, I can see where her cursor is at that exact moment. If you've use Google Docs, then I'm not telling you anything you don't already know, but here's the real benefit. I can comment and suggest edits from my own computer on my own time. Do you realize the significance of the fact that I can "constructively critique" her work without having to be right next to her?! Maybe in your house every mother-to-13-year-old conversation is roses and sunshine, but here, sometimes the slightest things can be way over dramatized! Attitude, tone of voice, facial expressions, etc. Using Google, all comments and suggestions are typed and linked directly to the spot needed attention. By increasing the bodily distance while I'm critiquing and using voices less often, we are SIGNIFICANTLY reducing the opportunity for confrontation!!!
Anyway, back to my point. Ryan has her own Google account, and I have her do all assignments in Google Docs. This accomplishes two very beneficial things.
1) She can access it any where from any device. We're a family of two laptops, three smartphones, one iPad, a school iPad, and a school chromebook. She could be working from any of those devices depending on whether we're at home, school, traveling, going to basketball games, etc. She can easily work when she has time, and always pick up where she left off on the next device.
2) She can "share" the doc with me for easy editing. By "share," I am referring to Google's definition of the word. She can give me editing privileges where we can both see the document LIVE from our individual screens. LIVE. Like, I can see where her cursor is at that exact moment. If you've use Google Docs, then I'm not telling you anything you don't already know, but here's the real benefit. I can comment and suggest edits from my own computer on my own time. Do you realize the significance of the fact that I can "constructively critique" her work without having to be right next to her?! Maybe in your house every mother-to-13-year-old conversation is roses and sunshine, but here, sometimes the slightest things can be way over dramatized! Attitude, tone of voice, facial expressions, etc. Using Google, all comments and suggestions are typed and linked directly to the spot needed attention. By increasing the bodily distance while I'm critiquing and using voices less often, we are SIGNIFICANTLY reducing the opportunity for confrontation!!!
Disclaimer: We have a great relationship. I am simply talking about the typical teenage notion of thinking that surely I'm being too picky about the whole subject/verb agreement thing, which then leads to huffing and eye-rolling, and I think you can figure out the rest. Plus, I am just as guilty of tone of voice as she is. How many times do we have to talk about subject/verb agreement? I never get an impatient tone over that. (Sarcasm font needed.) And for the critics who think I'm avoiding teachable moments about tone of voice and body language, believe me, we have plenty of opportunities for those conversations.
What about you? Are you a Google Doc user? Any schoolwork tips with teenagers?
What about you? Are you a Google Doc user? Any schoolwork tips with teenagers?