Student Blog Post: Microsoft vs. Google Docs

This is a student blog post by Mariah in response to our classroom experiment using Google Docs on a collaborative project. Please Note: By installing Google Gears you can work in Google Docs offline.

"Create and share your work online! Edit anytime, from anywhere! Share changes in real time!" reads Google's advertisements for their product Google Docs . There are multiple possible arguments about which program is better, Microsoft or Google Docs. In the next few paragraphs I will explore the pros and cons for both Microsoft and Google Docs.

When it comes to computers kickin' it old school can be a high price to pay. What I am trying to say is that with all the new computer technology out there today, like Google Docs, Microsoft is a thing of the past. There are tons of more productive ways to write an essay, create a group power point, graphs, and other projects. A very large conflict with Microsoft is that you have to repeatedly save your work. If your work is not saved and your computer shuts off, you could be left with a 16 page essay that you have to start over because it wasn't saved. On Google Docs the web is constantly saving your work for you so you don't end up re-typing a month-long essay in one night. Google Docs creates a whole new meaning to a document. The fact that you are on the web gives you the power to collaborate with with your group or partner when you are both at home. You can talk to them and work on the project at the same time, and see their work as you go. This can be extremely convenient for large groups so you are not all huddled around one computer to do a project. I can relate to this problem. Last year in 8th grade speech our teacher assigned us a travel speech. I was in a group of three (not exactly a large group, but still there were problems) and each one of us had to do a different part. I ,of course, got the big responsibility of making the power point. With Microsoft technology this meant I would do all the transferring of work. If one of my group members found a good picture I would have to stop my work, go to the website they were at, and put the picture into the power point. If we had been using Google Docs, then my group member could have put the picture in the power point for herself, and I wouldn't have had to have lifted a finger. As you can see Google Docs can be the smartest choice to use when you are writing an extremely long essay, or working on a group project. It ensures your documents safety, and cuts the working time in half.

26 years of service and improvement. The program Microsoft has been around since 1982. When it was first created there wasn't even a mouse to go with the computer. That shows how much it has grown since those days. Microsoft's newest version, 2007, comes with a new design and more features, and a lot more than Google Docs. There is much more freedom, choice, and creativity for your projects with Microsoft. For me, I have always used Microsoft since I was little so it is very familiar to me. When we used Google Docs in class
I was a little overwhelmed, and extremely confused. Plus you don't need internet connection for Microsoft. If you are like me and live in a home with ssssslllowwwwww computers you would understand why this is quite the bonus. Just yesterday night my internet was down all night long, if my family had decided to rely on Google Docs instead of Microsoft and I had to type up a paper, I would have been screwed.

As you can see there are many pros and cons for both Microsoft and Google Docs. Only time can tell whether Google docs will ever get its recognition, or if Microsoft can bust out new and better products before it falls into the shadows.

XOXO

I finally received my XO -- One Laptop per Child (OLPC) computer and I love it. In December, OLPC was running a Give One - Get One program and for $400 bucks you could get two computers. One gets shipped off to some distant land and you get the other. I jumped on it because I thought this little thing was too good to be true. Now, you can buy one on ebay for $400.

One Laptop per Child (OLPC), getting started: opening the laptop via kwout

While I was getting used to the shrunken keyboard and checking out every Wi-Fi signal in my neighborhood I was imagining some student in some far off land trying to figure out this new gadget. For me it was a toy, but for the other kid it was a glimpse into a unknown world...maybe. It could be the first camera, audio recorder, notebook, video game, internet access, encyclopedia, light...the student owns...all in one...for less that $200 bucks.

When you think how you could transform the classroom for $200 bucks/kid it really gets you thinking. The XO has this great handle. Students could carry it with them to class and you wouldn't have to go to a "technology room" to do technology. Imagine! The XO also forces you to rethink the notions of Microsoft, Apple and Adobe which is a good thing because the equivalent is out there for free.

I recently put in a grant for an iCart. 32 computers that would have missing keys within a few months (or weeks). They would get lots of wear and tear and be shared by at least 6 other students during the day and most likely be farmed out to other classes at every free moment. For the price of the Macs, I could GIVE every student I teach (~175 students) an XO and have them bring it to class. Not just my class, but every class!! Eight times the fun!

I can foresee a few issues with the XO. It might not be as slick as a Mac/PC and you have to work a little slower, but what if every student walked in the door to your class with a real life 21st century notebook?

One of my favorite things about the XO is that there are no instructions....not really anyway. There are a series of pictures that lay out a few ground rules along the lines of not leaving the XO out in the rain. Clearly, times are changing. Computers come in the mail with no instructions and you can figure them out despite it being different than the traditional platform. On top of that, it only costs $200 (unless you go to ebay).