1. Using Grammar with GoogleDocs A presentation by Allison
Nunnally Longwood University
2. Grammars Not Sticking! If traditional grammar teaching is
not working inyour classroom, there are several methods ofrevamping
the way grammar is taught andpresented. One such method is the use
of technology.Students love doing things with technology, suchas
using computers or iPads for activities. The article I am
presenting is one teachersmethod of using Google Docs for students
tokeep Grammar Journals. This idea proveduseful in the teaching of
grammar as I read andthought about his ideas.
3. How Does This Work? The process is very simple. At the very
beginningof the school year, each student begins a newGoogle Doc,
and makes at least one entry intotheir journal each week. In
addition to creating the document, the teacherleads a discussion to
why students believegrammar is important. Using the students
entries, the teacher andstudent work together one-on-one to
assessgrammar errors. Instead of students fixing theerrors, they
only become aware of what the erroris so it will be prevented next
time.
4. How were the Reactions? The students were described at
reactingpositively to the new activity. It was stated that even the
most disorganizedstudents, whom often missed or did
incorrectentries early on, began to understand thepurpose of the
activity and work more seriouslyon their journal entries from then
on. For the teacher, it helped him come back togrammar all
throughout the year by referring tohis students journal entries for
help on problemareas, thus, making the teaching of grammarmore
effective.
5. What are the Benefits? The benefits found in this article
were many. If usedproperly, this kind of activity could revamp the
waystudents learn and relate grammar to writing. Easy to use- For
both teachers and students, it is aneasy program to use. Students
go in each week andcreate their entry, and the teacher later can
quicklyand easily check and comment on the entries. Fromthere, the
student can go back in and have feedbackthrough the comment feature
with the teacher. Easy to relate- The teacher could easily sort
throughthe entries to see where students are as far asgrammar goes.
He can then tweak his lesson to coverproblem areas for the
students.
6. More Benefits Error Logging- This activity gives students
and the teachera visual error log that they may go back and check
toreview what grammar skills they must improve upon. Technology- In
todays world, technology is a big part ofour lives. It is so
integrated into society, that mosteveryone uses a computer at some
point during a normalday. This would be great to use since many
studentsalready love using computers at home. Puts the learning on
students- This activity shifts theburden for learning grammar more
squarely on thestudents shoulders as they are held responsible
foridentifying and assessing their own grammar skills, withhelp
from the teacher only minimally needed. Makes students self-aware-
This activity helps the studentsbecome more aware of their own
grammar shortcomings,and allows theme to think critically about how
to fix them.
7. Bibliography Neal, R. (2011, August 22). Making Grammar
Sticky with Google Docs. Retrieved from
http://www.edsocialmedia.com/2011/08/making-
grammar-sticky-with-google-docs/
