My Thoughts Using Google Docs

Recently, we have been exploring the features of Google Docs and I find that it could be a very positive tool in the classroom. Although a person would be able to have Microsoft Office word, powerpoint, or excel on their computer, it is very useful to have it on the internet as well. Not only is it very easy to share with others, but it backs-up your projects so they do not accidently get lost or erased. I find this to be the major positive in using Google Docs; it seems in every class I take there are students (including myself) who have lost jumpdrives or forgotten where they saved an assignment, or even having a glitch in the system and not saving it at all. The downfalls I see of Google Docs are that not everyone has access to the internet at all time; if a teacher is just using Google Docs, it could be difficult for some students to complete assignments. Additionally, there are some features missing from Google Docs that can be found on regular Microsoft applications. For example, in our group Google Doc project, I was in charge of the powerpoint; however, I was not able to use clipart in the Google Docs program. This is a very small inconvience, but it was an inconvience all the same. I think Google Docs could be useful in the classroom but, like all technology, I believe, it needs to be balance with other resources to give every student the same opportunity.