Microsoft Word Online vs. Google Docs

Why Both Are Great:

1. Collaborate and share with others - work on a document in live time; collaborate on whole folders of documents; share with others via a link or email with various levels of editing rights
2. Auto-save feature - no more backup files as documents save every few seconds
3. Sync all your documents in a clouded drive - access your work from any device by signing into an account

How They Differ:

At first glance, One Drive and the comparable Google Drive offer many of the same types of documents to create. OneDrive does not offer a Drawing option, but this is not that great of a feature in my opinion as there are many better drawing tools available online.

A major benefit of One Drive over Google Drive is an online version of OneNote.

But apparently Google offers OneNote as as an App in the Chrome Store:

What’s a greater concern is the mere 3 GB of storage space on One Drive with the ability to upgrade by recommending the service. This is extremely limited when considering that Google offers 15GB of free storage (30GB if you are signed up at work or school).

For additional reasons Google Docs edges out the competition see this article: 10 Reasons Why Google Docs is better than Word Online.

On the flip side, there is a not-as-convincing list: 5 Reasons for Microsoft fans to dump Google Docs.

Though the above article does bring up a key problem with Google Docs: FORMATTING. If you don't know what I am talking about, read about the way Google Docs often alters original formatting when documents are converted.  

Personally, the only time I ran into formatting issues in my daily use of Docs was when I printed pages, but I do admit it can be a problem. Ironically, it was the Word Online document’s formatting that was disarranged during my demo.

The Bottom Line:

If you work in an environment that is already utilizing Microsoft products or produced highly formatted documents, Word Online is an ideal tool to increase collaboration and sync work. However, if you regularly use Google tools (like I do in a Google certified school) than it makes more sense to stick with Google tools.

For more information, see this comparison of Word Online and Google Docs.

Blended Learning: Learning Management Systems

This hybrid method of learning combines traditional classroom and online education. Blended learning has emerged with the advancement of new technologies in an effort to reach and teach students more effectively. 

While educators may debate the exact meaning of the term, the gist is that online technology is used not just to supplement, but transform and improve the learning process. 

The Ontario Ministry of Education explains the tools used to create Blended learning should help students:

• learn or review key concepts
• stay organized 
• communicate with others
• show what they have learned
• submit assignments
• track achievement

The website further states, “Blended learning uses the tools of the provincial learning management system (LMS) to teach and support learning in a face-to-face class.” Thus, technology used to support Blended Learning not just technology tools which can be used in the classroom, but online learning platforms meant to support traditional classroom learning. 

The goal is to use technology to build an online learning community that transcends the walls of the classroom so students can continue their learning outside the classroom. 

Click here for my comparison of various Learning Management Systems (LMS) to Support Blended Learning

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It is my school’s policy that students and teachers use only copyright-free material. This makes sense hypothetically, but what does it actually mean? Where could this mysterious content be found? 

After asking around, it became clear to me that copyright-free material was not understood by many other teachers as well. So how could we possibly teach and model finding such content for our students? Although it was part of my job to ensure students were only using copyright-free material, I knew very little myself about what can and cannot be used nevermind how to monitor this from my students. 

However, teaching in a technology-focused school means the students use digital technology to create many of their projects. They take images, video clips, sound bites and more from the internet and to create their own products on a regular basis. 

I decided to make it my mission to learn about copyright licensing alongside my students. 

First, I compiled a list of websites with copyright-free material. I sent students to my Pinterest board of copyright-free resources.

However, my students thought Pinterest itself was all copyright-free material which could not be further from the truth. I witness numerous students searching for "copyright-free" content using the search bar of Pinterest!

I can see now why the students were confused.

So next, I modeled finding content using the Creative Commons website. This search engine links to various copyright-free sites. But students still struggled with the specific options on the different websites.

Luckily Creative Commons has a great resource to explain what each of the copyright permissions mean:

Sharing Creative Works (Creative Commons) by Creative Commons

For my own students, I made it clear what the best options would be for them on various websites: 

Make a copy of these lesson slides here

We went over the above slides as a class before any task requiring images, video or audio. I also print hard copies of these slides for students to refer to at their desks. 

Whenever we brainstormed Success Criteria as a class, I made a point to include "copyright-free material" in the list. It became second nature to always use copyright-free content and students began searhing for only copyright-free content in their other subject classes without being asked to.

Research Function in Google Docs and Presentations

Since I mostly utilize Google tools in my teaching, one of the simplest ways for my students to find copyright-free material is using the Research Tool in Google Docs and Presentations. This tool allows you to search Google content (filtered by usage rights) directly in Docs via a pop up box. 

A few of my students made this tutorial video: 

See written instructions for using the Research Tool here.

I think it is important to teach students to identify and understand the copyright-free licenses so they can determine for themselves what material they can and cannot use. Furthermore, students should understand WHY they should use copyright-free material and how to label their own work in the Creative Commons.

My Move to Google Drive

I made the switch. After a year of flip flopping between various formats and learning platforms in an attempt to distribute materials in the most effective way to my students, I transitioned to Google Drive. 

I started using Google Docs about 3 years ago. In my past teaching, I have created lessons on Docs when working with other teachers and had students use them when collaborating on group projects. However, the lack of technology in my past school did not allow the foundation of my teaching to be in the Google cloud. 

Now that I teach at a one-to-one laptop equipped school, I feel very fortunate that this is even an option for me. Perhaps it was the Google Apps for Education Summit I attended last June that pushed me over the edge. Learning about many new Google Apps, made me think that Drive could be an equivocal solution to compiling all my lessons and resources in one place.


Recently, I ran a professional development workshop aimed at familiarizing teachers with the key features of Google Drive. See my presentation with links to further resources to get you started if you are new to Google tools.