Using Google Docs for Homeschooling

Google docs contains a suite of applications similar to Microsoft Office, but it is free! You can make a document, a spreadsheet, a slide presentation, and more, allowing other people to contribute or view it in the cloud. You can even add the application on your smartphone. This can come in handy when working with your learners at home. If you have a gmail account, you already have access to these tools! Here are some ideas on how Google docs could benefit your family.

Keeping Track
Use either the docs or sheets applications to make a chart of lesson plans for yourself or a list of tasks for your learner(s) that can easily be checked off and/or monitored from a phone or computer.

Collaborating
Work closely with other homeschool learners who live far from you and collaborate on a project in real time as you both contribute to the same document. You will be able to see what your collaborator writes as they add content.

Saving Things
Save all types of files in your Google drive so that you can access them wherever your homeschooling adventures may take you. In New Zealand? No problem, so long as you’ve got an internet connection!

Sharing with your Educational Facilitator
Create a file of all your work and share it with your educational facilitator!! By completing work right in your drive, your educational facilitator will have instant access. This is a nice time saver, so if you are curious about (and unfamiliar with) Google docs, your educational facilitator would be happy to assist you at your next learning period meeting.