Gillow-Wiles, H. & Niess, M. L. (2015). Engaging Google docs to support collaboration and reflection in online teacher education. In M. L. Niess & H. Gillow-Wiles (Eds.), Handbook of research on teacher education in the digital age (pp. 635-662). Information Science Reference. https://dx.doi.org/10.4018/978-1-4666-8403-4.ch024

Abstract:

“The purpose of this chapter is to describe the impact engaging collaborative software has on technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK) development through collaboration and reflection. Situating teaching and learning in an online teacher education environment creates challenges for developing learning communities supporting reflection and collaboration. This cross case analysis reveals the impact of Google Docs to facilitate reflection and collaboration in an online integrated mathematics, science, and technology education graduate program has on developing in-service teachers’ TPACK. Using a social metacognitive constructivist lens to focus the course design, this study collected student learning products, including essays, Blackboard forum transcripts, and Google Docs editing histories to understand how participants’ TPACK thinking matured through their collaboration and reflections. Results suggest Google Docs provided a rich online environment where participants were able to engage in and reflect on a community that developed both individual and shared knowledge.”