Commenting in Google Docs
Google Docs offers features that are very helpful should a teacher want to involve students in collaborative writing or peer editing. Our comments on these learning activities appear elsewhere. This page deals specifically with how Google docs can enable peer editing.
When sharing a document (link to page on document sharing goes here) the author offers editorial options to others. The author can specify whether the partner can view, comment, or edit the document. These options are hierarchical such that editorial privileges allow commenting. As an invited partner, you can then decide at which available level you want to function.
We see editing as best suited to collaborative writing. You modify the existing text as if you were the original author. Suggesting allows the insertion of comments and allows the original author greater control in how suggestions are used. Google developed suggesting as a way to recommend specific insertions, deletions and other modifications. The approach allows the original author to accept the modification as offered and the change is then implemented. This is not really how we see suggesting being used as a support for student writers. We substitute the word “comment” for “suggestion” and recommend the system not be used to accept or reject specific changes. Rather, the system can be used simply to offer advice to the writer.
The video that appears below demonstrates the use of the suggestion option.