From one of the Google+ groups I follow, Andrew Stillman's comments on
Google Classroom vs. gClassFolders/Doctopus (Andrew has been prime
mover on many of the scripts used by teachers)
A vision for how Google Classroom might work with Add-ons like Doctopus
and others...
Based on the preview what Google Classroom offers is similar in some
respects to Doctopus insofar as it creates a folder structure in Drive,
attends to the workflow around assignment provisioning, and allows a
teacher to manage class rosters. These similarities have led some to
proclaim that it renders tools like Doctopus "obsolete."
Without taking things too personally -- I'll do my best;) -- here's an
alternate interpretation.
The ownership and document visibility model shown in Google's Classroom
promo videos is one where the teacher has no visibility or control over
the student document until the moment the student clicks "Turn in."
This is a very different model than that of Doctopus, where the teacher
owns and controls the documents from start to finish, after which they
return them to students. These differences leave lots of room for a
teacher preference for Doctopus, in particular around managing a
revision process, monitoring progress, and providing formative feedback
on student writing-in-process.
The assessment mechanism shown in Classroom promo videos is a purely
numeric score, with an optional comment when the teacher clicks
"Return." Good teacher practice involves a matrix-like structure --
a.k.a. a rubric - where expectations for student work can be made clear
via descriptors. In this sense, Classroom reinforces a weak, lazy, and
unhelpful assessment model. If Google can provide developer APIs,
tools like Goobric might be adapted to attach themselves to assignments
delivered via Classroom and feed scores back to Classroom. If not, I
imagine quite a few teachers will continue to prefer a tool that
provides them in-browser rubric-grading functionality.
In Google's videos, there appears to be no way of assigning group
projects. One of the most promising aspects of using Google Drive with
students is its collaborative premise. Doctopus provides a jigsaw
project mode, where copied document templates are pre-shared with
student groups. Classroom appears not to. Again, lots of room for
teachers who no doubt will want to have both a day-to-day, easy to use
LMS like Classroom, but will still venture to Doctopus when it's time
to do rich project work with students.
Beyond this, Doctopus was built on an open model for developers who
want to share in the roster framework it offers -- allowing for a rich
ecosystem of other roster-based helper tools for teachers. This means
that tools like autoCrat and others currently in the pipeline will
allow a Doctopus user to quickly fire up a sheet and run a batch
process like a progress report or something else. This open,
extensible approach speaks to Google's values and is one I expect they
will increasingly embrace with their own set of APIs for Classroom.
With this in mind, my vision going forward will be to allow for
integration of rosters so that Doctopus and other Add-ons will be able
to optionally leverage the same, synchronized, master lists of students
and folders that are created by teachers in the Classroom product.
Whether this vision bears out is entirely a function of Google's
ability to deliver the API hooks to allow developers like me to build
it. While this is still uncertain, I have absolutely no doubt that it
is their intention.
So "render obsolete" is a rather zero-sum way of understanding what I
believe could become a high compatible, interoperable ecosystem of
Add-ons that extend the base that Classroom provides.
I'm hopeful and very much looking forward to creating this future with
Google.
On Tuesday, June 17, 2014 10:31:10 AM, Wallis, Jeff wrote:
> I have it - it is pretty basic at this time. I am sure they will be
> adding more features though...
>
> Jeff Wallis
> Chief Network Engineer
> Chittenden East Supervisory Union
> 802-858-1727
> http://www.cesu.k12.vt.us
>
>
> On Mon, Jun 16, 2014 at 2:43 PM, [log in to unmask]
> <mailto:[log in to unmask]> <[log in to unmask]
> <mailto:[log in to unmask]>> wrote:
>
> Hi All,
>
> The Maine list has one person that got a class last week. Vermont?
>
> Thanks,
> Jon
>
> --
>
> Technology Educator
> [log in to unmask] <mailto:[log in to unmask]>
> The St. Johnsbury Elementary School www.stjsd.org
> <http://www.stjsd.org/>
> 257 Western Ave - St. Johnsbury, VT 05819
> 802-748-8912 <tel:802-748-8912> Fax: 802-748-1095 <tel:802-748-1095>
>
> Vermont's Internet Safety Project www.Vtisp.org
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>
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