The resource I chose to evaluate in MERLOT was titled “Google Docs in Plain English” by “The Common Craft Show”. The material detail for this resource can be viewed at: http://www.merlot.org/merlot/viewMaterial.htm?id=288646, or the actual material can be viewed at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eRqUE6IHTEA.
Quality of Content:
The quality of this content was exceptional. The video presented Google Docs in a very entertaining way; modeling the concepts of Google Docs has to offer. This video would be a great resource for training individuals new to Google Docs.
Potential Effectiveness as a Teaching-Learning Tool:
This video would be best utilized in the explanation or demonstration stages of the learning process/cycle. The idea behind this video is to explain what Google Docs has to offer that is different (and better) from other productivity tools being used. After the initial description, a brief explanation of how to do the tasks was given. This is by no means a step by step tutorial, but a glance at what Google Docs can do to help new users. This video is quick and to the point, so as to keep the viewers attention. This video is geared towards adults, but could easily be used in a Middle School or High School environment to help students understand the abilities that Google Docs has for collaboration.
Ease of Use:
The video is very easy to use, but it lacks in interaction. The video plays from start to finish and does not give any area for feedback. The video is placed in YouTube, so most users should have easy access to it and be able to play it. I personally LOVE these videos! I have seen others by the same author and I love the simplicity and how the author is able to get so much across in such a short amount of time. A must for users who are not sure about Google Docs!
