GoogleDocs

I've always really liked the idea of peer editing and collaboration. As a teacher, I plan on having my students complete writing assignments fairly often. I am aware that they are more time consuming than tests for them and for me but I personally think there is a lot more to be gained from writing than from multiple choice exams. I think peer editing is a really beneficial way to get students reading and thinking critically about each others works. By sharing ideas and analysis, they can strengthen their own argument or potentially think about a topic in a different way than they saw it originally.
GoogleDocs is a really interesting tool that can be used to take peer editing to a new level. As long as everyone involved has access to a computer and a Gmail account (which can be made for this purpose) all of the students can become collaborators. This opens up a lot of opportunity for new types of homework assignments. Students can upload their own work and have it edited or critiqued by peers, or they can use it for group projects and brainstorming. Another aspect of GoogleDocs that is useful in the classroom is that, as a teacher, I would be able to see each part that an individual student contributed to a project. This would help with accountability and equality of work.