In our first workout, we learned how to format a lesson plan using two different production tools - Microsoft Word and Google Docs. In this workout, I made two lessons about the 1920s and was able to see the similarities and differences between the two programs. The lesson on the Word Document is a web exploration while the one on Google Docs discusses art of the 1920s (shown left). After using Google Docs in this first workout, I now use it for group projects all the time. On the right of this page you will find links to both of these documents.
It was very different using a Word Document and Google Docs to create a lesson plan. I found Word to be much easier to use than Google Docs. Although I sometimes have trouble when formatting my documents in Word, I actually had more trouble with formatting in Google Docs. It was very difficult to add pictures into a Google Doc and there were only two options of what could be done with the picture. Also, the table was hard to format because you could not select one row at a time and had to format the entire table as a whole. Even though I prefer Word to Google Docs, I can still see the benefit of using it. Especially when working in a group but in different places and times, it is very easy to collaborate without having to constantly add attachments to emails. It functions similarly to Word and is easy to figure out on your own, but it does not have quite as many advanced features as Word has.