Homeschooling with Google Docs

Episode 4: Homeschooling with Google Docs

If you are new to Google Drive be sure to listen to episodes 2 (Homeschooling with Google Drive) and 3 (Homeschooling with Google Sheets) which will give some context to what is covered in this episode – Homeschooling with Google Docs.

Google Docs is a spreadsheet program and I love using it.

One reason I love it, is that it is good to use when I am collaborating with others on something. You might be wanting to collaborate with other homeschool moms, or you might be working on something with your children. I have planned trips together with my kids using Google Docs.

If you work together on a Google Doc you know that everyone is accessing the same version. Once you share the document with others, you don’t have to email the latest file to each other. You automatically have the latest one!

My favorite way to use Google Docs in our homeschool was to get my children to use it for their essays and other assignments.

There are a number of benefits to getting your children to use Google Docs:

Children need to learn how to use a word processor as this is what they will use in college and the workplace
Google Docs is easy to learn to use
All work is saved automatically
It is easy to go back to previous versions
If your children don’t have great handwriting, this is much easier to read than a handwritten paper!
You can make comments right in the document which your children can read and then make changes

How to learn to use Google Docs

Google Docs is easy enough to learn just by clicking around the menu options.

However, if you would like your children to have more formal training, our show sponsor, FundaFunda Academy, offers a 2-semester Computer Applications online class (worth a full high school credit) and also a 4 module Google Drive Unit Study. The latter includes a module on Google Docs.

Some favorite features of Google Docs

Under ‘File’

You can choose to save the document in a variety of formats including docx (WordPress) and pdf

Under ‘Edit’

find and replace makes it easy to change a word or phrase used repeatedly in a document

Under ‘Insert’

you can insert images / tables / charts (but graphic heavy presentations are easy to do in Google Slides)
headers / footers for each page

Under ‘Format’

you can create columns

Under ‘Tools’

Voice to Text
spelling checker
word count

Under ‘Add-ons’

Easy Bib – creates citations automatically once you input info about your source
You can also add many others including a thesaurus, a rhyme finder and one that provides the text of Bible verses

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Contact Meryl via email on meryl@mediaangels.com or connect with her on Pinterest, Instagram, and Facebook.