Magic and Monsters: Collaborating with Google in Literacy Practices

Collaboration is one of the defining features of work and learning in the 21st century. Yet despite the proliferation of Google apps and devices for collaboration across North American school systems, the scope of research on student collaboration using Google technologies in elementary school settings is limited. This paper presents findings from two cases in grade five classrooms where teachers were experimenting with using Google Docs and Chromebooks in their literacy programs. Drawing on a conceptual framework of sociomaterial, complexity, and affect theories, the study offers insights for teachers to understand the complexities of collaboration with these technologies, and pedagogical implications for working with the magic and monsters of unintended effects in collaborative literacy practices.

Automated summary

This paper presents findings from two case studies exploring the use of Google tools for student collaboration in elementary school classrooms. Drawing on the conceptual framework of sociomaterial, complexity, and affect theories, the study provides insights for teachers to understand the complexities of collaboration with these technologies and offers pedagogical implications for navigating the unintended effects in collaborative literacy practices.