Over the past year, school systems all over Connecticut have been increasing the amount of technology their curriculums incorporates in an attempt to meet the rising expectations of the Connecticut State Department of Education.

In an effort to meet these new state requirements, Waterford High School introduced Google Docs to its staff and students last year.  This year, more teachers and students use it, especially with the move to the new building.

Google Docs is a fresh, innovative service offered by Google.  Through it, users are able to create PowerPoints, drawings, spreadsheets, and papers that can easily be shared with others.  Moreover, since the program is online, it can be accessed at any time and from any computer and any device that can access the internet, without the need for a flash drive.

“I use Google Docs a lot, actually,” said freshman Sasha Amodeo.  “It really helps, especially because teachers can see what you’re doing and make changes or comment on it.  It’s easier to keep track of because it’s cloud computing instead of an account [only accessible at school], and it keeps everything organized.  Plus, I think it’s easier to keep track of homework for teachers because they can easily see if a student did the work.”

Not only does Google Docs allow students to be more organized, it takes away some of the stress of handing in projects or essays.

“If my printer doesn’t work, I know I can still turn it in on time,” said junior Kelly Dacimo.

Moreover, it makes the process of group work easy through the user’s ability to share documents with other people.

“I think it has great potential to make group work more effective,” stated Mr. Collins, a tenth grade English teacher. “It teaches students that they don’t have to be in the same room to work on a project together, and they can all work on it at the same time, which is mind boggling.”

      While Google Docs undoubtedly has the potential to be a great resource for students, based off of a purely technological perspective, the system still needs to be improved.  The program is often slow and glitchy, and since it is on the computer it can irritate a client’s eyes if they are forced to use it for a long period of time.

Sophomore Erin Niedzeilski explained, “It could crash; there could be a virus. I think kids rely on it more because they think it’s better, but what if they lose all their work on the internet?”

Similarly, junior Kelly Dacimo affirms, “If your internet does not work then, you’re in trouble.”

Nevertheless, students and staff seem to appreciate how Google Docs simplifies the process of handing in papers, even if there are still a few bugs to work out.  The IT department maintains that the program has been successful, and that it will continue to progress with some hard work.

Mrs. Woznicki, the business teacher, said, “They’re trying to be more technological, and it is more green. I think that as Google evolves, it’ll get better. It’s still a new service, so as time goes on and they work out the glitches it will improve.”

With the recent move to the new school and the lack of desktop computers and printers in classrooms, Google Docs has become the go-to way to make sure assignments get to teachers.