It's New. Therefore, It's Suspect.

How well do you think something like Google docs, spresent, etc. would work with an online (or oncampus) group of students

Past encounters with proprietary software, mac translator, and class projects are a huge reason why I would advocate that students use something like Google docs or spresent for group projects. While some students use their macs, and others use their PCs, some are going to be using library or public computers for their work. What would be great is if everyone had a chance to contribute, regardless of platform or accessibility. Google docs and spresent create the opportunity for everyone to do just that. The idea that people could work simultaneously on different aspects of a project is also enticing, because it really would speed up the process considerably. So, from a student's point of view, once you actually get started, it's fairly easy to track what's happened and what remains to be done in the assignment. And, big plus, it is social and collaborative, so you're already singing the students' tune!

I think acceptance of the software and the collaborative nature of the projects depends on a few things. First of all, how did the idea get introduced? Did the professor suggest this, or did the students come up with it? It's going to be a hard sell if the students introduce this and don't invite their professor into the process so their progress can be tracked. Steve said in one of this week's bits that the idea of authorship and credit can go by the wayside: so that could be an issue if you're looking for the usual issues of who did what and when. However, my understanding is that you can track all this once you're invited into the process - so that's key.

Also, people have a hard time embracing the new; sometimes, with good reason. Two years ago my boss, a Rutgers professor, claimed he'd never accept wikipedia as a source. Now, I have my reservations about wikipedia - but I also like a lot of it! Certainly, it wouldn't be a sole source, but in a thread of sources, why not?! So, in that same vein, there could be distrust of something because it is new, and because the professor is unfamiliar with how it functions - it's new, therefore it's suspect. The best thing you can do in that case is see if the person is open to the idea of the technology once the gears are revealed. Worth a shot - what can you lose?