Abstract:

We propose to new uses of cloud computing to facilitate in-class learning processes that were applied within a Human-Computer Interaction course. Google Drive was used for different pedagogical aims.

1.1 Human and technique inclusion:
Human inclusion is an important phase which concerns the discovery and establishment of the place of each student in the group. It has been realized by asking the students their existing knowledge in the curse matter. After the creation of a main Google text document by the teacher, each student was asked to indicate his experience developing tools for man-machine interaction in a Google text document. Each pair of students had to organize the information in a unique document, and put a link to it in the main document of the course.
Although [Blue&Tirotta2011] reports that it may be difficult for students to acclimate to online collaboration, Google text documents have been quickly familiar to the students. The appropriation of the concurrent writing tool has been done thanks to a playful phase where the students on 14 computers played to write and clear others writings at the same time onto the main course document.

1.2 Theory appropriation:
The students were asked to find 12 properties of a good user interface. They searched the internet and, for each pair of students, wrote a synthesis on their Google text document. They then worked by four students - two pairs of two - to find a common list and definition of these 12 properties. Again did they merge their thoughts and findings two times in a pyramidal aggregation to obtain two different lists that were written on the main Google text document, projected on a screen for the entire group, and viewed on every computer of the classroom. The final discussion and merging was performed through a class discussion, under the supervision of the teacher.
This process is an example of the combination of cloud computing tools and group learning management, to help students to gather and appropriate theory.

1.3 Collaborative evaluation:
The students were asked to implement a user interface that met precise specifications: A software tool intended to enter temporal data and graphically display it. This work lasted three weeks.
The students then showed their realization to the others. They evaluated the work of their colleagues, according to the 12 criteria corresponding to the good properties of user interfaces. They were invited to express their appreciations to the oral, and to record them in a single Google spreadsheet, with one tab reserved for each project.
The educational interest was to allow students to learn user interface design, and in particular to assimilate in a practical way the 12 criteria, by giving feed-backs on the work of others and seeing their work evaluated by their peers. They were thus able to see the subjectivity of some comments of their peers, and also to understand the trends issued from the different evaluations, revealing the main strengths and weaknesses of their work.
Google spreadsheet was an adequate and easy-to-use tool to efficiently summarize the evaluations.

2 Conclusion:
This paper suggests ways to ally teaching in the cloud and on earth, with an emphasis on the elements that promote student learning.
The results were significant in terms of student and teacher motivation. Students provided high quality work, and they achieved it in an interested atmosphere. It was dynamic, studious, involving and rewarding.

Keywords:

Cloud computing, Educational methods, Educational technology, Collaborative writing.