Collaborative writing in the classroom

This chapter discusses the affordances and limitations of the digital tool Google Docs as a collaborative writing platform to complement students' discussion process in an undergraduate law course in a research-intensive university in Hong Kong. The widely used editing tool was given a new role in conducting group discussion in the classroom of a culturally mixed group of students - to facilitate interculturality, document the learning process and visualize the scaffolding learning outcomes. Through careful classroom observation sessions and critical reflection, the tool, as a digital teaching and learning enhancement, is flexible, open and traceable and fosters ownership and knowledge co-creation in learning. Despite the limitations, such as anonymity, privacy and accessibility, Google Docs is a multifunctional tool that assists intercultural communication and facilitates the learning process.