Google Classroom is my home sweet home. After spending a few years in a serious relationship with Blackboard, then speed dating with Edmodo and Wikispaces, I have finally met a platform that I plan to stay with long-term. I’m a Google Classroom teacher for life!
Although there is still room for improvement in Classroom (could we integrate a plagiarism checker? or multiple feeds for different purposes?), I love that they are open to feedback and working to make the experience better for users.
For example, the post scheduling and group creation tools were added as a result of user feedback, so be sure to let them know if you have a suggestion for improvement! (Update: The Google gods have heard and answered my prayers for a plagiarism checker and multiple feeds!)
I was initially skeptical about switching to yet another platform. However, my students were getting confused about where to go, lacking a central location for our classroom work, and it was time to make the switch like many of the other teachers in my building.
Why Google Classroom Saves Teachers Time
I love Classroom because it makes the drafting, feedback, revision, grading loop so much more fluid. I can create an assignment, upload the assignment sheet and rubric for students, instruct the computer gremlins to “make a copy for each student” and *voila* students click on the assignment, make a copy and I have instant access to their work-in-progress.
I appreciate being able to click into every student’s document during a work day to check on his or her progress, provide specific feedback on a skill, or respond to a comment left by that student. Google Classroom for teachers is ah-mazing because you still see the work even if students don’t officially turn it in. The amount of time I spend tracking down students for work completion has dwindled down to nothing.
Oh yeah, and every assignment you create in Classroom is automatically assigned a folder within your “Classroom” folder in Google Drive. This makes organization of student work simple.
I recently found out about a HUGE time-saving add-on script that pulls paragraphs from Classroom student work into a spreadsheet so that you have them all in one place for viewing and feedback. Until Classroom adds a scroll feature, this technology tool saves me a lot of time by not having to open each Google Doc individually.
Also, I love that students can work with Google Slides, Google Draw, and upload videos or images; Classroom is not just a platform that accepts documents. I can have students create TED talks and upload their talks. I can have students, as a ticket in the door, draw a mind map in Google Draw, submit, and then share student work with the class. I can post flipped classroom videos and have students respond via a Google Form to show their learning.
And what I can’t do…well, that’s sure to change as Google Classroom changes and grows.
P.S. Google Classroom for teachers can be used for professional development purposes and to streamline PLC sharing. You’re welcome! xoxo
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