Google Classroom - Available to All Gmail Users

A few weeks ago on this blog, I wrote that Google Classroom would soon become available for everyone.  Google made an announcement today that all the features of Google Classroom are now working and available to consumer users.  

So now if you want to create or join another user's class in Google Classroom, you can!  Here are a few thoughts on how it can be used...

Home-school

If you are a parent who home-schools your children, Google Classroom can be the perfect space for you to post links to online documents, videos, and other resources.  And if you have more than one child at home that you teach, you can differentiate between students by assigning work specifically to the child that needs it.  

After School Clubs

If you are a club sponsor for a school, or volunteer for an organization, but don't have access to Google Classroom as part of a Google for Education District, you can use Google Classroom on your personal Gmail login.  Keep track of club members, post announcements for your club, and share videos of  your events through classroom.  Plus, since you can email directly from Classroom, you can keep all of your members up to speed on important dates.  

Online Courses

Have you always wanted to offer Online Professional Development to fellow teachers outside of your district?  Do you have a consulting business and have a need for an online learning management system?  Try using Google Classroom.  Since it is now open to consumer users, anyone can join your class.

Organizational Meeting Space

If you are a member of an organization that meets regularly (think Rotary Club), you can leverage the tools in Google Classroom to carry on discussions related to important topics in our organization.  

PLC Sharing Space

Are you part of an online PLC for education?  Previous to the new updates for consumers, users had to be part of the same domain to use Google Classroom together, or at least they had to be approved by a domain.  Now you can use Google Classroom and share ideas with anyone in  your PLC, regardless of what school or district you are from.  Try using Classroom as a discussion board, chat room, or a place to curate and share resources.  Just make sure to set the Student settings so that all students can post and comment.  This will allow all users in the PLC to post and reply to one another.  

Google Classroom Now Available for All!

Google just dropped some great news today!  Google Classroom is now available for all users - GSuite for Education AND Personal Gmail Users.  

So it doesn't matter if you are a public school, charter school, or home school - or even if you just want to use it for Professional Development - you can use Classroom no matter who you are.  Users will have the ability to join classes, and create their own classes.

GSuite for Education Admins will have the ability to exercise greater control over Classroom as a result of this update.  If you are not a part of GSuite for Education, Google encourages you to join.  You can find more information about GSuite for Education here.  

In the meantime, if you are a personal Gmail user and you want to learn more about this powerful tool, watch these videos from my Google Classroom Playlist on YouTube!

8 Things You Didn't Know Google Classroom Can Do!

The following is a guest post I wrote for the Whooo's Reading Blog.  For more on this article, follow this link to the Whooo's Reading Blog.

Digital Learning has revolutionized the way teachers do business in education. Teachers now have the ability to communicate, plan, and teach more efficiently than ever before. One advancement that has allowed this type of change is Google Classroom.

If you’ve never used Classroom, here are eight things you probably didn’t know about this powerhouse tool.

To continue reading this article, follow this link...

New Online Course - Getting Started with Google Classroom

Think that Google Classroom is just a place to post your Syllabus?  Think Again!

Are you interested in sharpening your skills with Google Classroom?  Just getting started and need some guidance?  

Enroll now in "Getting Started with Google Classroom"

This course will fill you in on all the tips needed to create a great course, as well as timely tips on how to go Paperless!

Google Classroom: Creating A Question for Discussion

As I have been developing online PD courses for my district, I have been working toward updating my catalog of videos for Google Classroom.

In this video, I discuss the use of the Create Question option.  As far as classroom assignments go in an online environment, one thing that I had been waiting for was an effective method for conducting an online discussion forum or journal-type assignment in Google Classroom.  Prior to the addition of Create Question, I used to generate discussion assignments using a Google Sheet or Hyperdoc.  

To use the Create Question option in classroom, just click on the + sign and choose Create Question.  You have the option of choosing between Short Answer and Multiple Choice, which is what I use for Poll Questions, Bellringer Activities, and Exit Tickets.

Watch this video for more information.  Enjoy!

Taming the Stream - Google Classroom

Sometimes as teachers and students, it can be frustrating to sift through the long stream that exists inside Google Classroom.  For instance, if you just want to go back and look at assignments you've turned in or review assignments you still need to complete, using the Stream is not as useful.

That is why Google Classroom as built in features to simplify your life and keep track of what's due and when.

What's Due?

At the top left of any class on Google Classroom, you'll find a box that shows what's due and when.  This will help students keep track of important assignments.  Need to see everything?  Just click View All and you'll be given a window that allows you to differentiate between what you still have left "To Do" and what you've already "Done".

The Calendar!

Also, if students have more than one class in Google Classroom, they can keep track of assignments by using the Calendar.  To access the calendar, just click the Menu Icon, and choose Calendar.  From there, they can view a single class, or all classes to see what's due and when...

Teacher Tasks

If you're a teacher, you can keep track of all of  your assignments - for multiple classes - and see who is and isn't "Done" with work that has been assigned.  To do this, just click on the Menu icon, and choose Work.  You can even differentiate between work that you still have "To Review" and what has already been "Reviewed".

Back to School with Google Classroom

Now that school is back in full swing, this is a great time to take a look at some of the benefits of using Google Classroom.  Whether you are a veteran user or new to Google, there are some awesome features that will help you save time, and communicate better with parents.

Getting Started - Archive Old Courses

As you start the new year, you may be faced with re-using an old course, or archiving the old ones and starting new.  My best advice to people is to archive them.  Many people say they want to re-use their course so they don't have to re-enter lessons from last year.  However, re-using the course can actually create more work than if you archive, because you have to change the dates on every entry, post them to the top, and all this in addition to deleting students from the course. 

By Archiving a course, the course is removed from your dashboard and students are un-enrolled.   However, all is not lost.   As you start your new course, you can re-use old posts from any class - current or archived - by using the Re-Use Post option in Classroom. 

Classroom Communication

As you add items to your Classroom stream, there are several ways to maintain communication with students so you know they are up to date on what is due and when.  The first of these is the class calendar.  With every new Classroom created, there is also a corresponding Calendar.  This calendar appears in the Google Classroom Menu.  Students can view assignments and announcements for your classroom, as well as any other classroom they are enrolled in.  

Additionally, all Google Classroom calendars appear in Google Calendar for all teachers, co-teachers, and students linked to the classroom.

Parent Communication

One criticism of many teachers toward classroom was the inability of parents to see how their student was performing, and what assignments were given in Google Classroom.  For a long time, I told teachers to share their Google Classroom calendar with parents to solve this issue.   Thankfully, as of this Summer, Google has added a feature allowing teachers to invite Guardians to connect with Google Classroom.

Once invited, parents and guardians can see daily or weekly digests of student work.  They can also get information on missing work, upcoming work, and class activity.  At the end of the year, they can unsubscribe from the class.

Schedule Posts

Finally if you are the kind of teacher that likes to get work done ahead of time, there is an option in Google Classroom allowing you to schedule assignments and announcements ahead of time.  For instance, lets say you are sitting at home on Sunday night, and you want to plan your week.  Use the Schedule Post function to get your classroom ready for the week.

Hopefully these tips have served as new information to help you be more productive with Classroom, or at the very least, remind you of some functions you may have forgotten about over the Summer.  

Here's to a great school year, and great Googlin'!

Google Classroom Updates: Posts and Parent Email

Today, Google released a few updates to Google Classroom to help teachers get a jump on organization and parent communication for the new school year.

The first of these updates affects Posts.  Now when you post an announcement or assignment in Google Classroom, you'll have the option of adding a Topic to your post.  This means that if you like to keep assignments organized by unit or chapter, you can do so by adding Topics.

The second update is a game changer in terms of parent communication.  For the longest time, teachers and parents were bothered by the fact that there was no way for parents to see announcements and student work in Google Classroom.  One tip I used to give teachers involved the use of the calendar in Google Classroom (see this post).  Now, teachers have the ability to invite parents by email, to receive a weekly update on student work and announcements.  Just go to the Students menu, click the switch Guardian Email Summaries, and then click Invite Guardians next to a child's name.  

To see these updates, watch this quick tutorial.

Back to School with the Techy Coach

As many districts are rapidly approaching the start of school, it is a great time to reflect on EdTech, projects, and general tech tips. So, with that in mind, I'm passing along a list of articles to help educators start the new year!

Raise Engagement with a Hyperdoc

Start fresh with the New Google Sites

Help Your Students Learn More About You with a Teacher Trailer

Track Student Progress this Year

Broadcast Student Work with Google Cast

Brush Up on Google Forms

Try Creating A Quiz in Google Forms

Create Rubrics for Grading

Google for Assessments

Google Slides - Take Questions from your class

Google Classroom Articles

Choose your own adventure with Google Forms

Google Docs and Student Feedback

Setting Up Your GAFE Site

Google Classroom - Schedule Now, Post Later!

Google Classroom just keeps gettin' better every day!  Now with the addition of a Schedule option for Assignments, teachers can plan ahead.

When creating an assignment, you can create a due date for your lesson as always.  In the past, you had two options...Draft, or Assign.  But what if you wanted to get some work done ahead of time, and needed to post the links to an exam online.  You might be hesitant, because you don't want any self-starters to access the exam from home.  In comes the Schedule option!

This option is located in the drop down menu of the Assign button.  Click Schedule, and you can choose a date and time for your assignment to appear in the stream.  Can't get any better than that!

The Techy Coach Chrome Extension

Techy Coach Video Tutorials are now available to users as a Chrome Extension.  Now you can access tutorials through a popup window, allowing you to work while you learn.  

Topics available through the extension include:

• Google Drive
• Google Docs
• Google Sheets
• Google Forms
• Google Slides
• Google Drawings
• Google Classroom
• Gmail
• Google Calendar

Just go to the Chrome Web Store and search for Techy Coach.  You can also use this direct link.

Tutorial Showcase: Google Calendar

Many people who still rely on paper calendars or planners are truly missing out on the dynamic features available in Google Calendar.  If you are a new Google user, or if your an old one that is looking for a few new tricks, check out these features and watch one of the many tutorials available through the playlist below (6 videos). 
Features:

• Share a Calendar
• Create a Secondary Calendar
• Schedule events using Appointment Slots (GAFE Only)
• Attach Documents from Google Drive
• Use Calendar to Communicate Assignments and Due Dates in Google Classroom

 These videos can also be found on the Google Calendar page.

Raise the Bar on Communication with Google Classroom and Google Calendar

One of the great features of Google Classroom is that teachers can assign work using documents created in Google Drive and Students can easily turn in work without the headache involved with sharing to multiple users.  But many teachers relate the frustration of not being able to share their Stream with parents so they can keep up with what is going on in Google Classroom.  Apart from giving parents their students' passwords, for a long time, there was no good solution for communicating that information.  

But several months ago, Classroom was updated to include the creation of a Google Calendar with each new course that is created.  If you have not taken advantage of this feature, you simply must.  Having a Calendar for the course creates that avenue of communication with parents so many teachers need and want.  

Dig in to this tutorial to learn how you can take advantage of the features in Google Calendar to communicate due dates, projects, and announcements to the parents of your students.

This video tutorial covers:

• How to access  your Google Classroom Calendar
• How to share your Calendar with parents
• How to post your Class Calendar on Google Sites

Awesome Changes to Google Classroom!

Yesterday, Google for Education posted on their blog, an article outlining some great changes that are coming to Google Classroom.  These changes, allowing for easier grading include:

• Ability to export grades to Google Sheets
• Ability to update point scale to any number you need
• Keyboard navigation between students - use up/down arrow keys
• Sort gradebook by student name - first or last
• Private comments for students

View the full article here - http://googleforeducation.blogspot.com/2015/12/new-in-Classroom-saving-time-while-grading.html 

Everything Google

In order to serve the needs of our teachers during our transition to Google Apps for Education, I've created a website with articles, tutorials, and information about Google Apps.  You can link to my page from this blog or by visiting http://everythinggoogle.com

You can also subscribe to posts and updates to Everything Google here:

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Google Sites vs. Google Classroom

Classroom vs. Site

This year, our district has made significant strides toward being a Google Apps for Education school district.  All of our faculty and students have their own Google Account and have been working to understand the benefits afforded by working in the cloud.

As we drew the year to a close we started Summer training for our English Language Arts teachers, as they would be receiving a Chromebook cart in each of their classrooms.  As part of that training, one of the questions that popped up was,  "Which is better? Google Sites or Google Classroom."

To answer that question, I've provided a few pieces of information for you (benefits of each), as well as a few videos to help newbies understand each tool:

Google Classroom

• Teachers can assign students to their classroom.
• Assign and grade work within the classroom.
• Use the stream to post announcements or assignments
• Link to Google Drive to assign work.
• Add links to YouTube Videos
• Add links to URLs
• Allow students to post or comment (easy to disable)

Google Classroom

Discussion Forums using Google Classroom

Google Sites

• Freedom to create the look and feel of a Teacher Webpage/Site
• Add multiple pages
• Link to Google Drive to add assignments
• Create a File Cabinet to share files as a department
• Create an Announcements Page to post thoughts and discussion topics
• Embed any content you need (YouTube, Easel.ly, Etc...)
• Add links to websites, etc....
• Open site up for discussion boards
• Embed a Google Calendar for a list of events
• Have students create their own Google Site as a digital portfolio
• Use a Google Site as a Wiki where students can work on group projects.  

Setting up a Google Site

Snap a Photo and Upload to Google Classroom

Sometimes when your students are working in class, it becomes necessary for them to provide visual documentation of a lab or project.  The Google Classroom Mobile App allow students to upload a photo from their phone or tablet right inside the app.  Watch this quick (and boy do I mean fast) video to see how it is done: