Google Classroom: The new way to keep classes organized
Google Classroom is the latest innovation from the internet great. This new style of classroom takes the old way of teaching and turning in assignments and streamlines it to coincide with today’s ever changing technology bubble. Kids today are learning differently, they are learning with Google and making friends via Google +. Technology is everywhere and while students are still learning how to write on paper, they are also learning more with technology. They are typing out their notes on tablets and smartphones and they are taking more advanced classes online in their high school library. Technology is everywhere so why not incorporate it more into the classroom? The new Google Classroom is set to benefit both the teacher and the student, giving everyone access to the virtual classroom anywhere they have access to the internet. It is up to the school administration to create a Google Apps for Education account where teachers can choose if this option will work for their style of teaching or not. The Google Classroom is available to anyone with an active Google Apps for Education account. For students who do not have their own laptop or tablet, many classrooms are also offering Chromebooks so students who cannot afford the technology are not left out.
Google Classroom for Teachers
Teachers today are busier than ever. They are often stuck with high student: teacher ratios and can see almost 300 students in any given year. This makes it hard for them to not only get the assignments graded, but to keep them organized as well. Google Classroom helps keep the teacher organized where they can spend more time teaching and less time trying to find late assignments and out of date grade books.
Not only can the teacher grade assignments and keep them organized with the Google Classroom, they can also share handouts with each student. Worksheets, notes and other papers that are often handed out in class and then lost in lockers are now available with just the push of a button so there are no more excuses and no more waste. This feature greatly improves the communication between the teacher and their students.
This is a wonderful feature for busy teachers. There are no more weekend days spent at home with a stack of papers on a desk, now teachers will be able to grade papers wherever they have access to the internet.
Google Classroom for Students
Students today are different than they were at any other time. What was once required to hand in papers and absolutely no electronics in the classroom has evolved to the “cloud” and creating an environment where the advances in technology are encouraged as opposed to frowned upon. Students have a hard time with a heavier class load than before and more is expected out of them because they are expected to exceed the minimum. Many students now struggle with keeping track of papers given to them by teachers and assignments they need to turn in. Some do not realize they never turned in an assignment until it is found crumpled up at the bottom of their locker. With Google Classroom, students are able to stay organized with tabs for class documents and assignments. They are able to clearly see what grade they got, when it was turned in and any comments the teacher had. This not only improves relationships that students have with their teachers, but it also allows the student to use the latest technology to stay organized in class.
The Google Classroom benefits both students and teachers. This combination of traditional teaching combined with the latest technology for keeping track of assignments and documents is something that is groundbreaking and will change the face of education forever.
