Google Classroom for Beginners

This session will introduce you to Google Classroom and help you use it to effectively manage the workflow between you and your students. Learn how to set up your Classroom, customise it, create digital tasks and activities for your students, and how to use it to distribute work and manage the assessment workflow.

Getting started

Use a modern browser
Try Chrome! It just works better
Go to classroom.google.com
Log into your school Google account

Video duration - 1:09

Creating or joining a Classroom

Teacher vs Student
How does Classroom know you’re a teacher?
Join a Classroom using a class code
Display the classcode in large font (new!)

Video duration - 2:55

The three main parts of Classroom

Stream
Student/Classmates
About

Video duration - 1:36

Set up your Classroom

Choose a Theme
Decide on the level of student interaction
Add any Co-Teachers
Add resources to your About page
Set up Guardians (if enabled)
Controlling email notifications in Settings
Transfer ownership to another co-teacher (new!)

Video duration - 6:43

Adding content to the Stream

Announcements
Assignments
Questions
Reuse post

Video duration - 1:31

Adding media to a Post

Attachment - add any type of file, upload from your computer
Drive - add any file from Drive
Add a YouTube video
Add a link to any URL

Video duration - 1:22

Creating an Announcement

Post to multiple classes (if needed)
Post to individual students (if needed)
Add the information you want to share
Add a topic
Include any relevant media
Decide whether to post, schedule, or save draft

Video duration - 3:24

Creating a Question

Post to multiple classes (if needed)
Post to individual students (if needed)
Add your question and description
Choose a due date (if needed)
Add a topic
Choose Short Answer or Multiple Choice
Decide whether students will be able to reply to each other
Decise whether students can edit their answer
Include any relevant media
Decide whether to ask, schedule, or make it a draft

Video duration - 3:53

Creating an Assignment

Post to multiple classes (if needed)
Post to individual students (if needed)
Add your title and instructions
Choose a due date (if needed)
Add a topic
Include any relevant media. If a Google Doc, decide how the students should be able to interact with this media.
- Students can only view file
- Students can edit File
- Make a copy for each student
Students can also add their own media and files to an empty assignment
Decide whether to post, schedule, or save draft

Video duration - 3:05

Grading Assignment Workflow

Create and distribute an assignment
Student completes assignment and turns it in
Teacher gives feedback on assignment using Comments, Suggestion Mode, etc
Student makes improvements to assignment
Repeat until final submission, or due date
Teacher opens assignment and makes final grading
Teacher returns assignment to student, gives a mark and leaves a comment
Grading can include decimal places (new!)
All evidence of comment history is kept on the student assignment page
Classroom manages the ability of students to edit the assignment based on whether it is turned in or not

Video duration - 8:51

Reusing Posts

Items created in one Classroom can be reused in another Classroom
Consider whether you want new copies of all attached files
Hint: Create a Lesson Library to build a collection of tasks, and then just draw on that collection as needed
For teaching teams, create a Lesson Library and add all members as Co-Teachers

Video duration - 2:40

Adding a self marking quiz

Convert a Form to a Quiz
Assign a point value and correct answer to each question
After adding a Form to an Assignment turn on Enable Grade Im porting
After students complete the quiz, use the Import Grades button to import all completed quizzes into Classrooms's marking system

Video duration - 5:10

Student View

Click on a student name in the Student list to see only the work for that student (new!)
Filter by Handed in, Returned with Grade or Missing (new!)

Video duration - 1:02

Exporting Grades

Once an assignment is graded, export the marks out as a Google Sheet or CSV file
Grades can be exported per assignment or as an overall markbook
Check which tasks still need grading from the ToDo option in the main menu

Video duration - 2:18

Classroom Calendars

A calendar will be created for every active Classroom
Calendars can be accessed from the About Page, from the Menu button, or from Google Calendar itself
All items with a due date will be automatically added to the calendar
Item due dates also show up on each student’s calendar, with a reminder

Video duration - 3:22

Managing Classrooms

Drag Classrooms to order them on the Courses page (new!)
Archive each Classroom that is no longer active
Archived Classrooms can be restored if necessary
When archived, Classrooms cannot be edited, but they can be viewed

Video duration - 2:42

Classroom Chrome Extension

Push any webpage to all student computers
Turn any webpage into an Announcement, Question or Assignment
All students must have the extension installed
Click here to get the Extension

Video duration - 3:17

Classroom on Mobile

Classroom app is available on mobile for iOS and Android
Interact with Classroom content on the go
Notifications!
Take photos directly with the mobile device and submit as assignment items
Grade assignments using digital ink on an iPad or Android tablet

Video duration - 2:59

Google Cast for Education

Turns the teacher computer into a Chromecast receiver
Lets any student in an approved Classroom cast their screen to the teacher computer (and therefore usually the projector)
Can be a bit fussy!
Click here to get the Extension

August 2017 Updates

The full list of Classroom updates

Apps that work with Classroom

Coming features

Ability to create named groups of students for groupwork tasks

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