Strategies for eLearning in Maine - Google Apps for Education

Google Sites

Google Sites is an easy way to communicate with your students by grade, class, or subject. It can also be a great way to keep guardians up to date on current happenings and general school announcements, and for creating individual student portfolios. If you choose to use Sites in tandem with Google Classroom, links to your Classroom can be attached to your site.

Check out the video to the right for a brief overview:

To fully explore what Sites can do, click this button:

Google Sites

Google Classroom

Although Sites can be used for easy access to general information, if you want to be able to have streamed conversations, individualized assignments, or integrated grading, click this button for the full collection of Google Classroom training videos:

Google Classroom Videos

Advantages of Google Classroom

In app form, Classroom can be managed from your phone or tablet, which can be useful should you be unable to access a computer. Classroom offers many advantages to Sites when it comes to delivery of your material, and allows for a more classroom-like routine and conversation. It allows you to set up individual classrooms, allowing you to differentiate between classes within the same subject, and even between students within the same classroom.

For example, if you teach History, and use Classroom as a way to have resources available, your Google Classroom could be called, “9th Grade American History,” In this classroom, you would only have reading and study materials posted for students to use on their own time. If you chose to use Classroom as a way to assign graded materials, you would make two classrooms with the title of “American History, Period 3,” and “American History, Period 4.” That way, you can differentiate between the two classes, since oftentimes classes will not proceed through material at exactly the same speed.

Student/Teacher Communication

Google Classroom also provides an upfront classroom stream, where teachers can post discussion points, and students can ask questions and respond to both, (those students can be made to only respond or not post at all. We do recommend, however, that you turn off the notifications and tell guardians and students how to turn off notifications. Otherwise, everyone will receive an email every time something is commented on.

Click on the button below for more info:

Notifications

How Do I Assign Work?

Classroom makes it easy to assign work. To do so, just click on the CLASSWORK tab at the top of your classroom, and go to the “+ Create” button. You will see a menu that gives you several options. Other than creating a new assignment you can make a quiz, pose a question to the class, provide materials, or re-post an earlier assignment. For more on how to assign, click below.

How to Assign Work

How Do I Give Feedback?

Using Google Docs for writing and essay assignments is made simpler by using its feedback and commenting features. Explore the button below for hints and help with feedback.

Giving Feedback

Grading in Google Classroom

Google Classroom comes with an integrated grading system allowing you to use either a weighted system, a point system in which points earned are divided by points possible, or no grades at all. The gradebook tab can be found at the top of the Classroom page. This button will help you with all the ins and outs of setting up your gradebook.

Grading in Classroom

Inviting and Assigning

By clicking the People tab, you can invite students to your classroom, as well as teachers, should you co-teach, have an assistant teacher, or just in case specialists or advisers want to post or know what your class is up to. Students can join by email or by entering a shared classroom code.

When assigning a Form, Slide, Sheet, or Doc to a student, select “assign a copy to each student” and each document will be unique to each student. Instead of all students writing on the same document, each student will have a document that is unique to them. Once you’ve attached the document to the assignment, You will see a window that says, “Students Can View File,” with a triangle next to it. Click the triangle to open the menu and select, “Make a copy for each student.”

Differentiating with Google Classroom

Classroom allows you to differentiate by pushing out certain materials or versions of the same assignment to selected children. Say, for example, you had a bunch of short answer questions, and you wanted to have less questions, or require less writing for a handful of students, Classroom will let you push those items to the students who need those accommodations. While in the Classroom tab, select “+ Create” and then select “Material.” In the window that pops up, go to the right and click where it says, “All Students.” A drop-down menu should then give you the option to select specific students.

Page updated

Report abuse