What is the Workspace in Google workSpace for education?
In the workspace, students can plan, set goals, organise learning experience chronologically, collaborate with peers and reflect on their own learning process and on the work of their peers. The workspace of a digital portfolio in Google Workspace is where the students will complete the majority of the day to day work with reference to their digital portfolios. This work can occur largely on Google Classroom but also would include work using Google Docs, Sheets, Slides, Jamboard, etc. Setting assignments, the use of formative assessment, the provision of effective feedback and other communication between the students and their teachers will occur in the workspace of a digital portfolio in Classroom.
Video tutorials and other resources for other Google Workspace for Education apps are available from the Google Teacher Center at the following links:
Google Classroom tutorials for teachers
The videos below, from the Google Teacher Center provide an overview of Google Classroom for teachers who are just beginning to use it with their students. Each video is very short and is an ideal starting point for teachers.
For those who prefer it, there are Getting Started and Tips handouts for Google Classroom, which can be downloaded and printed.
What is Google Classroom?
Accessing Google Classroom
Adding students to a class
Viewing the Stream page
Viewing the Classwork page
Viewing the People page
Creating assignments
Providing feedback and grades
Advanced Google Classroom Tutorials
Once you have mastered the basics, you may wish to develop your experience and skills in using Google Classroom to formatively assess your students. The following tutorials will provide you with some additional ideas and take saving tips.
Creating topics and assignments
This video shows how to create topics and assignments in Google Classroom. Topics are a great way of keeping your assignments organised, and can be linked to the strands or units of a specification or syllabus, or organised by chapter, whichever makes more sense to you and your students.
Creating assignments
This video provides an overview of several ways of creating an assignment and also demonstrates how assignments can be rearranged.
Using the Grading Tool in Classroom
This video shows how teachers can rearrange assignments, grade them and provide feedback to students. It provides a brief overview of the comment bank and private comments.
Creating a quiz in Classroom
Teachers can create self-correcting quizzes directly in Classroom. This brief video shows you how.
How to copy a course in Classroom
This time saving tip will be useful for teachers who would like to re-use assignments and topics and replicate a class from a previous year.
Adding students and guardians in Classroom
This video demonstrates how to add or invite students to a class. It also shows how parents/guardians can receive updates on their child's work.
Setting and correcting assignments
This video demonstrates how teachers can set assignments, share learning intentions and success criteria in order to improve the quality of student work.
Using the Comment Bank
The comment bank feature in Classroom speeds up the feedback process for teachers. This video shows how to add comments and use the comment bank when grading assignments.
Providing audio/visual feedback
Teachers can record their feedback to students using the Screencastify extension, which students can watch and then use to improve their work. This video provides a demonstration of how this can be achieved.
Asking A Question
If would like to do a quick poll of your class, you can ask a question within 'Classwork'. Creating a selection of general reflective questions, rather than specific questions for topics, can help you speed up the process.
Creating rubrics in Classroom
Rubrics provide students with guidance about the quality of work that is expected of them and can reduce the amount of time spent providing feedback. This video shows how rubrics can be added to assignments in Classroom.
Importing Rubrics
To create your own copy of a sample rubric, click on this link. You can import the sheet into Google Classroom (see GIF above), as it is in the required format. Using Google Sheets to create rubrics gives teachers greater flexibility to collaborate in their creation with colleagues and students. Template thanks to Alice Keeler.
Access additional videos from the Google Classroom video series or click on the YouTube image for Google's Playlist for Teachers.
Google Classroom Tutorials for students
The following video tutorials can be shared with students to familiarise them with the main features of Google Classroom.
Joining Google Classroom
Accessing Google Classroom
The difference between Stream and Classwork
Checking upcoming assignments
Turning in an assignment in Classroom
Unsubmitting assignments to continue editing
Checking grades in Classroom
Managing email notifications in Classroom
More student resources...
Additional videos showing students how they can use other Google Workspace for Education apps used in the workspace of a digital portfolio, including Docs, Drawings, Sheets, Slides, etc. are available on this YouTube playlist.