Google Classroom

Jen's Top Reminders:

1. Use Topics! Keep your Classwork Tab Organized for Ss & Parents.

2. Use Questions instead of Assignments! = Any narrative response < 200 words

3. "Make a Copy for Each Student" - Even if it is a blank doc/slide, etc. - Watch them work!

4. Use "Materials" instead of announcements in the stream. You cannot organize announcements on the classwork tab.

5. Tell your students to use private comments to talk to you. Not class comments.

6. Post a Material with the Plans for the Week. Keep it clear and conistent with a check list of the week's to-dos. Consider a screencast video explaining the week's expectations.

Just when you thought you did it right...

• Created a template, made a copy for each student, put it under an organized topic...

Yet... when you go to grade the doc or slide, it is blank!

Check out the screenshot to the left. See how there are 2 files? The 2nd one is a PDF.

This means that the student is on a phone/tablet and he decided to "mark up" the doc instead of edit it. When on a tablet it can be easier to use this feature if a keyboard is unavailable. The PDF in these cases will contain the answers.

What to do ...

If your assignment is a one-and-done, then you can just grade the PDF version. However if you needed them to edit the slide or doc, because it is an ongoing project. They will have to open the slides in a new window. Tell them not to use the "pencil" to edit, but to use the arrow to open in the Google Slides/Google Doc app.