Google Classroom

Google Classroom in the Classroom

            In the current age of technology, the world had become more digitized across all fields and industries. Education learned, especially during COVID, the importance of being able to pivot to a digital system that could recreate the classroom experience for their students. One platform that is widely utilized within education is Google Classroom. I personally began my journey with Google Classroom during COVID when all four of my children had to use it for their classes from home. I never really had direct contact with it until last semester when one of our professors utilized it for one of our classes. 

            Google Classroom is a great platform as an educator because it is easily compatible with all other Google products like Slides, Forms, etc. This makes creating and posting content easy and seamless. The way In plan on utilizing Google Classroom when I am a teacher is to have one for every subject. I like to keep things very neat and organized and I believe that having each subject in its own Google Classroom will help my students stay focused and organized. I plan to use Google Classroom as a landing pad for all content discussed in class each day. I would post my lesson slides and activities to the Google Classroom so every student has access to the information at all times. This will come in handy for students who may be absent, or if there is a snow day. I would like to, if time allows, to create short videos based on the lessons so students can go back and reference them as needed. I would also create a section for all differentiated worksheets and links to online activities. The purpose of allowing students to have access to differentiated worksheets is to allow students to experience different tools that could possibly enhance their learning experience. Another positive reason for doing this, is so they can be printed out at home in case a worksheet goes missing. I would like the Google Classrooms I create to become great resources for my students.

            Google Classroom also allows an educator to post and grade assignments through their platform. I appreciate this because if a student forgets to write down their assignments in class, they will have an instant reminder and access within the Google Classroom. Having digitized assignments can also allow for more fun interactive assignments online. This is extremely helpful for students with disabilities who may need to utilize digital platforms like Flip or Kahoot to fulfill the needs of their IEPs. Having digital assignments also allows the educators to create differentiated content for their classes and have students interact with content in ways to meet their specific and unique needs. When it comes to grading, Google Classroom is very easy to use. You can add rubrics and create grading categories in order to help students understand how and why they are receiving the grades that are posted. For the teacher it helps them stay organized so grading is a breeze.

            I believe Google Classroom is a great platform to utilize in order to provide students and parents with a clear picture about what is happening within the classroom. It is a great way to post the lessons and activities where students can refer back to them. It is also a great way for students to turn in assignments and receive grades. I particularly like that is very organized, as I like to have all information and content in a clear place that is easy to navigate and understand. I look forward to utilizing Google Classroom in the future.