The Beginner’s Guide to Google Classroom

Google classroom

The world we know is a different place now. Given the circumstances, the education system has changed drastically to improve learning from home to ensure everyone’s safety. The learning management system has gained attention from every corner of the world. There are now hundreds of tools that can be used to enhance remote learning.

Provided this, now every institution has numerous options to go for to carry out their educational matters. Since there are many learning management systems available, each of them now try to create the most perfect tool and end up making them complicated for common users.

The interface of these tools is hard to comprehend for beginners. Google classroom eradicated the concept of uniqueness and made it easier for everyone to use an LMS.

What is Google Classroom?

Google classroom is a simple learning management system, which has gained everyone’s attention for all the right reasons. Learning remotely is already too difficult and all these tools have made it more complex by adding difficult features to them.

Google on the other hand combined a set of its own features, which we were already using in our daily lives and named it a classroom. Google classroom has made sharing and distribution of files and assignments between teachers and students much easier.

Teachers can easily do student’s assessments based on their assignments. It saves time by keeping things organized for teachers in one place. Everything a teacher or a student needs is right at their disposal. You do not lose track of your student progress because everything remains intact with google.

Common Features of Google Classroom

Google classroom has some salient features that attract both teachers and students globally.

1- Access to all Google Products

We know how much we have applied to Google in our daily lives. From sending a file to generating reports, we are using google products in one way or another. Since google classroom is owned by Google, it has access to all the web services of Google such as google docs, google sheets, google slides, Gmail, Google Calendar etc. This makes the teacher’s work easier.

2- Very Easy to Set up

Unlike every other LMS, Google classroom is fairly easy to set up. You can just go to classroom.google.com and start setting up your own classroom.

3- Free to Use

You must be familiar with the tools that let you access only half of their features and the rest you have to buy. This is the case with every other LMS. Google on the other hand has made its classroom accessible for everyone for free.

4- Communication and Collaboration

Google classroom is accessible at any time for teachers and students. Teachers and students can share content on a mutual platform. Teachers can even push content to the student’s screen by sharing their screen. Students can do the same.

5- Better Tracking of Progress

The classroom has made tracking progress of students very convenient. Student’s assignments and data remain intact in one place and teachers can access it anytime. Teachers can also invite parents and guardians via email to communicate students’ progress to them.

Google Classroom for Teachers

The classroom is benefiting the teachers to a great extent. It has made their never-ending tasks easy. It is a complete package for teachers and they are getting fond of it by the day.

1- Setting up a Class

Setting up a class was never this easy. You can start your own class in three simple steps.

• Go to classroom.google.com
• Click on the plus icon as shown in the picture and click on create a classroom.

• Fill in the information and start your own class

2 - Inviting students

After you have started your class, your next task would be adding your students to it. You will do that via their emails.

Start typing your students email and send them an invite so they can join in.

3 - Assigning assignments

Assigning tasks is very easy with google classroom.

• From the top panel, click on classwork.

• Click on ‘create’ and you will have several options to choose from

Google Classroom Tips for Students

The classroom is just as beneficial for students as it is for teachers. It allows them to join classes, submit their assignments, and keep track of their progress. They can even start from where they have left the last time.

1- Joining a Classroom

Students can join a classroom by a teacher’s invite or a teacher can share their unique class code, which they can enter to join a class.

• Simply go to classroom.google.com
• Click on the plus icon on the top right of the screen.
• Click on join.
• Enter the class code your teacher has provided you.

2 - Submitting an Assignment/Uploading Your Work

Depending on your teacher, you can have a number of assignments to work on. All these assignments can be submitted to your teacher within the classroom.

• When you are in the class, click on classwork that is on top of the screen then click on assignments.
• You will see the option ‘Your work’. Under that, there is a button of ‘Add or create’. Click on it

• You can choose your work directly from your drive or from your pc.
• When you have chosen your file, click on ‘Turn in’ and you are done.

3- Progress and Grading of Your Work via Email

You can stay updated about the assignments or quizzes that you submit for grading or assessment. Your teacher will send a report to you or your parents pointing out the mistakes and areas that need to be improved.

4- Real-Time Feedback

When your teachers assign you a project, you can work on it and they can keep a check on it at the same time. They can point out your mistakes at the spot so you can correct them. They can provide you real-time feedback so you can improve your assignments. This boosts students’ morale since they have teacher’s real-time support.

5- Available on every OS

This new generation has different tastes when it comes to phones and electronics. Some are fond of IOS while some prefer android. Some are fairly attached to web applications.

Google classroom is accessible on every OS and every modern device. This makes students fall in love with it even more since they do not have to switch to another OS or a phone to access it.

Google Classroom for Parents

We tend to neglect how helpful google classroom is proving to be for parents as well.

• Parents now can track their children’s progress through teacher’s email.
• It helps those parents to set up a class who are home tutoring.
• Parents can stay up to date about upcoming projects and quizzes of their children since teachers can send an invite through google calendar in the classroom.

It is not wrong to say that google has made our educational experience much more fun and efficient by introducing the classroom. It will be not an exaggeration to say that the classroom is by far one of the best innovations of google.