Google Tools

 Having used Google tools for a few weeks now, I've learned how Google Classroom and Google Meet can benefit Educators in a digital learning world. 

Google Classroom:

The hardest part of online learning may arguably be trying to understand the way a teacher organizes their content. Some online learning platforms use hubs, pages, and layered sections that can make students feel overwhelmed or lost. It's not uncommon to be searching for a notes page, test, or resource the teacher "posted", and after 20 minutes of clicking link after link, searching box after box, and opening multiple files that aren't what you need, it just creates frustration and wastes time.

That's why I like Google Classroom so much! It creates one of the cleanest, most organized online learning boards:

  • - Teachers create sections for specific content pieces (notes, homework, slides, forms, quizzes, etc.)
  • - Any new addition to the classroom comes to students as a notification on their school email. 
  • - Teachers can post to the whole class for any updates, announcements, or include resources
  • - Each section can have multiple resources, assignments, links, videos, or anything the teacher needs to share with students.
One important note for other middle-school teachers: The accountability of all assignments and lesson resources being digitally posted is there is no excuse for students to say, "Well, I didn't see it". It's all right there!

This video shows how one teacher uses Google Classroom's organization skills to post multiple types of media files, assignments, and more!


Google Meet:

 Another aspect of teaching in a digital world is the new methods of instruction. Sometimes called AMI days (Alternative method of instruction), many schools use snow days and school cancellations as opportunities to still have classroom attendance for students at home. 

Google meet helps bridge the gap between location and serving in-person lesson delivery for students. Teachers can post a link to a meet on their Google Classrooms to join from home, and follow the teacher through their AMI day plans and activities. I have found that since I give my students the classroom slides (On Google Slides of course), we can all go through the slides and their practice problems together just as we would whenever class is in-person! It also allows me to keep my regular attendance on AMI days, and I can follow-up with students who were absent in the Google Meet.

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