Google Classroom is part of the Google Apps for Education (GAFE) suite of online productivity apps packaged for teachers and students for online learning and collaboration. It is free, but must be deployed at the educational institution level. While GAFE contains many popular Google Apps such as Gmail, Google Calendar, and Google Drive, that are accessible to anyone, Google Classroom is found only in GAFE. It provides a central site to communicate with students, assign homework, and send feedback. Some key strengths of Google Classroom are its time-saving features and easy-to-use and simple organization. Google Classroom is like a virtual extension of a brick-and-mortar classroom.
The book provides a comprehensive overview of how to set up Google Classroom and what features are available. It begins with creating classes and adding students. Then it explores the features found within Google Classroom such as sending announcements, starting discussions and distributing and collecting assignments. Later, the book explores how additional GAFE integrate with Google Classroom to grade assignments faster and connect with parents. Each chapter contains examples, screenshots with step-by-step instructions, and anecdotal experience gained during my time teaching with Google Classroom.
This book is about using Google Classroom effectively so that it helps organize your classes and saves you time. It first covers all the features within Google Classroom, and then includes third-party extensions and other Google Apps to enhance Google Classroom's features. Each chapter provides in-depth instructions to set up Google Classroom and these third-party extensions in a step-by-step fashion.
Chapter 1, Getting to Know Google Classroom, is an introduction to the layout and features within Google Classroom. It prepares classes for the subsequent chapters. By the end of this chapter, the reader will be able create a class in Google Classroom, change its theme, and add files.
Chapter 2, Inviting Students to Their Virtual Classroom, introduces students to Google Classroom. It covers adding students to their class and connecting their devices to Google Classroom. By the end of this chapter, the reader will be able to instruct students in joining a class, add students directly to a class, and access Google Classroom on desktop and mobile devices.
Chapter 3, Sending Your First Announcement, provides the first foray into interacting with students within Google Classroom. It explores the class Stream and the features of the Announcement post. By the end of this chapter, the reader will be able to send announcements to students within Google Classroom.
Chapter 4, Starting an Online Discussion with Questions, explores the second post type within the class Stream—Questions. It covers asking discussion questions and providing peer and teacher feedback to student answers. By the end of this chapter, the reader will be able to assign a question, provide feedback, and assign a grade to the students' answers.
Chapter 5, Handing out and Taking in Assignments, will focus on attaching files to assignment posts and best practices in file types and distributing assignments within Google Classroom. It includes instructions for guiding students to submit completed assignments and setting a due date. By the end of this chapter, the reader will be able to add a file to an assignment, distribute it to students, and teach students to submit finished work.
Chapter 6, Grading Written Assignments in a Flash, is the first chapter to explore third-party apps and extensions that enhance the features of Google Classroom. This chapter covers the built-in grading features, then uses Doctopus and Goobric to grade written assignments. By the end of this chapter, the reader will be able to set up Doctopus and Goobric and grade written assignments with a rubric.
Chapter 7, Google Forms for Multiple Choice and Fill-in-the-Blank Assignments, continues from the previous chapter. It focuses on creating multiple choice and fill-in-the-blanks questions using Google Forms and automatically grading the assignments with Flubaroo. By the end of this chapter, the reader will be able to create an assignment in Google Forms, assign it in Google Classroom, install, and set up Flubaroo to autograde the assignment.
Chapter 8, Keeping Parents in the Loop, addresses Google Classroom's inability to grant access to parents and others who do not have a Google Apps for Education account. It explains how Google Classroom's assignments are connected to Google Calendar. It provides strategies in sharing the Google Calendar so that parents can view assignment deadlines and other important information. By the end of this chapter, the reader will be able to share a Google Calendar using a URL or in a Google Site.
Chapter 9, Customizing to Your Subject, provides subject-specific examples of third-party apps, add-ons, and extensions that diversifies the types of online assignments available. Subjects covered in this chapter includes humanities, second languages, mathematics, and sciences. By the end of this chapter, the reader will be able to add and remove apps and extensions from the Chrome store and add-ons in Google Docs.
In order to effectively utilize this book, you will need the following:
A GAFE account. To attain this account, the school or educational institution that employs you must be part of the GAFE program. In order for students to access Google Classroom, they must also have a GAFE account. This book assumes that all core Google Apps such as Gmail, Google Calendar, Google Drive, and Google Docs are available, in addition to Google Classroom.
A desktop or notebook computer connected to Internet running Windows Vista, Mac OS, or a Chromebook. The majority of instructions in this book are for desktop or notebook computers.
Optionally, an Android or iOS mobile device.
This book is for educators who want to use Google Classroom in their teaching practice. It is not just for geeks. There are rich examples, clear instructions, and enlightening explanations to help you put this platform to work, saving you valuable time. While this book is written in the high school perspective, it is applicable to teachers and educators of all age groups. If you are new to Google Classroom or a veteran who wants to learn more, this book will improve your online teaching capabilities.
In this book, you will find a number of text styles that distinguish between different kinds of information. Here are some examples of these styles and an explanation of their meaning.
New terms and important words are shown in bold. Words that you see on the screen, for example, in menus or dialog boxes, appear in the text like this: "Click on Create class to create your first class:"
Note
Warnings or important notes appear in a box like this. Information that is found within these boxes emphasize important steps or provide additional information about the instructions or features.
Tip
Tips and tricks appear like this. Oftentimes, these will include anecdotal examples or events that I or other teachers have experienced while implementing Google Classroom in their classes.
Another convention that varies within this book is the use of first-person and third-person writing styles. Since this book is an instructional manual, much of the explanation and steps are in third person; however, teaching is highly individualistic. Therefore, information boxes, tips and tricks, and explanations may switch to first person to convey self-reflection on your unique circumstances. While GAFE includes the same core features, different schools and educational institutions choose which apps are available. Your teaching environment is most likely different from the author's, and these extra bits of information will help you adapt Google Classroom to your unique teaching style.
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