Description
Google Classroom is a simple Learning Management System (LMS) designed to help students and teachers communicate, collaborate, organize and manage assignments, go paperless.
This is the only application that Google has developed specifically for students and teachers, and they want it to be your go-to assignment manager for Google Drive and beyond. Assignment creation and distribution is accomplished through Google Drive while Gmail is used to provide classroom communication. Students can be invited to classrooms through the institution’s database through a private code that can then be added in the student interface or automatically imported from a School Information Management System.
Current known uses in the sector
- Use of Google Classroom in language teaching and replicating groups activities digitally. Different Google Classrooms can be created for students to join based on student needs. Students needing additional support or students needing additional challenges can join a Google Classroom class around intervention of a particular topic.
- E-Portfolio: As the platform is based on Google Drive for uploading documents and assignments, it can also serve as a digital portfolio for students. Both teachers and students can create folders and documents that can be shared between each other. If the students work in groups, they can create their own shared folder. This way the group’s’ work will be available to all the members of the group, even if one or more are absent. As everything happens in the cloud, everything can be done asynchronous.
- Create a Discussion on Specific Topic: In Google Classroom, you have a stream that appears by default when you login to your class. This stream can be utilized to collect student opinions by creating discussion topics and new posts.
- Student collaboration on writing projects: Google Classroom doesn’t only support using e-portfolios, but with the power of Google Docs, the students can also work together in new ways on Google Docs.
Video overview
Pricing
Free with a Google Account.
Service Context and activities
Google Classroom can be used in Citizenship Preparation, Community Connections, Employment-related, Information and Orientation, Library Settlement Partnership, Settlement Workers in Schools as a tool to engage with Newcomers visually, brainstorm ideas, capture Newcomer feedback, ideas, insights, suggestions, comprehension, etc.
Make sure you do not use a personal Google account. Your organization should have an account, or you should create a separate account that is specific and only for work-related Jamboards.
Ease of use & Accessibility
Quick and convenient set up, easy to log in, easy to receive and turn in assignments. Allows for the use of screen readers for low vision users.
Google Classroom integrates with students’ and teachers’ Google Calendars. Each class created with Google Classroom creates a separate folder in the respective Google service where the student can submit work to be graded by a teacher. Communication through Gmail allows teachers to make announcements and ask questions to their students in each of their classes. Teachers can add students directly from the Google Apps directory or can provide a code that can be entered for access to the class by students.
Mobile friendly
Yes, works well on mobile devices, including smartphones. Google classroom Mobile app works with VoiceOver on iOS and TalkBack on Android.
Privacy/security features (including data security and message encryption)
When creating a Google account, a valid name, email address, username, and password are required. It is also optional to provide a phone number to recover your account if the password is lost. Upon creation of your account, Google closely tracks your searches, bookmarks, and location services, among other data. These underlying data collection practices and Google’s sharing of your information with third parties make the use of Google tools for personal purposes unsafe.
In contrast to Google’s regular services, Google Classroom does not show any ads in its interface for students, faculty, and teachers, and user data is not scanned or used for advertising purposes.
Multilingual capabilities
Additional resources
