Learning with Google - A Summary of the New Google For Education (Workspace?) Updates and Resources


Today, I found some time to watch the Live Learning with Google Event with more than 10o,ooo educators around the world. I just wanted to share my thoughts, some of the updates and resources connected to the event. I don't know if all of these resources and updates will be available for everyone right away, but hopefully soon! I'll be sure to continue to update this post as I learn more.

Here is the agenda from the live event. Hopefully, I will be able to add a link to a recording here with these all bookmarked. Stay tuned, when I see it from Google I will update this post.

Welcome
Sundar Pichai, CEO, Alphabet
Learning Across Google
Ben Gomes, Senior Vice President, Learning and Education, Google
Our Commitment to Education
Avni Shah, Vice President, Education, Google
The Next Era of G Suite for Education
Shantanu Sinha, Product and Design Lead, Google for Education
Google Classroom: What’s New
Melanie Lazare, Program Manager, Google for Education
Google Meet: More Engaging Learning Experiences
Jennifer Shen, Senior Product Manager, Google Meet
Chromebooks: Meeting the Moment for Leaders, Educators and Students
Andy Russell, Product Manager, Chrome
Accessibility: Building for Every Learner
Laura Allen, Head of Strategy, Disability & Inclusion, Google
The Future of Education: Raising the Bar
Laura Holmes, Product Manager, Google for Education

My Top Takeaways - I know I am not catching everything right away, so I will try to update this as I learn more. There is a lot going on! The blog posts I share after this list have more details about some of these awesome updates I am sharing here.

  1. I love Google commitment to teaching and learning. The first several segments bring this to light.
  2. Another name change ; ) We are now part of Google Workspace for Education.
  3. There will be new range of free and upgraded Google for Education Editions/Upgrades for schools.
  4. Google Classroom will continue to grow and evolve. Some of these updates will be only available for districts that purchase one of the upgrades. It will be interesting to see how this all falls out for free vs paid.
    1. Google still believes that simplicity is the most important part of Google Classroom. I hope this continues, I hope to never see the feature bloat that so many LMS systems demonstrate.
    2. Google Classroom will have new Classroom add-ons to support more efficient workflow.
    3. There will a variety of new monitoring and support tools for Google Classroom Admins. 
    4. Later this year educators will be able to view student engagement in Google Classroom.
    5. Classroom mobile apps will work offline allowing students to work offline and then submit when they are online again.
    6. Improvement to attaching photos in Google Classroom. 
    7. Rich text formatting will be added to assignment creation!
    8. Streamlined gradebook and connections to new SIS products.
    9. New connections to CS First in Google Classroom
  5. Google Forms will save a form as a draft for up to 30 days. No more losing your responses before submitting! Yes! Yes! Yes! Sign up for beta and learn more here.
  6. Google Doc will get some upgrades for teachers with new improvements to citations, spelling, and grammar.
  7. Google Jamboard will have a new revision history similar to Docs and Slides!
  8. Google Groups will be easier to manage and monitor.
  9. Document "Approvals" is something that teams can use to "approve" something before it is shared with a larger audience. 
  10. Google Meet is also getting some essential updates based on user requests and feedback.
    1. End meeting for all.
    2. Mute all.
    3. More features on mobile app.
    4. Connections to Google Classroom rosters for added security.
    5. Better support for multiple hosts.
    6. New admin features to support privacy and security.
    7. Emoji reactions for student engagement!
    8. Improvement to the meeting experience on Chromebooks.
    9. Setup breakout rooms in advance!
    10. Meeting transcripts will be automated!
  11. New screen recording tool will be available in the Chrome OS on Chromebooks!
  12. More than 40 new Chromebook models will be available soon! Some of these will have full time mobile connections!
  13. The Chromebook App Hub is a great place to learn more about using Chromebooks with students. 
  14. Find accessories that will work seamlessly with your Chromebook. Look for the Works With Chromebook badge on products that are tested and proven to meet Chromebook compatibility standards.
  15. Family link now allows parents a bit more control connected to school issued devices. Learn even more: Tech Tool Kit for Families and Students
  16. Accessibility features are getting some improvements on Chromebooks.
  17. Google Search and Google Lens will help students more with Math, Chemistry, and Physics concepts. 
  18. The event wrapped up with some connections to AI and support students in an "Assistive Future" with the goal of helping educators tailor learning and allow for my time for creativity. Lots of ideas to consider in the future!
Google For Education Connections
Additional Resources


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