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.

Google Classroom Updates Tips, Tricks, and Training Resources

Google Classroom is a great workflow solution from Google Apps for Education. It is important to understand that Google Classroom is not a traditional website that can be fully customized. Google classroom is also not a full-featured Learning Management System for teachers and students.

Why Google Classroom?

• Classroom allows teachers to post announcements, assignments, ask questions, share resources, and create a calendar of due dates in a secure online location. 
• Google Classroom is an essential tool to support collaboration, communication, and digital workflow connected to Google Apps for Education. 
• Classroom helps teachers and students stay organized in a digital workspace. 
• Classroom helps teachers communicate with parents using Guardian Summaries. 
• Google Classroom continues to grow and evolved to better support teachers and students. 

Google Classroom continues to add new features. Most recently, Google added the ability to differentiate learning by assigning activities to individual students or the whole class. Teachers have been able to receive notifications when assignments are turned in before the due date, recent updates now include notifications for late assignments. Google Classroom has also recently enhanced the ability of teachers to communicate with parents using Guardian Summaries.

New Feature Post from Google: New Google Classroom features make it easier to learn, teach, manage and build

Here are our top 10 Tips for Google Classroom users. Additional resources and tutorials are included at the end of this post.

Google Classroom Essential Tip 1: Teacher and Student Views
It is important to understand both the teacher and student view of Google Classroom. Teachers signing into Classroom for the first time should sign-up as a teacher. Teachers can create sample classes and invite other teachers as students. This will help teachers to better understand the student view. Google Classroom also creates a Google Drive folder for both teachers and students.

Google Classroom Essential Tip 2: Assignment Options
Google Classroom supports different sharing options and it is important to understand the different Sharing Options in Google Drive before venturing too deeply in Google Classroom. Teachers also have the ability to assign an activity to all students or differentiate the distribution by choosing students or groups of students.

Google Classroom Essential Tip 3: Workflow
Understanding the workflow of distributing and collecting assignments for both the student and the teacher is essential.  Learn more about workflow with this Google Classroom Workflow Explanation

Google Classroom Essential Tip 4: Share to Classroom Extension
The Share to Classroom Extension allows teachers to share websites directly to Google Classroom or directly with students.

Google Classroom Essential Tip 5: About Section
The ‘About’ section of Classroom is the place to share resources and links that students will use frequently. This is a great place to organize frequently used digital resources without losing them in the stream.

Google Classroom Essential Tip 6: Archiving Classes
When ending or starting a new year or semester, it is best practice is to archive last year’s classes to preserve the class materials, any assignments, and any postings to the class stream. Reusing an existing class with new students can be a confusing experience. You can still access the old class files in the Classroom Google Drive Folder, but the archived classes are moved to a separate area to help you keep your current classes organized. An archived class can still be viewed by you and the students in the class. Posts can be copied from archived classes. However, when the class is archived, you can't edit or add anything to the class until you restore it. Additional Resource: Archive a Class Tutorial

Google Classroom Tip 7: File Naming Convention
Google Classroom will keep the Google Drive name of the attached file. If the option of giving a copy to each student is used, then the student’s name will be added to the end of the document. Consistency in naming is an essential to help keep teachers and students organized. Try to use the same name for the drive file, classroom assignment post, and your grade book entry. Additional Resource: Alice Keeler’s Naming Conventions for Google Classroom

Google Classroom Tip 8: Assigning Work, Topics, and Scheduling Posts
Teachers can assign posts to specific students top allow for differentiation. Google Classroom allows teachers to organize post by topic. Students and teachers can then sort post by topics. Additionally, teachers can post in the stream immediately or schedule a post for a future day and time. Additional Resource: Organizing Your Class Stream Help

Google Classroom Tip 9: Grading
Google Classroom creates a Google Drive (Called Classroom - It can be renamed.) folder for assignments created. Use these folders to quickly review and grade assignments turned in by students. You can view them in progress or after they have been turned in.

Google Classroom Tip 10: Discussion Questions, Exit Slips, and Formative Assessment.
Google Classroom allows teachers to post short-answer or multiple choice questions. Teachers have the ability to allow students to see each other's responses so this feature can be used to for classroom discussions. Additional Resource: Google Help: Create a question

Learn more:

• Google Classroom, Tips, Tricks, and Training Resources
• What's New in Google Classroom

Image Source

Google Classroom Essential Tips

Google Classroom Introduction

Google Classroom is a great workflow solution from Google Apps for Education. It is important to understand that Google Classroom is not a traditional website that can be fully customized. Google classroom is more of a Learning Management System. Classroom allows teachers to post announcements, assignments, ask questions, share resources, and create a calendar of due dates in a secure online location.

Google Classroom is an essential tool to support collaboration, communication, and digital workflow connected to Google Apps for Education.

We've created this Google Doc to connect new and experienced users with Google Classroom Resources and Updates. 

Google Classroom Essential Tip 1: Teacher and Student Views

It is important to understand both the teacher and student view of Google Classroom. Teachers signing into Classroom for the first time should sign-up as a teacher. Teachers can create sample classes and invite other teachers as students. This will help teachers to better understand the student view. Google Classroom also creates a Google Drive folder for both teachers and students.

Google Classroom Essential Tip 2: Assignment Options

Google Classroom supports different sharing options and it is important to understand the different Sharing Options in Google Drive before venturing too deeply in Google Classroom. Teachers also have the ability to assign an activity to all students or differentiate the distribution by choosing students or groups of students.

Google Classroom Essential Tip 3: Workflow

Understanding the workflow of distributing and collecting assignments for both the student and the teacher is essential.  Learn more about workflow with this Google Classroom Workflow Explanation

Google Classroom Essential Tip 4: Share to Classroom Extension

The Share to Classroom Extension allows teachers to share websites directly to Google Classroom or directly with students.

Google Classroom Essential Tip 5: About Section

The ‘About’ section of Classroom is the place to share resources and links that students will use frequently. This is a great place to organize frequently used digital resources without losing them in the stream.

Google Classroom Essential Tip 6: Archiving Classes

When ending or starting a new year or semester, it is best practice is to archive last year’s classes to preserve the class materials, any assignments, and any postings to the class stream. Reusing an existing class with new students can be a confusing experience. You can still access the old class files in the Classroom Google Drive Folder, but the archived classes are moved to a separate area to help you keep your current classes organized. An archived class can still be viewed by you and the students in the class. Posts can be copied from archived classes. However, when the class is archived, you can't edit or add anything to the class until you restore it. Additional Resource: Archive a Class Tutorial

Google Classroom Tip 7: File Naming Convention

Google Classroom will keep the Google Drive name of the attached file. If the option of giving a copy to each student is used, then the student’s name will be added to the end of the document. Consistency in naming is an essential to help keep teachers and students organized. Try to use the same name for the drive file, classroom assignment post, and your grade book entry. Additional Resource: Alice Keeler’s Naming Conventions for Google Classroom

Google Classroom Tip 8: Assigning Work, Topics, and Scheduling Posts

Teachers can assign posts to specific students to allow for differentiation. Google Classroom allows teachers to organize post by topic. Students and teachers can then sort post by topics. Additionally, teachers can post in the stream immediately or schedule a post for a future day and time. Additional Resource: Organizing Your Class Stream Help

Google Classroom Tip 9: Grading

Google Classroom creates a Google Drive (Called Classroom - It can be renamed.) folder for assignments created. Use these folders to quickly review and grade assignments turned in by students. You can view them in progress or after they have been turned in.

Google Classroom Tip 10: Discussion Questions, Exit Slips, & Formative Assessments.

Google Classroom allows teachers to post short-answer or multiple choice questions. Teachers have the ability to allow students to see each other's responses so this feature can be used to for classroom discussions. Additional Resource: Google Help -  Create a question

Google Classroom Tip 11: Guardian Summaries

Teachers can facilitate communication with parents with Guardian Summaries. These daily or weekly email updates include missing work, upcoming work, and classroom activity. Additional Resource: Google Help - Classroom email summaries for guardians.

Google Classroom Tip 12: Single View Student

See a single view of a student’s work—Teachers and students now have a page that lists all of a student’s work for a class and the status of that work.

Source

Google Drive Tips and Tricks and Upcoming Google Workspace Education Updates

Spring is a great time to learn & explore something new! April 10th, 2023

If you’ve followed my blog over the last several years, you might remember that I occasionally create challenges for myself to explore, learn, and share what I discover. Last December, I challenged myself to explore 24 Days of Teaching and Learning Resources.

My challenge for April is to explore something new each day and share what I discover. Hopefully, I won't let you or myself down! (April Challenge Update Doc)

Today I am exploring the TCEA Blog and exploring a recent post, Google Drive Bingo: Explore 25 Google Drive Tips. On a connected them, I fell down the rabbit hole of upcoming Google Workspace for Education updates. Two explorations one post! 

If you are a regular Google Drive user, you have probably noticed some of Google Material Design Updates. Today, I want to explore and share some of the updates and features.

Google Secrets - Even More Google Goodness

There are many resources connected to Google that can support collaboration, communication, critical thinking, and creativity outside of Google Drive and Google Search. 

Here are a more than a few of our favorites and we've included additional resources in the interactive document below. 

• Google Keep - Hang on to every thought and find it right when you need it.
• Be Internet Awesome - To make the most of the Internet, kids need to be prepared to make smart decisions. Be Internet Awesome teaches kids the fundamentals of digital citizenship and safety so they can explore the online world with confidence.
• Google Poly - Explore the world of 3D and download 3D objects or convert them to animated GIFS.
• Made With Code | Google CS First - Google projects created to inspire and support coding for students and in classrooms. 
• Google Expeditions | Google VR - Take students on immersive, virtual journeys. Field trips to virtually anywhere.
• Google Earth for Chrome - With the new Earth, we want to open up different lenses for you to see the world and learn a bit about how it all fits together. 
• Smarty Pins - Google Maps based geography and trivia game. Supports geography, history, and search skills.
• Google My Maps - Create and share custom maps. Mark locations with images, video, and descriptions. 
• Google Arts & Culture - Brings together millions of artifacts with the stories that bring them to life, in a virtual museum.
• Google Products - Explore a comprehensive list of Google products designed to help you work and play.
• Slides Carnival - Explore free presentation templates and focus on communicating your ideas.
• Google Trends | Google Visual Trends - Find out what's trending on Google right now. Search trends connected to current events.
• Fun Facts - Type “fun facts” in Google Search or the Chrome Omnibox and you get to learn something new. 
• A Google a day - An online Google Search Puzzle Game that supports search and research skills. 
• Tour Builder - Show places visited and the connected experiences along the way using Google Earth.
• Google News - Comprehensive up-to-date news coverage, aggregated from sources all over the world.
• Chrome Experiments - Showroom of web browser based experiments, interactive programs, and artistic projects.Showroom of web browser based experiments, interactive programs, and artistic projects. 
• AI Experiments - Showcase for simple experiments that let anyone play with artificial intelligence and machine learning in hands-on ways, through pictures, drawings, language, music, and more.
• HyperDocs - Interactive digital workflow solutions that connect the 4 Cs to student-centered learning. 

Explore more in our Google Secrets Professional Development Interactive

What are your favorite Google Tools that we've missed?

12 Days of Google Tips: Tip 8 - Google Docs the @ menu (aka Smart Chips)

Tis the season of giving and I've been inspired by my PLN and a certain holiday song to share some Google Workspace Tips that I've either discovered or rediscovered in 2021. To be precise, the plan is two share 12 Google tips in addition to any other posts I am inspired to complete during the month of December. I will link other 12 Days of Google posts at the end of each post for your reference. 

Today I wanted to share my eighth tip connected to the @ menu now available in Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides. 

Digital Mapping and Virtual Field Trip Resources for Teachers and Students

Students need to see the world to better understand the world. Maps are a useful tool for many of us in our day-to-day lives, but too often classrooms don't take advantage of all the incredible digital resources that are connected to maps and virtual field trips.

Today I wanted to share some incredible resources to bring the world to your students.

Google Apps Connected to Google Drive

Google Drive Apps are web-based applications (programs) that are designed to be used on with Google Drive. These apps add functionality to Google Drive. The apps add various features to the Drive interface, ranging from advanced file management tools to utilities that let you edit things beyond basic documents and spreadsheets.

Below is a Collection of Recommended Apps Connected to Google Drive to Support Teachers and Students

• Google + Collection of Drive Apps Recommended for Teaching and Learning

Learn More About Using Google Drive Apps

Google Drive apps are available in the Chrome Web Store, but they can also be added in in Google Drive. Once you install them, you can use them with Google Drive on the web. Apps are compatible with all supported browsers.

1. Login to your Google Drive using the Chrome Browser or a Chromebook.

2. Left Click on button the and scroll down and left click on + Connect more apps

3. A new window will pop up to Connect apps to Drive

You can browse popular Drive Apps on this screen.

Scrolling over a Drive App Logo will roll over a window with a brief description.

You can search for apps by name or topic.

The Drop Down allows you to browse Drive Apps by topic. The Education category is a great place to find some useful Apps.

4. Click on the button to add an App to your Google Drive.

5. A pop-up window will confirm your selection. Leave the Make (Name of App) the default app for files it can open checked and click . The App will now appear in the New drop-down menu in Google Drive.

6. You can now find the App in Drive by clicking on  button and scrolling down to more.

Manage Google Drive apps
1. In Google Drive, from the settings menu , select Manage apps.

2. Check the box Use by default for files it can open.

3. Uninstall a Google Drive app

You can uninstall a Google Drive app at any time. When you uninstall, your files will still be accessible in Google Drive, but you’ll no longer be able to use the app.

Find the app in the list and click the Options button.

Select Disconnect from Drive.

In most cases, uninstalling a Google Drive app will remove its access to files in your Google Drive. Go to the "Authorizing applications & sites" section of accounts.google.com to double check.

Additional Tips for opening files in Google Drive

If you don’t set a default, you can open a file with an app by right-clicking its title in Google Drive.

If you’ve set a default and you’d like to open a particular file with a different app, right-click its title in Google Drive and select an alternate app.

If two apps use the same file type (for example, you’ve installed two apps that both let you read PDF files), the app most recently selected as default will be the default.

Additional Resources

• G Suite Apps Connected to Content Areas and Subjects
• Install and Manage Apps - Google Help

12 Days of Google Tips: Tip 11 - Using Focus Time in Google Calendar

Tis the season of giving and I've been inspired by my PLN and a certain holiday song 😉 to share some Google Workspace Tips that I've either discovered or rediscovered in 2021. To be precise, the plan is two share 12 Google tips in addition to any other posts I am inspired to complete during the month of December. I will link other 12 Days of Google posts at the end of each post for your reference. 

Today I wanted to share my 11th tip connected to a feature in Google Calendar that has helped me quite a bit to wrap up 2021. Did you know you can set a "Focus time" in Google Calendar?

Brain Breaks - Google Games and More

 

(Source: Brain Breaks: Must-Do or Waste of Time?)

I've long been a huge proponent of finding creative ways to give students a break. Call them "Brain Breaks" or whatever I believe they have real benefits for students. These breaks can be a fun way to interact with students outside of the content or they can be connected to your content in creative ways. I find that my students typically are able to refocus and are usually more productive after we engage in a creative brain break. 

Today I wanted to share a few Google resources we've explored and will continue to use to engage students in creative brain breaks. These may even lead to so unexpected and  learning experiences that can be connected to essential course goals and content. 

12 Days of Google Tips: Tip 4 - Google / Chrome Omnibox Search Tools

Tis the season of giving and I've been inspired by my PLN and a certain holiday song to share some Google Workspace Tips that I've either discovered or rediscovered in 2021. To be precise, the plan is two share 12 Google specific tips in addition to any other posts I am inspired to complete during the month of December. I will link other 12 Days of Google posts at the end of this post for your reference. 

Today I wanted to share my fourth tip connected to some of the unique Chrome Omnibox / Google Search Tools. 

Favorite Google Resources for Teachers and Learners

How do you learn more about using Google for Education? I am in search of books, websites, blogs, and any other Google resources to engage educators and learners. This post includes some of the best resources I've explored this summer. What am I missing?

Awesome Shortcuts for Sharing Google Docs, Sheets, Drawings, Slides, and Forms (Copy, Templates, or Preview)

Google Classroom is a great resource to share Google files with students or other teachers. Google Classroom allows you to quickly share viewable or editable documents. You can also have Google Classroom make a copy for each student enrolled in your classroom. Google classroom only supports this sharing for students and teachers enrolled in your classroom.

Sometimes you need to share a document outside of Google Classroom. The sharing options in Google Docs allow you to share a document directly with anyone. You can get a link that allows you to share a document using 1 of these 3 choices: "Anyone Can view", "Anyone Can Comment", or "Anyone Can Edit". You can also share it with specific users. Click here to learn more about Google sharing settings.

Sometimes you might want to post a document and have a user make a copy without the need for you to create a copy for them manually. Did you know that there are several shortcuts that allow the owner of a document to have anyone who clicks on the link to have the option make a copy, display as a template, preview the document, or download as a PDF file?

Communication with Google Classroom - Creating a Class Resource Page

Technology Is Not Pedagogy. EdTech at it's best is a resource when it is used to support and enhance sound pedagogic practices connected teaching & learning.

We live in a digital world and as educators, this is not something we should be avoiding with our students. Classrooms rich with digital resources help students connect with essential resources to support teaching and learning.

A typical high school student might need to keep track of a wide range of resources connected to 6 or more different teachers. As a result, many students struggle to keep track of all their school stuff. Students need help managing and organizing classroom resources. Google Classroom can serve as a portal for students to access resources connected to all of their classes in one digital space. 

When a student goes to Google Classroom they get a visible list of each of their teachers on the Welcome Screen. 

Connecting Students to Resources Using the About Section of Google Classroom

This post is primarily focused on the "ABOUT" tab in Google Classroom. You can learn more about the classroom stream and connecting students to Google Classroom on the Classroom Essentials Page.

The "ABOUT" section of Google Classroom can be used to connect students to essential resources for each class. 

Add class materials (Teacher View)

Teachers can add frequently used digital resources to the about section of Google Classroom. This section supports attachments, Drive files, YouTube Videos, and links. I've linked my AP Environmental Website, our Google + Community, and my AP Environmental Resource Google Drive Folder to the ABOUT section. If you need help getting started with creating a class resource page in the ABOUT section, click here. 

Google Drive Folder (Teacher View)

The ABOUT section also links directly to the teacher's Google Classroom Folder. This section will populate with student work distributed and collected in the Classroom STREAM.  If a teacher is not using Google Classroom to distribute and collect digital assignments, this folder will be empty. Students only have access to their assignments connected this folder.

If you want to share files with students outside I recommend that you create a View-able Drive Folder and add a link to the folder in the ABOUT section of Google Classroom.
Google Drive Folder (Student View)

 Calendar "View in Classroom"

This Calendar displays "Due Dates" Of assignments posted in the Google Classroom Stream. Students can view individual classes or all classes in this calendar. Currently, only assignments post in this calendar.

Calendar "Open in Google Calendar"

When a Google Classroom Class is created a Google Calendar is automatically created for the class. The Classroom teacher has edit access to this folder and every student has view access. This Google Calendar will automatically post.  The calendar can also be made public and shared with parents. 

Google Classroom creates a calendar for each "Section" a teacher creates in Classroom. If you prefer to use one calendar for all of your classes or sections, create a calendar and add the link to the ABOUT section. 


If you need any additional help working with Google Classroom, I recommend exploring the G Suite Training Extension by clicking on the help icon. This connects you to an interactive and searchable collection of video tutorials. 


Extend Your Learning with this resource document for teachers: 

Google Classroom Tips, Tricks, and Training Resources

Google Docs Version of This Post

12 Days of Google Tips: Tip 7 - Customize New Tab Page in Chrome

Tis the season of giving and I've been inspired by my PLN and a certain holiday song to share some Google Workspace Tips that I've either discovered or rediscovered in 2021. To be precise, the plan is two share 12 Google tips in addition to any other posts I am inspired to complete during the month of December. I will link other 12 Days of Google posts at the end of each post for your reference. 

Today I wanted to share my seventh tip connected to customizing the new tab page in Chrome.

Not Just Art Engagement - Learn With Google Arts & Culture

I love exploring art, but I don't just use Google Arts and Culture with my students to explore art and museums. In past posts, I've shared some of the brain break resources in Google Arts and Culture that I use with my students. I also use Google Arts and Culture multiple times a year with my students to explore content connections. 

Here are some of our favorite Google Arts and Culture resources that we regularly connect to our classroom experiences.

• Arts & Culture Experiments
• Google Expeditions
• Explore Places Near and Far
• Historical Figures and Events
• Google Arts and Culture Games
• 360 Videos
• Museum Collections

Today I wanted to share a great collection of resources and lesson plans connected to Google Arts and Culture for different grade levels and subject areas. The Learn With Google Arts and Culture page is a great place to start exploring all that educators can do with the site resources. 

12 Days of Google Tips: Tip 10 - Organizing Files and Folders in Google Drive

Tis the season of giving and I've been inspired by my PLN and a certain holiday song to share some Google Workspace Tips that I've either discovered or rediscovered in 2021. To be precise, the plan is two share 12 Google tips in addition to any other posts I am inspired to complete during the month of December. I will link other 12 Days of Google posts at the end of each post for your reference. 

Today I wanted to share my 10th tip with a focus on a few useful and creative ways to organize files and folders in Google Drive. 

Google Resources for Remote Learning

If you've been following on social media, you've seen ten of thousands of educators and EdTech companies step up to support teachers and students during the school shutdowns. For better or for worse, I've been one of those. I know it can be a bit overwhelming and it is probably too much right now for many of us. 
I wanted to start this post by first apologizing to everyone who is being overwhelmed by all of the great sharing that is happening. I know I am part of this, but I also wanted to share what I think is some practical advice.

You don't have to change everything you believe in as a teacher and a learner to succeed as a facilitator of learning, but you do have to change something. Challenge yourself to try one new thing with your students at least once. You never know what you might learn.  

So here I go again. Apologies in advance. I will continue to be a bit selfish because I truly believe that the more you share the more your learn. Creating is part of my learning experience, and creating for just myself has too much of an empty feeling.

Google Classroom Workflow and Organization Tips and Tricks

Google Classroom is a great workflow solution from Google Apps for Education. It is important to understand that Google Classroom is not a traditional website that can be fully customized. Google classroom is more of a Learning Management System. Classroom allows teachers to post announcements, post and collect assignments, ask questions, share resources, and create a calendar of due dates in a secure online location.

Google Classroom is an essential tool to support collaboration, communication, and digital workflow connected to Google Apps for Education.

Google Classroom Tips and Tricks Resource Document

New Google Classroom Training Courses and Resources

Google Classroom continues to evolve as a resource for teachers and students. Today I wanted to share some of Google for Education's recently updated training resources for teachers and students.