Google Classroom is a powerful tool for teaching and managing student work. However, without a solid understanding and strategy, tasks like grading digital work can be tedious. That said, there are many quick tips that can make your online class discussions with Google Classroom more personal. Here are some of our favorites!
Email all students
After clicking on the People tab, make sure to click the checkbox above all of your students to select them all, and then click Actions and Email. This is a great way to keep your students informed of anything important by using a longer form of communication.
Use of announcements
You can use announcements to share links and information in your classroom without creating an assignment. Announcements are a great way to share relevant files, documents, links, and videos you want your students to see immediately. You can also send announcements to small groups of students, which is a great way to send messages and make a personal connection with your students.
Engage your students with the question function
Use the create a question feature to stimulate discussions in Google Classroom. This way, students can not only make their voices heard but also learn to virtually listen and respond to their classmates.
Use a master class
If you have multiple classes on the same topic, you can speed up your planning process by creating a master class for each topic. You can then use the Reuse Post button to add it to multiple classes and save time during remote learning.
Use the keyboard shortcuts for efficiency
Instead of switching back and forth between your mouse and keyboard, learn some keyboard shortcuts that will help you save time and make your processes as efficient as possible. For example, if you need to find something specific, use the key combination “Ctrl + F” and search for the word or phrase you are looking for and it will automatically highlight it for you.
Take screenshots as you teach
Take screenshots during class and share them with students who were absent or who need extra help. You may also want to take screenshots of virtual reading assignments, as these can be shared in assignments, making it easy for students to refer to a specific text.
Take advantage of planning
Once you have your lessons scheduled, you can use the scheduling tool to specify that all future assignments should appear on a certain day to save you time and keep you organized.
Use move to the top
Simply moving them to the top can help refocus students’ attention on older content. You can use this when students have not turned in an assignment or when you want to remind them of an upcoming deadline.
Use required questions
When you create a quiz using Google Forms, you can make sure that all questions require an answer. This way you can prevent students from skipping questions.
Turn on off-stream notifications
Click the gear icon at the top right of your screen and scroll down to the stream, select SHUT OFF notification in the stream. Turning off notifications will keep your student posts and announcements clear and easier to find.
Safe Doc
Safe Doc paves the way for IT management to have granular control over GWFE features that the Google Admin Console does not. Safe Doc setup and configuration is easy to understand and follow. Blocking individual GWFE functions is like turning a light switch on and off. Take the People tab in Google Classroom as an example. When you set the value of the BlockClassroomPeopleInfo policy, Safe Doc automatically removes the People tab from Google Classroom cloud apps for all students. By centrally controlling GWFE services, Safe Doc protects students from distractions and helps them focus on learning in a secure app environment. As a Google Cloud Technology Partner, we understand the challenges facing school administrators IT very well. Google may not respond to every piece of feedback. But we work closely with schools to investigate student mischief and fix “loopholes” for schools as early as possible.
