google: redefining the classroom environment
The Google Suite is sweeping through the educational
arena both online and in classrooms bringing a level of competition that Apple
won’t be able to ignore. In my
professional opinion, there just hasn’t been an educational technology company
that can match all that Apple has to offer; until now. Google as a search engine has monopolized the
online search market for a while now, and began to expand its capabilities for
online learning with the introduction of Google Docs in 2010. This was just the beginning for Google’s
prominent entrance into the world of apps and extensions that make the Google
Suite (and recent introduction of Google classroom) a one-stop shop for mobile
learning. Why mobile learning versus
online learning? The Google Suite of
tools are used beyond online learning environments allowing students to take
learning outside the classroom walls.
Google Classroom, specifically, allows students access to assignments,
gives them the ability to ask questions in real time, and collaborate with
peers without having to be physically present.
Along with these features, I found a few unique affordances specific to
Google Classroom including the ability to:
- Create a list of approved research sources organized by student, group, reading level, and more.
- Share anonymous writing samples with students.
- Capture the Middle of the Process: An important shift in the teacher student relationship is to get away from evaluator and focus on being a coach to your students. Google Classroom places all of the students work into a folder that is easily accessible from your Google Drive. While students are in the middle of working on their assignment you are able to go in and insert comments and guide them through the process.
- Assignment Q&A: When an assignment is posted to Google Classroom the students have the ability to comment on it. No longer do students have to wait to be called on to ask a question. This transcends the walls of the classroom to allow students to ask questions outside of class. When the teacher posts the response it is available to all of the students.
On a personal note, I have found the basic tools of the
Google Suite (Docs, Slides, Sites, and Sheets) to be useful in the classroom
based on three affordances that the traditional Microsoft equivalencies just
can’t match. Google Suite allows my
students to:
- Access assignments and learning experiences from anywhere
- Work on a collaborative assignment on multiple computers at the same time
- Communicate with both myself and their peers using comments and chats
In the past two years, I have switched several of our
research projects from journal/notecard based to be completed using the tools in
the Google Drive. Along with the
affordances mentioned above, I also find that using Google Drive allows me as a
teacher to see each students progress at any time, and offer feedback without
having to be present. Google Classroom
brings these unique affordances and ease of management to a new level using the
features mentioned earlier as well as a few you might not know about. I found the tips at the link below to be
particularly helpful when deciding to set up classes in Google Classroom.
While evaluating
Google Classroom, there are a few disadvantages, which may just be the result
of its infancy at this point. I found
that Google Classroom has a few downfalls that might limit the learning
environment or create some confusion for learners. In his 2015 online article, Christopher Papas
describes the pros and cons of using Google Classroom. Although his article is two years old, there
are still a few things that may be underdeveloped in utilizing Google Classroom
as a learning environment. These
disadvantages include Google’s inability to provide automated quizzes, issues
with students becoming owners of content allowing them to make edits, sharing
of content between students when they are not designated as owners, and a few
other integration issues across other Google products. While these should not completely rule out
all Google has to offer, they are definitely something to consider. Google Classroom seems to be a good fit for
classroom teachers looking to offer students the affordances I found helpful
with Google Docs, Slides, Sites, and Sheets while also building in the
opportunity to easily share assignments, research and guidance with student groups
and classes created within the tool.
Overall, it seems Google Classroom alone (without considering Google
Suite) fits more into the Augmentation level of the SAMR technology integration
levels as it substitutes existing functions in the classroom, but also provides
functional improvements by allowing teachers to more easily manage classes, student
groups, and assignments. When you add in
the plethora of apps, or extensions as Google calls them, that are offered in
the Google Chrome Web Store, the possibility for higher level technology
integration increases.
After a quick
shopping trip to the Google Chrome store, it didn’t take long for me to find a
few apps that honestly blew my mind. I
have been using Google Drive for a while and had absolutely no idea that it had
so much more to offer. Here are a few
extensions I will be spending some time in before school starts in August.
Coding with Chrome allows
students to learn to code both on and offline.
This app extension provides various learning opportunities through
multiple coding languages ranging from beginner to advanced. It also affords students the opportunity to
check their code in real time by displaying the visual results of their code or
allowing them to upload it to a codable tech device such as a Lego Mindstorms
or Sphero robot; both of which I have in my classroom. This extension will change the way I teach
robotics using our new Chromebooks this year as well as give my students the
ability to utilize coding practice from home.
The relevance of coding will only continue to become more common place
in the future workplace, and therefore necessary to the students we are
training to go into this workforce.
Typing Scout is exactly
what it sounds like; a typing practice app extension. While this seems simple, typing is a current
skill all students need practice with and this app provides fun, competitive
ways to learn and practice this skill. I
honestly found this interesting for my own two boys as I notice that our school’s
instruction in typing has not prepared them for the digital learning
environments they are inundated with.
EdPuzzle provides teachers with the ability to turn online
videos into personalized instructional lessons.
In order to use videos effectively in instruction, it is usually
necessary to only show portions of them in the lesson. EdPuzzle provides the affordance of utilizing
only what you need from online videos, voice over the videos you insert and even
quiz students during the video. However,
this tool needs some enhancements in the areas of combining multiple videos or
showing multiple clips from the same video.
Another important thing to note is the requirement for students to log
in versus just providing a link to the teacher edited video lesson.
Project Ignite brings
together various electronic and 3D project opportunities into one platform
allowing students to select projects to complete using step by step directions
as they learn to create and design physical fabrications of digital
products. It offers projects geared
around 3D design, 3D printing, programming and other electronics. Project Ignite brings Tinkercad (a popular
program for 3D printing used in Elementary schools) and 123D Circuits together
in one online platform for project development.
I plan to do some more tinkering with this tool for sure.
References:
Heick, T. (2016, March 20). 60 Smarter Ways To Use Google
Classroom. Retrieved June 11, 2017, from http://www.teachthought.com/the-future-of-learning/technology/60-smarter-ways-to-use-google-classroom/
Keeler, Alice (2014, September 7). 20 Things You Can Do With
Google Classroom. (2017, January 01). Retrieved June 11, 2017, from http://alicekeeler.com/2014/09/07/20-things-google-classroom/
Pappas, C. (2017, March 22). Google Classroom Review: Pros
And Cons Of Using Google Classroom In eLearning. Retrieved June 11, 2017, from https://elearningindustry.com/google-classroom-review-pros-and-cons-of-using-google-classroom-in-elearning
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