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THINGS

10

WE WISH WE’D KNOWN ABOUT GOOGLE CLASSROOM SOONER

Michelle Austin, ESL Teacher and iTeacher, Worcester Public Schools�Christine Lloyd, Science & Engineering Curriculum Liaison and iTeacher, Worcester Public Schools

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CONTENTS

  1. How the types of tasks work
  2. Have a plan for using topics
  3. How to save assignments
  4. How to manage the stream
  5. How to manage comments
  6. How to manage email notifications
  7. Using the people functions
  8. Using to do lists
  9. Posting to multiple classrooms
  10. Maintain class templates

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HOW THE TYPES OF TASKS WORK

Assignments, quiz assignments, questions, & materials

1.

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HOW THE TYPES OF TASKS WORK

Assignment �points awarded, only way to make a copy for each student or share editing, good for assignments with manual marking and use of rubric

Quiz Assignment �points awarded, good for automatic marking and grading, you can view all responses in a Google Sheet

Question �no points awarded, good for single question, quick survey, short answer, multiple choice, proof of viewing video

Material �no points awarded, good for reading assignment or lesson preparations

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  • Allow students to view the file—All students can read the file, but not edit it.
  • Allow students to edit the file—All students share the same file and can edit it.
  • Make a copy of the file for each student—Students get an individual copy of the file that they can edit. The student’s name is automatically added to the document title. When a student turns in the assignment, the teacher sees the file labeled with the student’s name.

When attaching a Drive file (document, slides, or sheets), the teacher can choose to:

Once you save or post an assignment, you cannot later change it to “make a copy.” You have to create a new post.

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HOW THE TYPES OF TASKS WORK

More Resources

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HAVE A PLAN FOR USING TOPICS

"Science is organized knowledge. Wisdom is organized life." Immanuel Kant

2.

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Have a Plan

Unit Organization

Assignment Organization

Date Organization

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Have a Plan

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Unit

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Have a Plan

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Date

Organization

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Have a Plan

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Assignment

Organization

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Did you know?

  • Topics without pushed-out assignments, materials, etc cannot be seen by students
  • Topics will always be added to the top of your Classwork page
  • Topics can be rearranged when created
  • You can NOT reuse topics in different classes, but you CAN copy a class with Topics already created

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HAVE A PLAN FOR USING TOPICS

More Resources

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HOW TO SAVE ASSIGNMENTS

When you first create an assignment, you can post it immediately, save a draft, or schedule it to post at a later date.

3.

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HOW TO SAVE ASSIGNMENTS

More Resources

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HOW TO MANAGE THE STREAM

“First impressions are the most lasting” Proverbs

4.

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Default

Managed

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Default

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Managed

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HOW TO MANAGE THE STREAM

More Resources

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HOW TO MANAGE COMMENTS

Set your expectations for productive communication.

5.

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Types of comments

Class comments can be seen by everyone in the classroom and can be answered by anyone in the classroom.

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Private comments are only seen by the teacher and the student. Private comments are available on each assignment or each question.

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Teach norms

or

Disable student comments

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HOW TO MANAGE COMMENTS

More Resources

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HOW TO MANAGE EMAIL NOTIFICATIONS

Avoid communication fatigue

6.

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What are the options?

All Emails Off

Have a clear schedule & system for communication

Specific Classes

Have a clear schedule & system for communication

Specific Tasks

Have a clear schedule & system for communication

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Work with other tools/apps

  • You can leave email notifications on and create email filters in your inbox to help manage communication
  • You AND your students can use push notifications on a cell phone to receive activity notices

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HOW TO MANAGE EMAIL NOTIFICATIONS

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More Resources

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USING THE PEOPLE FUNCTIONS

Emailing students, assigning work to specific students

7.

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People Function

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Why not everyone at once?

Group Work

  • Streamline your collaborative efforts
  • Help manage the grading component

Differentiation

  • Allow for extended time by modifying due dates
  • Push out varied reading levels
  • Allow for more or less choice in assignments

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Extensions

  • Assign “Extra Credit”
  • For those students who are finishing early

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USING THE PEOPLE FUNCTIONS

More Resources

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USING TO DO LISTS

“Even the smallest steps move you forward.” Oprah Winfrey

8.

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Teacher

All Classes

Individual Classes

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Student

All Classes

Individual Classes

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USING TO DO LISTS

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More Resources

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POSTING TO MULTIPLE CLASSROOMS

You can post or save as draft (but not schedule ☹)

9.

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POSTING TO MULTIPLE CLASSROOMS

More Resources

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MAINTAIN CLASS TEMPLATES

  • Do not enroll students.
  • Keep materials you want to reuse in future classes.
  • Share assignments with other teachers.

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  • When you create classwork you may want to use in the future, post the assignment to this class at the same time you post it to your current class.
  • In the future, you can reuse posts from this class or copy the entire class.

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MAINTAIN CLASS TEMPLATES

More Resources

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Thank you!

Feel free to share this resource with other educators.

Thanks to the Division of Training & Professional Learning at the Massachusetts Teachers Association. This slide deck is adapted from our presentation for the 2020 MTA Virtual Summer Conference.

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Michelle Austin, @austinmWPS

Christine Lloyd, @lloydcinspire

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Presentation adapted from SlidesCarnival Gremio template