What is Google Classroom?

The seminary where I teach has adopted Google Classroom. I began using it for my on-line course this summer. It took a bit of getting used to, but I'm finding it extremely useful and it has helped me better organize my on-line materials.

Good. Finally we are getting on the right track with education. It should not be just for elementary through high schools, it should also extend to university level. Educate the masses with the very best teachers and professors. The massive debt college students acquire is unnecessary and detrimental to our society not to mention the stress it puts on the students and families. And to make it worse, the colleges and universities cannot even hold the number of students who want to learn. The time for change is here and now. This is more important than drone deliveries and self driving cars. Thank you Google. I never thought I would say that.

I wish this would have been around when I was in school. The possibilities are boggling!

I wish this would have been around when I was in school. The possibilities are boggling!

As a former teacher, I see the good and the bad with this. The bad, in my opinion, outweighs the good. The good is that it creates less papers and saves the environment. The bad is that few businesses use Google docs, etc. and so we are sending students out without the necessary tools to obtain a job right out of high school with useful skills. They need to learn Microsoft office since most places use that. Another problem I see is too much screen time. You can have discussion forums online, but the problem is that there is no real interaction between students and teachers. As we all know, when you read something online, your current state of mind influences your interpretation of tone and content. More subtle ideas are lost in everyone's own translation of emotion or ideas in and behind the actual words on the screen. Another problem is if you have students without access to the Internet. Yes, it does happen in this day and age. Also, many students use tablets and computers mainly to watch Youtube videos or play games and do not have the necessary skills to do classes online. There isn't enough time in the day for teaching keyboarding skills (due to standardized testing) and students will not learn it on their own, regardless of how many ideas and reasons you can point out as to the necessity of this skill. It is good for enrichment of the gifted since they tend to get lost in the shuffle. I

As a former teacher, I see the good and the bad with this. The bad, in my opinion, outweighs the good. The good is that it creates less papers and saves the environment. The bad is that few businesses use Google docs, etc. and so we are sending students out without the necessary tools to obtain a job right out of high school with useful skills. They need to learn Microsoft office since most places use that. Another problem I see is too much screen time, something kids today get plenty. You can have discussion forums online, but the problem is that there is no real interaction between students and teachers. As we all know, when you read something online, your current state of mind influences your interpretation of tone and content. More subtle ideas are lost in everyone's own translation of emotion or ideas in and behind the actual words on the screen. Another problem is if you have students without access to the Internet. Yes, it does happen in this day and age. Also, many students use tablets and computers mainly to watch Youtube videos or play games and do not have the necessary skills to do classes online. There isn't enough time in the day for teaching keyboarding skills (due to standardized testing) and students will not learn it on their own, regardless of how many ideas and reasons you can point out as to the necessity of this skill. It is good for enrichment of the gifted since they tend to get lost in the shuffle. I don't think it should be used exclusively in grades K-12 but I do see advantages in college, but again with the caveat of interpretation. I love a lively discussion in person rather than fingers typing a response.

hmmmmm...something wrong with the server today? I only clicked ONCE! ;)

J wrote: "They need to learn Microsoft ..."

I believe education systems have a moral obligation to avoid promoting any commercial product over its competitors.

Software skills at the level of school curricular requirements are readily transferable to a different word processor, spreadsheet or drawing package, and far below the level and experience of expert users.

Our school is a Google one to one school which means all the students have chrome books and teachers can use Google classroom. This is my first year as a teacher at this school, but it is working. I don't see face to face instruction between students and teachers diminishing. I see students having access to all worksheets, resource materials ect... on line 24-7 for them to see and use. I scan in every worksheet they are responsible for doing, even if I have given them one in class. I can scan in assignments from the book and have them do those math problems on their own paper. I can add videos, web sites, ect.. for them to pull up to give them help.

My daughter's school uses this and said, "The kids and I both agree it's difficult and clunky plus they have to use google docs for it to work which is an inferior word processor to Word :("