Are you wondering what google classroom is, if it’s the same thing as google meet or where google slides come in? If so, you are in the right place! Google classroom has become a must-have resource to streamline your planning without reinventing the wheel when it comes to using the resources you already have. I get so many questions about all things Google so I thought I would take a minute and answer them for you here.
How do I use google classroom and how many classrooms do I have?
I have a classroom for each group and I use it for communication and for assigning things and sharing resources with my students. I have loved using Google Classroom especially this year because it has cut out most of the pencil/paper/print resources. This has been especially beneficial this year with COVID-19 and wanting to cut down on germs. Another nice aspect is how it saves me time because my in-person students and my online students are doing the same things and I don’t have to spend time double prepping.
How do you create a google classroom?
All you have to do is search Google Classroom and then click on the + to create your first classroom. Your classroom will have a unique code located right on the top banner of your classroom. All your students need to join your class is that code and then they are good to go. Most students are familiar with how this works because so many teachers have started utilizing google classroom but if your students aren’t, it is easy to walk them through it.
How do you assign work to students?
On the top of your classroom, you will see tabs that read Stream, Classwork, People, and Grades. To assign work to your students all you have to do is go to the classwork tab and click create and then click assignment. From there you can put in the name of the assignment, give instructions, and then you can add the project or resource you want your students to use. You can create an assignment right within Google Classroom, but I prefer to have something made ahead of time or to use a tpt resource and then just upload it. You also could give your students a link to a YouTube video, a boom deck or something else along those lines.
Another nice feature when creating assignments in Google Classroom is that you can schedule out the assignments. On the right-hand side, there is a drop-down menu that says assign, schedule, save draft or discard draft. When you click schedule you can pick the day and time that you want an assignment to show up for your students. This is a nice feature because I like to plan a week ahead of time and I don’t want my students to have access to the assignments until their scheduled speech time so we can do it in person. The schedule option makes it easy to plan ahead.
After you assign something and it is made available for the students, it will show up on their stream. All they have to do is click on it and it will open up the assignment.
What is Google Meet and the other Google Tools?
Google Meet is a streaming platform just like zoom where you can log into a virtual room with your students and you can present your screen and you can see and hear each other. I like to share my screen with students during a Google Meet and work through examples together with the students and then have them go to Google Classroom and do one on their own and turn it in so I can see how each student is doing.
Other Google tools I love to use are Google Docs and Google Slides. Google
Docs are just like a word document except you can access them from any device when you log into Google and you can have multiple students working together within the same doc. Google slides are just like a PowerPoint except just like the docs, you can access them from anywhere. One of the main reasons I love these tools is because of how easy they are to use with Google Classroom.
Google Tools are so convenient and make it so that you can take resources you already have and make them work virtually. I hope that you are able to add these tools to your virtual toolbox and they can help you execute the most effective lessons for your students and be the best SLP you can be all while maintaining your sanity at the same time!
Want to learn more? Check out the video and the resources I mentioned for engaging, no prep activities to use with your students this week!
