Google classroom

Google Classroom is an educational platform developed by Google. It was launched on August 12,2014.  It is a free learning platform that can be used by anyone with a Google account. Teachers and students are the primary users who can access google classroom through their school accounts. Teachers can conduct online classes, share assignments, and create curriculums.

How to set up Google classroom?

Step 1: Open your Gmail account.

Step 2: Click the square dots next to your profile and it will show all the G-suite applications. Click classrooms.

Step 3: You will enter a dashboard. If you are a student, click on 'Join a Class' and enter the code given by the teacher. If you are a teacher, then click the '+' sign and choose 'Create Class'.

Step 4:  Enter details- class name, subject, room, etc. give a class name that your students can easily identify with.

Main features of Google Classroom

 Google Classroom provides a lot of features like Assignments, Grading, Announcements, Live Classes, Virtual Discussions, and Mobile Applications.

Assignments: Teachers can create Assignments using Google Docs, Slides, Spreadsheets, etc. from the drive and assign them to all students immediately or schedule them for a particular day

Grading: Teachers can choose a grading system and create grade categories. Turned-in assignments can be graded by the teacher.

Announcements: Teachers can update their students through Announcements which are posts without Assignments. It can be about tests, deadlines, or any homework. 

Live Classes:  Teachers can take live online classes through Google Meet. It is one of the latest features of Google Classroom. Students can join the class with the link displayed on the dashboard. These Live classes can be recorded so that the students who missed the classes can watch them later.

Virtual Discussions: Teachers can give feedback to students. Teachers can manage the discussions by choosing to mute some individual students from posting or commenting.

Apart from these,  Teachers can send an email summary of the student's work to their parents or guardians. Additional security is provided to the user's accounts.

The Google Classroom App is available on Android and Apple IOS mobile devices.

Events and Latest updates 

The Anywhere School 2022 was held last year and many features were launched. 

1. Create screencasts and cast them on a big screen with Chromebooks.
2.  Adaptive learning enhancements in Google Classroom.
3. Better interconnectivity and efficiency with Google Meet.

My Personal Experience 

During the COVID-19 Lockdown, all the schools, and colleges were shut down. This encouraged everyone to continue learning by stepping into the Digital world. My school was no exception. I joined Google Classroom through my school account. I attended live online classes for over 2 years. Various features provided by Google Classroom really helped me to turn in my assignments, attend google form tests, etc without facing any issues. The teacher would grade them and send them back with feedback. My progress report was shared as a mail.