How Google Classroom Transformed an Elementary Classroom

1. How Google Classroom
Has Transformed the
Elementary Classroom
Matt Becker, 5th Grade Teacher from Forest
Hills

2. Matt Becker
Twitter: @mbck
Email: mabecker@fhps.net
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3. Who am I?
• 5th Grade teacher in Forest Hills Public Schools
• Reading, Language Arts, and Social Studies
• Teaching is my third career
• A necessary traveler
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4. Webinar Objectives
• Learn about the basics of Google
Classroom.
• Understand how classroom works from
the teacher and student perspective.
• Use Google Classroom for instruction
and assessment.
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5. Google Apps For Education
• Google Classroom is part of the Google’s G.A.F.E
suite.
• Your school district needs to use G.A.F.E. in order to
access Google Classroom
• If you are a G.A.F.E. school and can’t access
Google Classroom, contact your Google Admin.
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6. My classroom transformation
• Since Google Classroom
• G-Classroom creates folders
automatically.
• Easily access and manage
student work within Google
Classroom.
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• Before Google Classroom
• Teaching S’s how to create
folders and share them.
• Managing my own folder
with students folders.
• Access student work, folder
by folder.

7. Why Google Classroom?
Student Perspective
• Organizes folders
automatically
• Easy to find work.
• Easy to use.
• Saves time.
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Teacher perspective
• Saves time organizing
student folders
• Saves time accessing
student work
• Easy to set up and use.

8. My current situation
My challenges
• Not a 1:1 classroom.
• Limited by access to school Chromebooks.
• We do have access to Chrome carts and a computer
lab.
• My solution
• Preplanning
• Have students work together when possible.
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9. What is Google Classroom?
• Google Classroom is:
• A classroom organization and
communication tool.
• Connects Drive, Docs, and Gmail
• Create, and assess students assignments in
one place.
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10. 5 Google Classroom Tips
• Don’t click student!
• Keep all of your sections/hours separate.
• Be specific when naming your classes
• Don’t mess around with the “Classroom”
folder in Google Drive.
• Don’t add items directly to the Drive folders
created by classroom.
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11. How do I get there?
There are two ways to get to Google Classroom.
• Go to https://classroom.google.com
• Go to https://www.google.com/
o Click on the App menu icon
• Select classroom
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12. Setting up Classroom
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13. Log in as a teacher!
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Important!
Logging in for the
first time, you want to
click Teacher

14. Create your classroom
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• Click on the + sign to
create your first class.
• Name your class.
• How you name your
class is important.

15. About Page
• The about page is for general information and class
resources for your course
• Idea for the About Page:
o Class Syllabus
o Rubrics
o Often used resources
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16. Students Page
• Invite students via email to your class
o You can use groups from your Gmail account
o Or have students use the unique enrollment key
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17. The Stream
• Announcements
o Post information and attach resources (YouTube, Drive, web links, files).
o Anyone can comment on an announcement.
o Great for adding communication and resources that are not attached to
a due date or grades.
• Assignments
o Use for housing assignments with a due date.
o Can use a variety of ways to distribute information.
• YouTube, web links, Google Docs, computer files.

18. The Stream’s layout
• It is important to note that assignments and
announcements placed in the stream will be
placed in chronological order.
• The most recent postings will be placed at the top
of the stream.
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19. Creating Announcements
• Click on the “Announcement” button
• Type an announcement
• Add files from Google Drive , YouTube, web links, or files from
your computer
• Copy to multiple classes if necessary
• Post your announcement
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20. Create Assignments
• Click the Assignment button
• Give your assignment a title and a description
• Set the due date
• Attach files (Drive, Docs, YouTube , links)
• Copy assignment to multiple classes if necessary
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21. Adding Google Documents
• If you are adding a document from Google Drive,
specify how you would like it to be shared.
• Post your assignment
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22. Something to Think About
• When creating assignments, students will have two
ways to turn an assignment in, depending on the
type of file you have them working on.
• If is an document you attach through Google Drive
o Students will see a “Turn in” button” when they open their assignment.
• If is a web link, such as a Google Form
o Students will see a “Mark as Done” tab to click in order to turn in their
assignment.
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23. Join the Demo Class?
• Log in using:
• Username: googleclass#@kentisd.org
o (Replace # with any number 1-50)
o Example: googleclass25@kentisd.org
• Password: kentisd14
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24. Student Perspective
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25. Student view
• You will be logged into Classroom as a student
• You will see your classes
• Click on K.I.S.D. Webinar Series
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26. Student Stream
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• As a student, you will see your assignments
• Assignment due dates
• Comment section
• To open an assignment, click “open” button.

27. Student Stream cont.
• Once you have opened the assignment
o Click the Document link
o Your assignment will open in Google Docs.
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Document Link

28. Student assignment turn-in
• Using Google Docs, Google Drawings, or files not
using a web link as the assignment tool.
• In the Google Doc., click “Turn in.”
• A second screen will appear
o Click “Turn in” one more time
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29. Assignments Using Links
• Assignment using links will follow the same process
as before, however the instead of a “Turn in”
button, it will say “Mark as Done.”
• Open the assignment and click “Mark as Done”
• A second screen will appear
o Click “Turn in” one more time
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30. Resources I Use
• Google+ Communities
• GEG Michigan
• Google Classroom
• Google Apps in Education
• Google Docs and Drive
• Web resources
• Google for education
• The Electric Educator
• Teacher Tech
• Ditch Than Textbook
• Free Technology For Teachers
• Ed Tech and Mobile Learning
• Edudemic
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• Twitter
• Good people to follow
• Andrew Steinman @steinman
• John Sowash @jrsowash
• Kelly Kermode @coachk
• Alice Keeler @alicekeeler
• Hash tags to follow
• #geducator
• #googleedu
• #gafe

31. Please provide feedback by going to:
http://bit.ly/KISDGoogleClassroom
• Thank you for attending the Google Classroom
webinar.
• Google Classroom Resource Page
o It will have many of the same resources you saw
today
o Today’s PowerPoint presentation
o Links to resources
o Contact information
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32. How Google Classroom
Has Transformed the
Elementary Classroom
Matt Becker, 5th Grade Teacher from Forest
Hills