Start the remote school year right with these simple but important Google Classroom tips for students and parents of younger students.
I’ve been contributing to PCMag since 2011, at times as an analyst and columnist, and currently as deputy managing editor for the software team. My column, Get Organized, has been running on PCMag since 2012. It gives advice on how to manage all the devices, apps, digital photos, social networks, email, and other technology that can make you feel like you’re going to have a panic attack.
Since March 2020, students and teachers everywhere have become familiar with Google Classroom. Schools and educators use it to make their curriculum available online, as well as to collect assignments, keep track of grades, and communicate with students and parents. The problem is that many people started using it when stress was extremely high and they didn’t have access to good training for it.
While Google Classroom is fairly simple and straightforward, there are a few basic tips you can follow to help make sure everyone, learners and educators alike, has a good experience with it. But first, you’ll need to get set up in a few simple steps.
First, if your laptop or device is running Chrome OS (like a Chromebook), Mac, or Windows, log on to Google Classroom directly from a web browser. If you’re on an iPhone, iPad, or Android device, download the Google Classroom app.
Next, students should follow the instructions their instructor or institution sent them to enroll in their classes. If you have trouble, you might need to reach out to an administrator. The problem might not be caused by anything you’re doing.
Finally, if you are a person who would benefit from a screen reader (an assistive technology that reads the words on a screen aloud), Google has instructions for using a screen reader with Google Classroom(Opens in a new window).
Now that you’re set up, here are a few simple tips to help you have a good experience with Google Classroom.
Online, there are times when it makes sense to use a name and picture that don’t definitively identify you. That’s not the case when you’re in a classroom setting.
Use your real name or the nickname you commonly go by and a picture that looks like you. It helps the instructor and your classmates put a face to your name.
When you join a class, Google Classroom creates a folder for it in Google Drive. You can change the color of these folders and rename them.
Color coding your folders lets you flag the ones that are in current use. That way, your eye goes to them first when you open Google Drive, and you can jump right into the course you need without thinking much about it. Similarly, if you’ve finished a course but have not yet un-enrolled from it (if you’re waiting to receive your final grade, for example), you might make those folders gray to de-emphasize them.
One way to make your coursework easier is to use Google apps, such as Google Docs and Sheets, to complete assignments. The reason is that you don’t have to export and then upload a file to the site when you work in Google Apps. Instead, you can share the file using options that Google Apps and Classroom provide.
Google Classroom gives you two types of comments: general comments, which are visible to everyone in the class, and private comments, which are only visible between the student and instructor.
When you post in the main class Stream, those comments are public. When you view an assignment or assignment page and have an option to leave a comment, those are for the instructor and student only. (These two types of comments are clearly labeled now, but they used to be more confusing.)
Make sure you use private comments to discuss individual matters, such as asking for an extension on a due date if you’re the student or asking for revisions on work if you’re the instructor. You can tag someone in a public comment using the @ symbol before their name, but you might not always want to draw attention to individuals in that way.
When you submit an assignment, you give ownership of it to the instructor. If you make a mistake, however, such as submitting the wrong file or realizing you left an error in your work, you can Unsubmit the assignment, fix it, and then resubmit it.
To un-submit your work, go to View Assignment, open the assignment in question, and look for the option called Unsubmit in the top right corner.
Be careful and don’t let too much time pass from the time you submit to when you unsubmit! Otherwise, the instructor may have already started to review and grade it. Then it’s too late.
Instructors using Google Classroom have several features that students don’t. One of them is the Originality Report.
Teachers use this tool to check whether a student’s assignment contains portions of text that appear elsewhere online (in other words, it looks for potential plagiarism). While you should always be careful to cite your sources properly, you should also know that instructors have an automated tool that helps them make sure you’re not copying and pasting text from un-cited sources.
If you set up your Google Classroom account and leave all the settings in the default state, be prepared to receive a lot of notifications!
You’re better off customizing these notifications and disabling any that you don’t need, including notifications by email. The options are under Notifications in the Google Classroom Settings—not to be confused with your Google account Settings.
While Google Classroom is easy to use and navigate overall, finding your grades for assignments and comments from the instructor about them is not so intuitive.
Go to Classwork and choose View your work. Pull up the menu of options and choose Returned with grade. There you can see your marks and any comments the teacher has added.
When teachers set up their Google Classroom accounts, they receive instruction to use the About section (it’s really labeled as Description) of the class for sharing important resources.
From the student’s point of view, however, it’s very easy to overlook this area. In the header image for your class, there’s a small carrot-style arrow you can click or tap to open more information about the class.
To be frank, it isn’t the most beautifully designed element in Google Classroom because it doesn’t save any formatting, like boldface or bullet points, that your teacher may have applied. In any case, the next time you can’t find important information, such as a link to an online resource or a list of reading material, check there.
After a class ends, you can unenroll from it to remove it from your Google account.
If you accidentally unenroll too soon, don’t worry. None of your work disappears from the class, so the instructor still has all the assignments you’ve submitted, your comments, and so forth. The only thing that changes is if the classroom disappears from your view. You can re-enroll in the class if this happens.
When you’re ready to unenroll for good, go to the main Google Classroom page (classroom.google.com), select Menu > Classes. Choose the class in question and select More. Then, choose Unenroll.
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I’ve been contributing to PCMag since 2011, at times as an analyst and columnist, and currently as deputy managing editor for the software team. My column, Get Organized, has been running on PCMag since 2012. It gives advice on how to manage all the devices, apps, digital photos, social networks, email, and other technology that can make you feel like you’re going to have a panic attack.
My latest book is The Everything Guide to Remote Work, which goes into great detail about a subject that I’ve been covering as a writer and participating in personally since well before the COVID-19 pandemic.
I specialize in apps for productivity and collaboration, including project management software. I also test and analyze online learning services, particularly for learning languages.
While I only dabble in technology for health and fitness these days, I had the pleasure of writing a review of the original Fitbit Ultra and similar products that came after it.
Prior to working for PCMag, I was the managing editor of Game Developer magazine. I’ve also worked at the Association for Computing Machinery, The Examiner newspaper in San Francisco, and several other publications. My first job in publishing was copy editing peer-reviewed papers on chemical physics.
Follow me on Twitter @jilleduffy or get in touch via my contact page.
Read Jill’s full bio
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