Google Classroom - It's Getting Even Better with New Features Added

 

                                                                                http://www.medcie.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/google-classroom.jpg

I did an earlier post in October about Google Classroom and some of the new features it added last fall.  Of course, the requests keep coming for new and better options, and just this week Google added a couple of new, frequently requested features.

First, one of the biggest things teachers have asked for is the ability to collaborate with other teachers by adding them to your classroom site.  Until now, if a teacher wanted to "share" their classroom site with other teachers, those teachers could only be students.  This works well to just access assignments and posts, but does nothing to allow for true collaboration on assignments, shared grading, or both having access to all student assignments.  Now, you can add other teachers to your Google Classroom by going to your course's "About" page and choosing the option to "Invite Teacher."  This lets other teachers access your classroom site, post comments, announcements, assignments, see student assignments, and grade those assignments.

Another frequently requested feature is the ability to add announcements and assignments and not post them immediately to the site.  This allows teachers to add multiple assignments or announcements at one time, maybe for a whole week or an entire project, and then publish them later on for students to view.  This feature because teachers no longer have to go in and add something new right when you want students to view it, but can better prepare by adding things ahead of time, and then just going in and publishing them right when you need them.

Google Classroom continues to get better and provide more options and choices for teachers as a Learning Management System, and I'm sure they will continue to add more and more useful features based on the feedback provided.  If you use Google Classroom, hopefully you will find these new features helpful.  If you haven't tried it yet, check it out and check out the links below for more info and help about Google Classroom!

FPS Google Training Site Classroom Page