Google Classroom

Google Classroom

Original Google Classroom logo
Developer(s) Google
Initial release August 12, 2014 (2014-08-12)
Stable release(s) [±]
Android 3.7.302.05 / August 7, 2017 (2017-08-07)[1]
iOS 2.2017.30203 / August 1, 2017 (2017-08-01)[2]
Operating system
Type Education
Website classroom.google.com

Google Classroom is a blended learning platform developed by Google for schools that aims to simplify creating, distributing and grading assignments in a paperless way. It was introduced as a feature of G Suite for Education on May 6, 2014, followed by its public release on August 12, 2014. In June 2015, Google announced a Classroom API and a share button for websites, allowing school administrators and developers to further engage with Google Classroom. In March 2017, Google opened Classroom to allow any personal Google users to join classes without the requirement of having a G Suite for Education account, and in April, it became possible for any personal Google user to create and teach a class.

Google Classroom combines Google Drive for assignment creation and distribution, Google Docs, Sheets and Slides for writing, Gmail for communication, and Google Calendar for scheduling. Students can be invited to classes through the institution's database, through a private code, or be automatically imported from a school domain. Each class creates a separate folder in the respective user's Drive, where the student can submit work to be a graded by a teacher. Mobile apps, available for iOS and Android devices, let users take photos and attach to assignments, share files from other apps, and access information offline. Teachers can monitor the progress for each student, and after being graded, teachers can return work, with comments, for the student to revise and improve the assignment. Teachers can post announcements to a class stream, where students can comment.

Google claims that, as part of G Suite for Education, it does not show advertisements for Google Classroom users, and does not collect data or information for advertising purposes. This has been disputed. Google stopped scanning students' Gmail messages in April 2014 following privacy concerns, but the Electronic Frontier Foundation has twice, in December 2015 and April 2017, alleged that Google has broken its commitment to privacy, by gathering information without consent. Google has responded, saying that it is "confident" its tools comply with applicable laws and privacy pledges.

History

Google Classroom was announced on May 6, 2014, with a preview available for some members of Google's G Suite for Education program.[3][4] It was released publicly on August 12, 2014.[5][6] On June 29, 2015, Google announced a Classroom API and a share button for websites, allowing school administrators and developers to further engage with Google Classroom.[7] On August 24, Google integrated Google Calendar into Classroom for assignment due dates, field trips and class speakers.[8] In March 2017, Google opened Classroom to allow any personal Google users to join classes without the requirement of having a G Suite for Education account,[9] and in April, it became possible for any personal Google user to create and teach a class.[10][11]

Features

Google Classroom ties Google Drive, Google Docs, Sheets and Slides, and Gmail together to help educational institutions go to a paperless system.[12] Google Calendar was later integrated to help with assignment due dates, field trips, and class speakers.[8] Students can be invited to classrooms through the institution's database, through a private code that can then be added in the student's user interface or automatically imported from a school domain.[13] Each class created with Google Classroom creates a separate folder in the respective user's Google Drive, where the student can submit work to be graded by a teacher.[14]

Assignments

Assignments are stored and graded on Google's suite of productivity applications that allow collaboration between the teacher and the student or student to student. Instead of sharing documents that reside on the student's Google Drive with the teacher, files are hosted on the student's Drive and then submitted for grading. Teachers may choose a file that can then be treated as a template so that every student can edit their own copy and then turn back in for a grade instead of allowing all students to view, copy, or edit the same document.[15] Students can also choose to attach additional documents from their Drive to the assignment.

Grading

Google Classroom supports many different grading schemes. Teachers have the option to attach files to the assignment which students can view, edit, or get an individual copy. Students can create files and then attach them to the assignment if a copy of a file wasn't created by the teacher. Teachers have the option to monitor the progress of each student on the assignment where they can make comments and edit. Turned in assignments can be graded by the teacher and returned with comments to allow the student to revise the assignment and turn back in. Once graded, assignments can only be edited by the teacher unless the teacher turns the assignment back in.

Communication

Announcements can be posted by teachers to the class stream which can be commented on by students allowing for two-way communication between the teacher and students.[14] Students can also post to the class stream but won't be as high of a priority as an announcement by a teacher and can be moderated. Multiple types of media from Google products such as YouTube videos and Google Drive files can be attached to announcements and posts to share content. Gmail also provides email options for teachers to send emails to one or more students in the Google Classroom interface. Classroom can be accessed on the web or via the Android and iOS Classroom mobile apps.

Time-cost

Teachers can add students by giving students a code to join the class. Teachers that manage multiple classes can reuse existing announcements, assignments, or questions from another class. Teachers can also share posts across multiple classes and archive classes for future classes. Students' work, assignments, questions, grades, comments can all be organized by one or all classes, or sorted by what needs reviewing.

Archive course

Classroom allows instructors to archive courses at the end of a term or year. When a course is archived, it is removed from the homepage and placed in the Archived Classes area to help teachers keep their current classes organized. When a course is archived, teachers and students can view it, but won't be able to make any changes to it until it is restored.[16]

Mobile applications

Google Classroom mobile apps, introduced in January 2015, are available for iOS and Android devices. The apps let users take photos and attach them to their assignments, share files from other apps, and support offline access.[17][18]

Privacy

In contrast to Google's consumer services, Google Classroom, as part of G Suite for Education, does not show any advertisements in its interface for students, faculty, and teachers, and user data is not scanned or used for advertising purposes.[19]

Reception

eLearningIndustry tested and made a review of Google Classroom, in which they highlighted many positive and negative aspects. Among Classroom's strengths, the review highlighted ease of use, universal device accessibility, use of Google Drive as an effective way for teachers to quickly share assignments with students, the paperless process meaning the end of printing, handing out, and potentially losing work, and the fast feedback system between students and teachers. Among Classroom's disadvantages, the review highlighted the service's heavy integration of Google apps and services with limited or no support for external files or services, lack of automated quizzes and tests, and a lack of discussion forums or live chats that can aid in feedback efforts.[20]

Google has been criticized for allegedly data mining students' browsing history, searches, and other usage of services for advertising. In April 2014, Google announced that it would stop scanning students' Gmail messages for advertising purposes, following privacy concerns.[21] TechCrunch wrote that, while ads weren't included in the education program, data and information learned from users through the program was used to show advertisements at later times in other areas.[22] On December 1, 2015, the Electronic Frontier Foundation filed a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission, alleging that Google "broke a pledge to honor student privacy with its educational tools". EFF staff attorney Sophia Cope stated that "We are calling on the FTC to investigate Google's conduct, stop the company from using student personal information for its own purposes, and order the company to destroy all information it has collected that's not for educational purposes".[23] Google responded the following day: "While we appreciate the EFF’s focus on student data privacy, we are confident that our tools comply with both the law and our promises, including the Student Privacy Pledge, which we signed earlier this year".[24] The Foundation made new allegations against Google in April 2017, focusing particularly on the company's actions of "dumping millions of low-cost Chromebooks on U.S. schools, enabling the mass collection and storage of information on children without the consent of their parents".[25]

References

  1. ↑ "Google Classroom". APKMirror. Android Police. August 7, 2017. Retrieved August 10, 2017.
  2. ↑ "Google Classroom". App Store. Apple Inc. August 1, 2017. Retrieved August 10, 2017.
  3. ↑ Magid, Larry (May 6, 2014). "Google Classroom Offers Assignment Center for Students and Teachers". Forbes. Retrieved April 28, 2017.
  4. ↑ Etherington, Darrell (May 6, 2014). "Google Debuts Classroom, An Education Platform For Teacher-Student Communication". TechCrunch. AOL. Retrieved April 28, 2017.
  5. ↑ Kahn, Jordan (August 12, 2014). "Google Classroom now available to all Apps for Education users, adds collaboration features". 9to5Google. Retrieved April 28, 2017.
  6. ↑ Lapowsky, Issie (August 13, 2014). "Google Wants to Save Our Schools—And Hook a New Generation of Users". Wired. Condé Nast. Retrieved April 28, 2017.
  7. ↑ Perez, Sarah (June 29, 2015). "Google Expands Its Educational Platform “Classroom” With A New API, Share Button For Websites". TechCrunch. AOL. Retrieved April 28, 2017.
  8. 1 2 Hockenson, Lauren (August 24, 2015). "Google Classroom updates with Calendar integration, new teacher tools". The Next Web. Retrieved April 28, 2017.
  9. ↑ Ressler, Gene (March 15, 2017). "Google Classroom: Now open to even more learners". The Keyword Google Blog. Google. Retrieved April 28, 2017.
  10. ↑ Etherington, Darrell (April 27, 2017). "Google Classroom now lets anyone school anyone else". TechCrunch. AOL. Retrieved April 28, 2017.
  11. ↑ Regan, Tom (April 27, 2017). "Google's Classroom is open to anyone with an urge to teach". Engadget. AOL. Retrieved April 28, 2017.
  12. ↑ Kerr, Dara (May 6, 2014). "Google unveils Classroom, a tool designed to help teachers". CNET. CBS Interactive. Retrieved April 28, 2017.
  13. ↑ "Invite students to a class". Classroom Help. Google. Retrieved April 28, 2017.
  14. 1 2 Steele, Billy (May 6, 2014). "Google Classroom helps teachers easily organize assignments, offer feedback". Engadget. AOL. Retrieved April 28, 2017.
  15. ↑ "Submit an Assignment". Google Classroom help. Google. Retrieved March 27, 2015.
  16. ↑ "Archive a class - Classroom Help". Archive a class. Retrieved April 6, 2015.
  17. ↑ Wright, Mic (January 14, 2015). "Google’s new Classroom app opens its doors on Android and iOS". The Next Web. Retrieved April 28, 2017.
  18. ↑ Luckerson, Victor (January 14, 2015). "Google Is Bringing the Paperless Classroom to Teachers' Phones". Time. Retrieved April 28, 2017.
  19. ↑ "Privacy & Security Information". Google for Education. Google. Retrieved April 28, 2017.
  20. ↑ Pappas, Christopher (August 20, 2015). "Google Classroom Review: Pros And Cons Of Using Google Classroom In eLearning". eLearning Industry. Retrieved August 17, 2016.
  21. ↑ Warren, Tom (April 30, 2014). "Google stops scanning student Gmail accounts following privacy concerns". The Verge. Vox Media. Retrieved April 28, 2017.
  22. ↑ Etherington, Darrell (April 30, 2014). "Google Stops Mining Education Gmail And Google Apps Accounts For Ad Targeting". TechCrunch. AOL. Retrieved April 28, 2017.
  23. ↑ Robertson, Adi (December 1, 2015). "EFF complaint says Google broke privacy pledge by tracking students". The Verge. Vox Media. Retrieved April 28, 2017.
  24. ↑ Olanoff, Drew (December 2, 2015). "Google To EFF On Student Privacy: “Our Tools Comply With Both The Law And Our Promises”". TechCrunch. AOL. Retrieved April 28, 2017.
  25. ↑ Dilger, Daniel Eran (April 19, 2017). "EFF: Google Chromebook is still spying on grade school students". AppleInsider. Retrieved April 28, 2017.
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