Reflection

By using Google Classroom, I can meet the needs of all of my students. Through the various options for assignments (Material, Question, Quiz, etc.) I am able to diversify the content I provide. This will also make it easier for me to monitor student progress and encourage communication between students. I especially like how with the "material" option, I can upload PDFs of books we are reading in class to ensure students always have access. The organization of Google Classroom is also amazing, as students can't lose their work!

My knowledge of Google Classroom has improved because I know how difficult it must be to keep up with this level of online learning from the student side.  I was once a student in a class with a teacher running a PD and it was so well organized and it changed my whole thought on the course.  I strive to make it an easy location for students to navigate.  

I will use some of the organizational things I learned in this class to help my classroom be more accessible to students. I already added emojis to my topics to make them more recognizable for students.

In this course I learned how to add emojis to my Google Classroom. I added them to the topics in my current Google Classroom as I think it will make it easier for students to navigate the page. I plan on incorporating them in the future for assignments as well to give students a visual to look for. Seeing the students side of Google Classroom was interesting. Knowing that students are able to see all of their missing work in one spot is helpful. I also plan on using that tool on the teacher side. I often assign pixel art and other assignments during block time on Google Classroom. Being able to go to one spot to see who hasn't finished the assignment is a time saver. I haven't used the gradebook feature on Google Classroom yet, but I plan to going forward. I like how you can go back and review students work from the gradebook as well. This would come in handy for report cards or tracking data of a specific skill. I wish I knew that I could review students work all from one tab. It would have saved me so much time and clicking. Google Classroom has so many great features. This badge helped me realize that there are built in components that can make what I am already doing that much easier for myself and my students. 

There are many possibilities with the Google Classroom platform. Using Google Classroom for block time activities and clubs promotes independence and allows students to integrate their use of other technological platforms such as Padlet, Docs, or Slides, when completing assignments within Google Classroom. Classroom can be organized through topics, materials, and assignments, and houses materials in one place, making it an effective way for students to access multiple items. 

I like that you can post assignments and materials under topics. This helps students to find information quicker than if you just had a general list.  I can see this coming in handy for assignments such as a research project so that resources and information can be grouped together and easily accessible for students. 

I will use Google Classroom assignments to support students' learning by posting assignments students can complete online, including classroom activities, review sheets, and google forms quizzes and tests. It is efficient for students to complete single-page assignments during class or for homework, such as a Variables Practice assignment. Students can also easily complete Google Forms assignments, including tests. I can then easily grade these assignments and send feedback back to students so that they can improve and revise their assignments. I can also easily post materials such as note sheets and slideshows for students to be able to easily reference these materials if they have been absent or need to review content that was previously covered. I have my Google Classroom organized by unit so that students can easily find assignments and materials for the current unit throughout the year. 

In moving down from 4th to 1st, I do not use this platform as often. However, I still co-run student council and use this platform to stay connected to students I do not see everyday. It keeps assignments and expectations clear, allows us to get quick reminders and task without calling an in-person meeting, and also allows me to look back at past year to see assignments, announcements, and past information we may need to do again. 

I am creating a PD class for teachers and really wanted to do it in Google Classroom. This was really helpful to see how to post assignments and all of the different types of assignments that can be used. It also showed how to find completed work. Thanks!

After watching the video and navigating the multiple options of the Google Classroom, I found that there were several items that I was either unaware of how they functioned or what their original intention was for their use. 
I will be most likely to utilize the materials postings for my students. Having resources available when they are home and may not have their notebooks or binders, I can help them be successful by placing these kinds of items in the classroom classwork page. I was also very interested in the support links that detailed reusing a post from a different date. I was very happy to learn that Google will automatically recreate a new copy for use in this new assignment post. 

Being able to organize different assignments by subject area or Unit helps students know exactly where to go when using google classroom. For example, I would post online math games for students and they always knew it would be in the "Math" topic. Teaching students how to recognize they have submitted an assignment or not, is also useful when they double check before logging off. When I taught remotely for the year, I used multiple topics and was posting multiple assignments weekly so it was crucial to be able to organize my google classroom and easily navigate between subjects and materials for both myself and my students.

It is often faster and easier for both students and I to communicate via Classroom when they have questions about assignments. Staying after class isn't always easy, so having the chance to message via Classroom and within assignments helps and allows me to assist students when they need it, immediately, versus having them wait to speak to me in class.