Tips and Tricks to Run Your Google Classroom Smoothly

by Edward

Google Classroom is one of the best tools used for teachers to streamline school works more easily. It’s where they can announce, assign, collect, grade, give feedback, and discuss with their students. 

With the help of Google Classrooms, paperwork at school is not as difficult anymore. However, not all are adapting to new technology to make school processes easier. For some, they’re still not keeping up with the trends not only because they’re used to the old ways but also because they think Google Classroom is too technical.

If you get intimidated using this tool as well, you can always get started with these easy tips and tricks. Soon, managing Google Classroom will already be a breeze for you.

  1. Utilize the “Move to Top” Feature – Click on the “Move to top” button to bring any important material you wish to be announced. Using this feature will get your students’ attention, making it great for reminders.
  2. Send Emails Using “People Tab” – Go to the “People” tab, click on everyone, pick an action, and choose email. You can already send a message to everyone this way.
  3. Take Note of the “Comment” Feature – Know how to appropriately comment on Google Classroom. You can add class comments for everyone, private comments for individual messages, and general comments on documents, sheets, slides, and drawings.
  4. Share Direct Links Using Announcement – If you have direct links you want your students to check, you can utilize the announcement button for faster sharing.
  5. Maximize Keyboard Commands – Make fewer clicking sounds and speed up your grading process with the use of keystrokes. Just press the arrow keys to make navigation quicker when grading.
  6. Reuse Posts – Being creative can be hard when making new posts. So, why not reuse them and make something new out of them? Modify your online class posters with the use of any tool to customize content to make them fresher and much more engaging.
  7. Know Where to Grade – Simply go to the “Grades” tab, and here, you’ll see all of the assignments submitted by your students. You don’t have to waste your time grading anymore when all you need can already be found in one place.
  8. Tweak Email Notifications – It’s annoying to keep on receiving unnecessary emails. So, go to “settings” and turn off your email notification by clicking on the checkbox. 
  9. Explore Hashtags – The online community for teachers is booming, so why not join in and explore the hashtags for Google Classrooms? You can build a community here and share your ideas, ask questions, and just interact with fellow educators online.
  10. Request Features You Want – Yes, you’ll have the chance to suggest features you think are useful in making Google Classroom much more efficient. Click on the “?” button found on the lower left side of your screen, then report an issue or suggest a feature that you want. 
  11. Send Filtered Announcements – You can also send filtered announcements. Just send your message and filter out the groups of people you want your message to go to.
  12. Schedule Tasks and Assignments Ahead – Use the scheduling option and set up your tasks and assignments ahead. Students will appreciate the heads-up, and you’ll be reminded as well.
  13. Encourage Students to Ask Questions – There is a “create a question” feature on Google Classroom. They’ll feel heard and will feel more engaged and motivated to participate when their questions are entertained.
  14. Make a Master Class – Make your master class for every subject that you have and just click on the reuse button to personalize each. Add these to your classes to speed up your workflow.
  15. Set Stream Notification – You can opt to shut off your stream notification. This way, you’ll have a much more organized collaboration with your student. 
  16. Assign Assignments Efficiently – You can already assign your tasks and assignments to several of your classes at the same time. Just click on the “assign to multiple classes” for faster dissemination.
  17. Add a “Done” Option to Quizzes – To make it easier for students, add a “done” button for them to click when answering. This way, they’ll avoid submitting an answer they’re not sure of yet. 
  18. Screenshot Discussions – If you want to take note of certain parts of your discussion for future reference, screenshot them and save them privately. You can also use these screenshots as reference points for your students.
  19. Create Rubrics for Grading – Grading takes time, but it’s easier when you make grading rubrics on Google Classroom. Just add in the grading details, and you’ll have your customized grading sheet in no time.
  20. Divide Tasks with Other Colleagues – Delegate workload with your colleagues online. It’s easier to part and assign tasks on Google Classroom now that you can reuse posts and personalize them easily. You can also use Google Classroom header templates to expedite the process of creating headers for your Google Classroom session.

Google Classroom is an amazing software that every educator should learn. It speeds up work processes with the help of its varied features, not to mention it’s simple to use and easy to navigate.

You can even make tasks like creating projects and even engaging your students with the help of design tools such as PosterMyWall.