Google Classroom: What They Don't Know

Unfortunately Northeastern has a reputation for rolling out new initiatives without providing any training which just so happens is how my technology journey began. I was given six Chromebooks and was told, “here you go.” For me, it wasn’t a big deal because I like experimenting and exploring new things but for the teacher who is scared of technology, that is a nightmare. Tommy Peterson (2016), interviewed Sheryl Abshire of Calcasieu Parish Public Schools in Lake Charles, La. about training teachers to use technology that results in effective integration. She states that her school district has learned many lessons over the years and that they now do not put any technology in classrooms with giving hands-on professional development first. Because of this, the teachers in Calcasieu Parish Public Schools have the confidence and willingness to take risks where technology is concerned. Since I cannot rewind time, my mission to make up for time that was lost with no direction.

Due to the lack of training for teachers with technology tools for integration or functions of tools or devices, I thought it might be best to start with explaining why a learning management system is a great tool and time saver for teachers. Of the elementary teachers who completed the technology needs assessment, 63.9% of teachers have never used Google Classroom with their students. This finding does not surprise me, however. The use of learning management systems has been sporadic at Northeastern School District over the years. Chromebooks were first introduced in a 1:1 setting at the middle school, where teachers were given the opportunity to explore and use Google Classroom if they chose to do so. The high school followed suit the following year but then transitioned to Schoology in which they are required to use. The middle school continues to use Google Classroom. Our elementary, however, does not officially use an LMS and has never been formally trained on the functionality and benefits of using Google Classroom as a learning management system.

Kara Masteron (2016) wrote about 6 Reasons Why Google Classroom is a Great Tool for Teachers that will provide students with a set of skills to help them compete in the real world. Not all of these reasons will apply to elementary, especially kindergarten, but exposure to an online learning platform will give teachers a good idea of what’s to come for their students. One of the biggest reasons to use Google Classroom that will apply to all elementary teachers is the easy access to materials it gives students. Have you ever tried to have a first grader type in a long web address? It is a very slow process! With the use of Google Classroom, all students would have to do is click to access a link. I believe teachers will also see increased engagement among students with the use of this LMS. By using the ask a question feature built into Google Classroom, 100% of students can answer and the teacher is instantly seeing responses without scrolling through a pile of papers making sure everyone turned one in. There are no lost papers with Google Classroom. As teachers become more comfortable using Google Classroom, the more they will move through SAMR to provide differentiation for students and moving toward a more digitized classroom.

One of my strategies to promote the use of Google Classroom is to use Google Classroom as the LMS for professional development. Tommy Peterson (2016), also discusses in his article, Technology Starts with Professional Development Training, that an LMS can be used to meet the learning needs of teachers. In the Google Classroom that will be used, teachers will have access to each presentation, videos, link access, and other information that will aid them in their technology integration journey. For the next Make & Take Tech Day, I added information and activities just like a student would experience. My intention was to ask a question using the question feature in Google Classroom and have participants answer the question to start the training. To my surprise, some teachers have already gone into the Google Classroom and answered the question prior to the session. In turn, I have responded to some “student answers” just as a teacher would provide feedback.

References

Masterson, K. (2016, December 24). 6 Reasons Why Google Classroom is a Great Tool for Teachers. Retrieved from http://www.gettingsmart.com/2016/11/6-reasons-google-classroom-great-tool/.

Peterson, T., & CDW. (2016, June 22). Technology Starts with Professional Development and Training. Retrieved from https://edtechmagazine.com/k12/article/2016/06/technology-starts-

Professional-development-and-training.