Google Classroom was created to help teachers manage all documents that their students need via the online classroom experience that it provides.
In other words, one can describe Google Classroom as a collection of online tools that makes it easier for teachers to grade student’s assignments.
Slides, Sheets, Docs, G-mails, and Calendar is integrated into Google Classroom to help manage Teacher-Student communication.
In other words, Google classroom provides an environment where teaching and learning come together.
It was created to enable and encourage digital learning. In 2021, stats have it that over 150 million users use Google Classroom.
A brief history of Google Classroom
Google Classroom was announced in May of 2014, coming with a preview available for some members of Google’s G Suite for Education program.
Then, It was publicly released on August 12, 2014, but on the 14th of January 2015, Google announced a Classroom API and a share button for websites, therefore, allowing teachers, developers, and other school administrators to further interact with it.
Also, Google consolidated Google Calendar into Classroom to serve as a reminder for assignments due dates and other activities scheduled in 2015.
Over time, Google updated its terms of usage which could allow personal Google users to join classes without having a G Suite for Education account.
Also, Google added features that allow teachers to organize their content by topic-by-topic.
Google introduced the option to drag and drop topics and assignments in the classwork section of Google Classroom in 2019.
In 2020, Google integrated Google Meet so that teachers can have meet links within each class.
How it Works
Since Google Classroom integrates different tools to make it functional, here is a straightforward analysis of how it operates.
- Students can track classwork and assignments and submit them
- Students can interact by email or during the class streams
- Teachers can start video meetings, create and manage classes online without the need to mark papers
- Teachers can give real-time feedback and use the class stream to engage students in discussions
- Parents or guardians can review activities
- Guardians can also get an email summary of the student’s work
With all of these mentioned, Schools in Africa are highly encouraged to integrate its use into their teaching and learning processes because it has proven to be timely and reliable.
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