Things I Would Change About Google Classroom

The end of the 2019-2020 school year came at us all like a wrecking ball.  Teachers, students, and parents were forced to learn through a computer or device instead of in-person.  For many of us, that means using Google Classroom.  Even though we were thrust into this medium, teachers worked tirelessly to engage their students from afar, and children and parents worked tirelessly to complete assignments and keep the learning going.

Now that we are continuing online learning this fall, I have some beef with Google Classroom.  Don't get wrong; it's an amazing online tool that I already used in my classroom once in a while.  It has many useful features, but after using it as my ONLY classroom, I have some suggestions for Google to make it function better for teachers and students.

1. The "newsfeed" format just doesn't work for a classroom.  I wish the classroom page had buttons to pages for students, not a feed in which posts and announcements get lost.  I wish teachers had a space at the top of the page that functioned like our bulletin or whiteboards in our actual classrooms.  We need to post learning targets and announcements.  Having a space at the top of the content in Google Classroom for the learning target and reminders would be so helpful.  Below that, have buttons for pages like "Classwork" and "Discussion Forum".  Move the feed from the front page to a separate page that the teacher can add discussion topics to and students can respond to those topics.  The feed just doesn't work!

2. Student Groups.  I teach middle school and have anywhere from 70-90 students enrolled in the same course over different periods.  Since they all learn the same thing, I put them all in the same Google Classroom.  However, we are required to accommodate and modify for different learning styles and needs.  Right now, you can click on individual students to send assignments to.  I can send modified assignments to the 15 students who need it, but then I have to go through and click the other 65 kids who DON'T need that modified assignment.  Talk about a time-waster!  If I could create subgroups within each class, I could have a group of gen ed students, sped students, and 504 students.  Subgroups would save me so much time, and my students would get the correct assignment for their learning style.

3. No more blank work!  I wish Google had a feature that could prevent students from submitting blank work.  I had several students who would just click "Turn in" or "Mark as done" without doing any work.  So, on their side of things, they could show their parents that all of their work was turned in!  Time to play video games!  If Google could create a feature to prevent that, it would save teachers time and keep kids accountable, as well. 

As we embark on a digital school year, I am so thankful that we are in the information age and there are so many tools out there for teachers and students to engage in meaningful learning.  Google supplies A LOT of those tools, including Google Classroom. With just a few changes, Classroom can be the best tool for teachers and students during remote teaching!

Cheers,

Kasey

Middle School Theatre: Why I Love Google Drive

There is nothing more exciting than finding a tool that I can share with my students that actually works!  I find that Google Drive has been amazing for keeping up with all that I do at work (and personally), and my students can easily use this tool.

How I Use Google Drive in My Theatre Classroom

Most kids (and parents!) question why we have to write in theatre.  Not only is drama a genre of literature, but performance is the analysis and study of writing and the human condition.  When it comes to getting middle school students to write in an elective, it's important to start out small and work your way up.  I start with daily warm ups, short monologues, and short scenes.  My advanced class by far does the most writing.  I teach them modern oratory as we prepare for our speech contest.  I would only do this unit for this class as they are competition-driven and want to be in the class.

Modern oratory, for those that don't know, is a 3-6 minute long speech written by the student about one of the given UIL topics.  Students must define the problem, determine the pro and con issues, research the issue, look at both sides of an issue, reach a conclusion, and support that conclusion with documentation.

This means we will need methods of finding such research.  That's where technology comes into play.  My school has a few carts with Chromebooks, so I checked out one for a week and a few days.  I gave the students a few days to research their topic online, copy and paste their articles into a Google Doc in a shared folder, then discuss their research with students who chose the same topic.

First, I created a folder just for Advanced Theatre Arts.  Then I shared this folder with every student in the class.  Then I created a folder for each unit so it would be organized.

Students submitted their research through Google Classroom, and typed their speech on a document in the shared folder.  This way I was able to see them working on it live, see if they worked on it at home, and give them live suggestions as they wrote.

I love this feature about Google Docs the most!  I can keep my students accountable and give them instant feedback.  Throughout class I would hear students say, "I see you on my speech, Ms. Korth!" and it would motivate them to work.  Or, "Thanks for the suggestion!" It saved me time, as well, from having to print and read all 18 of their papers and make corrections by hand after school.  I read them and made corrections as they worked.  

I could also print them from my computer, which is already tied to the printer, when I felt they were ready.  We only needed to print the final draft so they could annotate and memorize for the performance.  Google absolutely made this project so much smoother than hand-writing, and my kids who have a tougher time writing found it an easy mode of doing so.

I also love Google for auditions.  I have a separate folder for each unit and each production that I do.  Instead of printing out an unknown set of copies of the audition forms and contracts, I had students scan a QR code or go to the URL for the Google Form to sign up.  I added at the bottom of the contract that students agree to said contract by signing up.  All of their info is sent to a spreadsheet so I can number and organize and make notes during auditions, then have that information for students who make the cast.  It's such a breeze!

My school has really pushed to have assignments and lessons online, so I have been using Google Classroom since it's password protected.  Students must use their school district Google log in to access your classroom (or personal if you have them set up their own accounts).  I post all kinds of things, like the link to the Daily Warm Up questions on a Google Slide, or screen caps of their interactive notebook lesson for the day, and especially make up assignments if they miss a performance or day.

Google has definitely been a time saver for this busy theatre director and has made life easier for both me and my students.  I encourage you to play around with this fabulous tool if your district has not implemented it yet.  My students also use Google Slides and other apps when we use iPads for presentations of information.

I love new technology and finding ways to make teaching and learning easier!

Happy Googling!

Kasey