Better Organize Your Classes Using Google Classroom
Last month, Classtime announced our exciting new integration with Google Classroom. This Premium feature allows educators to easily import their classes from Google Classroom to Classtime, manage assignments, and synchronize student scores across both platforms. Hear from Classtime teacher, Michelle Lewis (@_M_Lewis_), on how she is utilizing the integration in her daily lessons and how you can better organize your classes using Google Classroom today.
What is Google Classroom and How Can it Be Used with Classtime?
Matt Miller, author of Ditch That Textbook, describes Google Classroom in his quick start guide when stating, “Classroom has streamlined the classroom workflow and makes communication easier between teachers and students”.
His guide states its main features including:
– It creates a central home for class activities.
– It lets teachers create assignments (and other class activities).
– It collects assignments from students.
– It helps teachers grade assignments and provide feedback.
– It returns assignments to students.
Classtime perfectly fits into Google Classroom’s workflow as an assignment: you invite your students to a Classtime assignment in Google Classrooms, have students work on their Classtime activities, and then return their scores after.
To import information from Google Classroom to Classtime teachers can simply go to their Classtime Classes and click on “Import from Google Classroom”.
Now, millions of teachers use the platform globally to organize their lessons including 5th-grade math and science teacher from Louisiana, Michelle Lewis. She uses the integration for her assessments with remote and in-person learning stating, ”I use Google Classroom for pretty much all assignments and all communication through virtual students. To bring a sense of shared community I also use Google Classroom with my face-to-face students as well. So, it’s a common platform between the two.”
Along with using Google Classroom with Classtime to organize her assessments, Michelle also uses the integration to get more advanced data on her students’ performance and understanding of a subject. She describes that in her lessons, “I use it to get data for analysis to see where the deficits are where the weaknesses are and to go and best improve.”
What are the Benefits?
Michelle started using the integration as a way to save more time organizing her assessments and to better motivate her students. After teachers give access for Classtime to access their Google Classroom account, students invited to lessons in Google Classroom will be reflected in Classtime. Michelle states, “I love how instead of students having to look at an extra spot for a link they’re able to just click on an assignment and that assignment takes them into the Classtime quiz.”
Along with its time-saving benefit, Michelle utilizes the Google Classroom integration to promote a shared community and further engagement with her students. She invites her students in Google Classroom to Classtime assessments like Collaborative Challenges to motivate her students to work together on lessons. Michelle states, “Instead of them dreading an exit ticket or dreading an assessment they are excited because they want to collectively work towards their shared goal. Everyone is going to the same hub which is Google Classroom, everyone is going to the same game, everyone is working on the same shared project with a global-minded goal in mind. For example, the greenhouse or London bridge or flying the rocket ship into outer space. It ultimately spreads that shared seamless sense of community.”
Michelle’s advice for any teacher who might be using the integration for the first time is, “Give it a shot. Teachers tend to go with what is most popular or what they have seen or heard. Go and try it and see how much it motivates your students.”