Running a classroom, let alone an entire educational institution is hard during the Corona pandemic. Luckily for us, some really useful digital education tools have been around, even before our dire situation, that makes it easy for teachers to teach and students to learn through computer screens.

Google has had the foresight to create apps for education that make operating a digital classroom possible and even fun. SO our focus for this article would be Google education apps.

Here is a review of the 4 best Google apps for education that will help you run an effective educational program from afar during the Corona pandemic and beyond.

1. Google Classroom for education

The main purpose of Google Classroom is to streamline the process of sharing files between teachers and students. Google Classroom. In addition, this service is free of charge.

How does it work?

Teachers start by creating a class topic. By entering the name, section, subject, and virtual room. Teachers are then given a security code that they share with their students so that they can assess the class.

Teachers have the following options to create material for the course with Google classroom. They can either create an assignment, send out a quiz, list the materials that need to be looked over before the next class, and lastly feedback.

For example:

Let’s say a teacher wants to create an assignment, by naming the assignment, and posting instructions students will be able to do it and know exactly what to do.

Professors can: 

* set the due date per assignment. 

* share the % per assignment

Google Classroom allows teachers and students to communicate with one other more successfully, with just a click.

2. Google Drive for education

For those of you who don’t know what Google Drive is, it’s a file storage service that synchronizes on the Google cloud.

Teachers can collaborate with multiple students on one doc, share files, edit documents, spreadsheets, and presentations.

Google Drive for education is a cloud-based service where teachers can access emails, documents, and calendars at any time, from any device.

Let’s say there is a school field trip coming up? Teachers can use Google Forms to create a permission slip that won’t get lost. Teachers can share the Google forum with the relevant parent, guardian, or person of interest. Once the document has been signed the owner will receive an email notification.

google documents icon google sheets icon google slides icon google forms icon

Google Documents–

Google Sheets–

Google Slides–

Google Forums-

Make it easy to share and access information with Google apps for education.

3. Google Calendar

How many times have you had to reschedule a staff meeting? Your student missed the date.

With Google calendar, everyone can schedule meetings based on availability.

Worried about a student forgetting? With the Google calendar app for education, teachers can schedule and send out as many reminders as they need.

Schedule with google

In addition, using the calendar for meetings can be held on and offline which leads to the next bullet point.

When scheduling a meeting with a student/ teacher, google meets allows you to put in the details of the meeting.

For example:

  • Enter the purpose of the meeting,
  • The time at which the meeting will take place & how long it will take
  • The location of the meeting (online or offline).

4. Google Meets for education

Google Meets is great for educational institutions that offer courses online and offline.

Note: Google meet is a video conference solution that can be used for lecturing and teaching classes live. It’s not to be confused with online course platforms like Udemy or Coursera which are created once and are available online thereafter. Creating an online course from one of these platforms is very different from frontally lecturing using Google meet.

  • Online Institutions: Google meets can be the main outlet for the teacher to teach online. There is no limit to the number of students that can join and it can be worldwide.
  • Offline Institutions: Educational institutes that hold their classes in real-time have different options. The teachers can have tutorials, feedback, and multiple other sessions on google meet.

    Professors can allow students who don’t feel good can listen to the lecture from home.
google meets

Conclusion

Use different technologies to get your students more involved. This will help them stay more motivated and eager to learn. With Google Apps for Education, it’s easy to bring excitement back into the classroom. Prepare your students to enter the real world.