Skip to main content

Does your Google Classroom have a Classwork Tab?

Does your Google Classroom have a Classwork Tab?

If it doesn't, significant changes are coming on September 4th!  Below is part of the official Google announcement:

The previous version of Classroom (without the Classwork page) is deprecated and will be discontinued on September 4, 2019. This means that new classes will be created using the version of Classroom that includes the Classwork page—instructors will no longer have the option to revert to the version without Classwork. In addition, all classes still using the previous version will be automatically converted to the version of Classroom that includes the Classwork page on September 4.
Click here to read more detailed information on this change.

What can you do? 

If you want to, you can add the Classwork tab yourself.  Follow these directions from the Google Help Center to add the Classwork tab. 

Otherwise, as of September 4th, your Google Classroom will contain a Classwork tab.  Note that course materials posted in the Class Settings area will not be retained.  You will need to add those support items to the Classwork Tab as a Material. 

How does this impact how I use Google Classroom?

The Classwork Tab

The Classwork Tab becomes your primary workspace.  You will post assignments, questions, and course materials here.  


The Assignment, Question, and Reuse Post options should feel familiar, and they function the same way.  You can access posts from your previous Google Classrooms using the Reuse post option.

The Quiz assignment, Material, and Topic options are new to you.  Here is how you might use them:

Topics:  

This new feature is beneficial to visually organize your assignments.  (I love this new feature for helping students with executive function issues!)  You create a topic based on a unit, type of assignment, or other organizational option that makes sense to you.
Courtesy of ShakeUpLearning.com

If you want more information for ways to use Topics to organize your Google Classroom, check out these two blog posts for ideas:


Materials:

You now add Course resource materials as a material to your Google Classroom.  Most teachers create a topic called Class Resources and post the articles there.  You control where the topics and assignments appear in your Google Classroom, so most teachers keep the current Topic at the top, and the Materials topic just below.   The image below depicts an assignment (Add your updated lessons/unit) with Course Materials (Presentations/Resources) below.  


Quiz Assignment:

The Quiz Assignment option allows you to create a Google Form without leaving Google Classroom.  The Google Form is stored in the Classroom folder in the specific class folder.  I didn't like this option, because the Form is stored in a different place than most of my other materials.  Of course, you can always move it, or you may love it!

The Stream:

The Stream is only used to make an announcement to your students - remember to bring materials for tomorrow, etc.  Note that every time you post an assignment, Google Classroom automatically posts an announcement to the Stream, and sends an email to your students.  

Overall, I think the Classwork tab offers better visual control over your students' assignments, making it easier for them (and you!) to navigate throughout the year. 
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Google Classroom: Why Are Students Seeing Graded Returned Work as Assigned or Late?

Are students giving you feedback that work you returned to them after grading is now showing as 'late' or 'assigned'?   The addition of the Grading module to Google Classroom has impacted this process.  Read on to understand what is happening and how to fix it! What is happening? Let's follow through the typical workflow in Google Classroom where students are submitting work to you.  You create an assignment in Google Classroom and assign the appropriate points to the assignment .   You assign the work to students, which puts the work in status ' Assigned ' in the student view.   After updating the assignment, students turn in or submit work back to you by clicking the Turn In button.   The work status changes to ' Turned in.' After grading, you return work to students.  This is a necessary step to ensure the student owns the document.   The status now changes to ' Returned ' if you...
Post a Comment
Read more

Draftback Replays a Google Document's Changes in Video Format!

Student plagiarism can be a problem.  The world we live in makes it easy for students to copy/paste,  using works not their own. Identifying plagiarism and addressing it is a big part of students learning to be good digital citizens.  My last post outlined the new Originality Reports in Google Classroom, which check student submissions for plagiarism and incorrect or missing citations.    Occasionally, you will have a situation that needs a thorough investigation.  The Google Chrome extension Draftback is your superhero in this situation!  (Shout out to the Science Department, who discovered this gem!) Can't I see a document's version history? You may be aware that you can look at the revision history for any Google Doc or Slide.  Click File>Version History>See version history.   You are provided a right sidebar.  You can click on any revision to review the document at that time.  Changes from the pr...
Post a Comment
Read more

Teen Cell Phone Use Impact on Learning Infographic

I wrote my first research paper in at least two decades a few weeks ago.  I was assigned to write on an education topic that had recently appeared in the media, finding one scholarly research paper and comparing and contrasting the current articles and research. I chose cell phone usage for teens as my topic.  We have engaged in a lot of conversations about this topic in the past few months at CCHS.  I also wanted to create an infographic, so I decided to do that in addition to the paper.  You might not recognize the name Infographic, but you will recognize one when you see it.  The internet is filled with these digital posters that inform and contain lots of graphics and visuals. Check out my Infographic below.   I used a tool called  PiktoChart .  This tool is designed to create Infographics and provides a lot of templates.  Many of the templates mimic research paper organization (topic, subtopic), so creating the Infographic ...
Post a Comment
Read more