Google Classroom
Reviewed by TJ Bartholomew
Seller: Google
Date of Creation: Initial Release – August 12, 2014. Last Updated April 14, 2021
Operating Systems: Android, iOS, Web Application
Cost: Free. Bundled in with GSuite.
Review:
Google Classroom is a learning management systems which allows for teachers and students to more easily and seamlessly share files between teachers and students. Teachers are able to post their assignments digitally. I’ve found success in using Google Classroom in my attempt to flip my classroom and blur the lines between home and school. I utilize a different Google Classroom for each subject I teach, and break topics down into my unit planning.
Google Classroom fits well into the RASE framework. RASE stands for… Resources, Activity, Support, and Evaluation, all of which I’m able to control as the teacher on Google Classroom. The learning management systems helps me funnel rich learning experiences for my students. It is a manipulable app that can be modified for a variety of subjects and purposes, where the teacher can put students on a learning path towards guided discovery. In Table 5.1, Google Classroom feature align with many of the listed student needs including, but not limited to “practice problem solving, think independently, process new information, use learning resources, manage time and tasks etc.” One critique I’d have of Google Classroom is that it lacks some more advanced functionality that other learning management systems, such as Canvas, feature.
References:
- Churchill, D., Fox, B., & King, M. (2016). Framework for designing mobile learning environments. In D. Churchill, J. Lu, T. Chiu, & B. Fox (Eds.), Mobile learning design: Theories and applications (pp. 3–25). Springer.
- Notari, M. P., Hielscher, M., & King, M. (2016). Educational apps ontology. In D. Churchill, J. Lu, T. Chiu, & B. Fox (Eds.), Mobile learning design (pp. 83–96). Springer.