Digital Tools for Classroom Implementation: Google Suite, Notion & Mentimeter

As I consider the upcoming school year and ways to enhance my teaching practice, I want to incorporate digital tools to increase student engagement, streamline classroom procedures, and adopt a more techno-constructivist approach. To achieve this, I plan to explore Google Suite, Notion, and Mentimeter as helpful classroom tools. 

Google Suite/Workplace is a cloud-based collaborative productivity workspace comprised of the following tools:

Google Meet - Video Conferencing

• Students are familiar with Google Meet as it is used on virtual days and in instances when a student may be sent to in-school or out-of-school suspension.

Google Chat - Team Messaging and Collaboration

• Our school currently uses Clever, which functions similarly to G Suite, serving as a centralized platform for various apps that students may need to access. Students typically access G-Suite apps through the Clever Portal and can message teachers through it, so I do not plan to introduce students to G-Chat.

Google Calendar - Scheduling and Appointment Management

• The implementation of a classroom calendar that students can access to keep up with upcoming projects and test deadlines, as well as essential school-related events.

Google Drive - Cloud Storage for Files and Documents

• I would like to provide students with a brief introduction to Google Drive, enabling them to keep track of their previous written assignments and projects, and review them as needed. More often than not, the written assignments they have turned in the past are submitted through the GreatMinds platform provided by the curriculum we use for grading, and are never seen again by students. This could be a great way to introduce the concept of a work portfolio and provide a way for them to reflect on their previous writing samples as tools for learning.

Google Docs - Word Processing

• A few of my students are familiar with Google Docs, but have not yet mastered it, while others have never used it. Moving forward, I would like students to utilize Google Docs in their writing process, particularly when working on drafts before final submission.

Google Sheets - Spreadsheets

• Google Sheets is advanced considering my students' current level. It could be cool to introduce them to it, but since I am the ELA teacher, an introduction to sheets would be best taught in their math or science course. I personally use sheets to keep track of things like report card comments and grades outside of the digitized grade book we have when I am grading assignments. I also use it to record breakfast and lunch counts, as well as attendance, as students arrive in the morning, to streamline the morning meeting and arrival process. Although Sheets will not be used student-facing, I will use it behind the scenes to stay organized. Again, there is the potential for a future student introduction to sheets, but not anytime soon.

Google Slides - Presentation Software

• My students are familiar with the ins and outs of Google Slides, as they enjoy using it for group projects, which allows them to incorporate various memes and funny GIFs. There will be numerous opportunities for them to use G-Slides throughout the year, but they will need a proper introduction to formatting a presentation properly.

Google Forms - Tool for Creating Surveys and Quizzes

• My students are already familiar with Google Forms from the respondent's perspective, so I plan to use it in class as a way to poll students, gather insights, and request feedback. Our school uses iPads for student hall passes. I am wondering whether I could use the iPads as a check-in mechanism for students to mark themselves present and select their breakfast and lunch choices, thereby fostering a sense of agency and independence as they transition into 6th grade, in terms of teaching them how to create a Google form, that will be something that comes later. 

Google Classroom - A free, cloud-based platform launched by Google in 2014, designed to simplify the management of digital classrooms.

• Google Classroom will act as a hub for all things related to homeroom, ELA, and subsequent courses. Regarding the number of classroom spaces, I need to consult with other members of the 6th-grade team to determine the best practices for implementation. This past year, there was some confusion about whether each subject should have its own page or if everything should be consolidated in one space. On the virtual school day we had due to snow, this confusion was exacerbated as teachers and students attempted to navigate just which link they should be on, as Google Meet links correspond to each classroom page. For the sake of streamlining things, students should have only one classroom page to worry about for each of their assignments, which all teachers can post to.

Gmail - Professional Email Service

• My students are not familiar with Gmail and its functionality, despite using other G-Suite apps. I would like to offer a crash course lesson in the early weeks, when we're reviewing routines, to introduce students to Gmail, as they all have student emails. It also works as many of them are unfamiliar with how to draft a letter and the correct format, so this could be a great way to incorporate some of those skills as well. An anchor chart with the corresponding information would also be displayed on the wall.

I have highlighted the apps that I have greenlit to use next year in green. Apps listed in red will not be used in the classroom setting.

Similar to Google Forms, I plan to use Menitmeter with my students as a means to gather real-time feedback, conduct polls on student preferences, kick-start in-class discussions, assess understanding, and gather student reflections. Menitmeter is a web-based interactive presentation tool that allows users to create engaging presentations with real-time feedback. 

Lastly, "Notion is an all-in-one workspace app that combines note-taking, project management, and data organization into a single platform." I plan to use Notion mainly as an interactive dashboard for my lesson plans, so it will not be something used as a student-facing tool.

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Honing in on Google Classroom since it will be the primary tool through which students access other G-Suite platforms and links, here are some steps to getting started:

Step 1: Log in or create a Google Account using your school email.

Step 2: Click on the waffle icon next to your profile picture on the Google home page and select 'Google Classroom': 

Step 3: On the Google Classroom homepage, toggle over to the (+) symbol and select 'create a class':

Step 4: Name your class and fill in any relevant details. Once you have done so, click the create button:

Step 5: Once you have created your classroom, explore the features listed on the homepage. For instance, make an announcement:

Step 6: Click on the 'classwork' tab, then select the blue 'create' button. A drop-down menu will appear with various options for you to choose from. Create an assignment.

Step 7: Click on the 'people' tab. Here, you can select people to add using their Gmail address, including both students and teachers.

Step 8: Once you've added students and other teachers as co-collaborators, click on the grades tab. Here, you can view assignments as they are submitted and grade them.

In addition to these steps, there are many ways in which you can customize your Google Classroom. If you decide to change the class name later, you can do so. You can also change the default background picture. In terms of privacy settings and the level of control you would like to grant users of the page, you can customize these settings in the settings menu. 

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