The G Suite in the Classroom

Word processing, presentation, and spreadsheet software are essential elements in the modern classroom. Each allows high school students to develop the skills necessary to succeed at the next level. They allow for constructivist learning; specifically, the software can help develop experience-based knowledge through trial and error, cooperation, and problem solving (Roblyer & Hughes, 2019, p. 55). 

The Google Suite (G Suite) for Education is a revolutionary set of applications that have set the bar for purposeful integration of technology in the classroom. With sharing capabilities and add-ons, G Suite can be used daily to enhance instruction and create new opportunities for student learning. Let’s discuss two of the applications and why they should be an integral part of every secondary educator’s classroom.

Google Docs 

While it may seem like a Microsoft Word clone on the surface, Google Docs can become a metaphorical Swiss Army knife if you know how to use it. First, the included “Explore” feature allows students to do research via Google Scholar, search Google Images, or open existing documents in Drive for reference…all while staying inside of the document. This is a valuable tool for Language Arts educators who want to help their students grow and develop their research skills. But because research is also universal, any discipline can use it effectively. Google Docs, like other applications in G Suite, allows for collaboration. Students can work together on a written assignment, fill out a chart, or work independently on tasks that they as a group have delegated to each other. 

Google Slides

While it may not be as robust as Powerpoint, Google Slides makes up for it in its functionality. Slides is more than just a presentation tool. For example: educators can create interactive worksheets with embedded videos, quizzes, and animation. Educators can also use it as a class-wide collaboration task in which each student is assigned a slide and can work together on one presentation with one common objective. Students can also work in groups,  collaborating on presentations. I have used Slides in my classroom for five years, and I’m pretty sure I have used the presentation option the least. With some creativity and out-of-the-box thinking, Slides can be very versatile in the secondary classroom.

Last, but certainly not least…

Slides, Docs, and G Suite applications feature Add-Ons, which are third-party tools that enhance the abilities of the application they’re added to. For example: DocuTube allows for embedding of YouTube videos into a sidebar of a Google Doc. Pear Deck is an Add On for Google Slides that allows for interactive questions embedded seamlessly into the slidedeck. And if you’re a Google Sheets fan, rowCall can sort data and create sheets based on a certain column or row of a Google Sheet. 

Oh and one more thing: Google Forms is the unsung hero of the G Suite for Education. Forms and Google Sheets together is a match made in Heaven.

References:

Roblyer, M. D., & Hughes, J. E. (2019). Integrating educational technology into teaching: transforming learning across disciplines. NY, NY: Pearson