On January 11, 2017, Google announced some powerful new features for Classroom for both teachers and administrators. Both of these features really focus on providing the ability to personalize learning.
For Teachers
For teachers, the program provides for more differentiation. A teacher can now decide which student/s should receive a specific assignment or question, allowing her to personalize the learning more. To make this feature work best, the teacher should create subsets of students based on their unique needs. This is perfect for allowing struggling students to practice more or to provide an extension activity to students who have already mastered the content. And, with the update, teachers will also receive two new Classroom notifications: one when students submit late work after the due date and the other when students re-submit work.
For Google Administrators
Google administrators will now see Classroom data included in the Admin Console Reports. You will be able to see the amount of time being spent on Classroom and how many posts are being created. You can also view this data schoolwide, on a class-by-class basis, or by individual user. This will make it easier to target professional development for staff who may be struggling with how best to use Classroom.
Thanks to Google for continually listening to educators about the needs for this wonderful tool!
