These days it’s impossible to get away from technology, so students and teachers alike are embracing it. There are many ways to use Google for research and to enhance teaching methods.
The available tools provide easy, straightforward ways to communicate between teachers and students, or between students working in a group setting. It has applications to help streamline teaching, make research a breeze, make groupwork painless, and more. Google offers many of these tools as part of G-Suite for Education, which is free for schools.
The following are just a few of the resources Google has to offer to students and educators.
Google Scholar
Google Scholar makes it easy to find creditable, citable material for papers. From articles to theses, books to academic publications, it can all be found in one place.
The documents are ranked in order of relevance, author, date published, and recent citations, just as researchers do. “It allows students to explore related works in the field they’re researching, making it even easier to find more references for that paper,” says Megan Jones, Academic Tutor at APA Style service.
Gmail
Email is the preferred mode of communication between students and teachers today. Gmail makes it easy with features like mailing lists, which allow teachers to send out announcements or assignments to all their students at once.
“Email templates can be created to bypass that anxious moment when a student is trying to figure out the perfect wording for an email to the teacher,” notes Carolyn Weaver, Education Advisor at ConfidentWriters.
The ability to attach multiple email addresses to one inbox allows personal and educational emails to be kept in one organized space.
Google Docs / Google Drive
Google Docs and Drive are perfect for group projects. It gives all collaborators access to the assignment for review, editing, or download.
It also allows students and teachers to access the same document from any computer, be it at home or at school. Assignments can be split into parts and assigned to team members easily and uploaded to one place to be put together into one project.
Classroom
Classroom helps streamline coursework management for teachers, allowing them to create classes and assignments, and grade them, all in one place. The free tool lets teachers streamline administrative tasks and track their students’ progress.
They can access their Classroom anywhere, on any device. Communication is made easy with classroom discussions and a comment bank. Quizzes can be administered in locked mode, minimizing distractions.
Google Forms
Teachers can use Google Forms to create pop quizzes. Students can use it for surveys to gather data for projects, and collaborators can be added if it’s a group project.
There are multiple ways to get forms to the respondents, including links to a web form, code embedded into a web page, or allowing the respondent to answer directly in their email.
Google Hangouts
The face-to-face video messaging plugin can be used for online lessons or group meetings. Instant messaging and group conversations make communication simple from anywhere. Making use of this saves valuable time that can then be devoted to working on the project.
Google Drive can also be easily accessed through an icon in the room. Users have the option to include bots to help with answering questions, booking meetings and more.
Google Books
The Google Books Library project allows students to find a search term in a book. Once they’ve found it, they can quickly find out where they can buy or borrow the book from.
If the book is out of copyright, it can be viewed or downloaded for free. This index of the world’s books makes it easy to find books that pertain to what is being researched. Google partnered with major libraries to be able to offer the virtual card catalog.
According to Michael Baker, Education Consultant at Example Papers, “it’s important to use technology as a tool for learning and teaching. It helps develop the skills that are necessary in today’s tech-driven world.” Taking advantage of the tools available can also make both the teacher’s and the student’s jobs easier.
This can also increase interest and participation in the classroom. It allows the education experience to be more tailored to each individual. Google’s passion for education is evident in its collection of tools and apps available for free to teachers and students. Taking advantage of these offerings and using Google and technology in education is the way forward.
Watch this space for updates in the Hacks category on Running Wolf’s Rant.
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