Current educators are increasingly being tasked to utilize technology in order to facilitate successful e-learning environments. With the addition of new hybrid and fully remote learning systems at many schools, you, the educator will need the tools to deliver material to students, encourage collaboration, and assess progress in creative ways. This can be done using Google Workspace for Education. 

Module Objectives and Intended Learning Outcomes:

The overall objective of this professional development learning module is:

Using information from the learning module, identify and implement educational technologies in Google Workspace for Education to adjust instruction, and engage students in an online setting.

Each update will walk you through the process of obtaining the above-referenced objective using Bloom's Taxonomy (Heick, 2020). The steps you will take include:

• Identify Google Workspace for Education features and attributes
• Compare and Contrast Google Workspace for Education applications
• Determine the appropriate Google Workspace for Education applications best suited for your lesson plans
• Integrate the use of Google Workspace for Education applications into lesson plans
• Assess the use of applications for instruction delivery, collaboration, and assessment
• Compose a lesson plan utilizing Google Workspace for Education applications

Module Time Frame:

​The module will consist of six updates, posted once per week. The intended time-frame will be 6 weeks for completion. You may work at a slower pace if needed.

Materials Required:

Computer with internet access
One lesson plan from a class you currently teach

Educational technology has transformed classrooms, the way we teach, and the way the students learn. During times such as our current pandemic, where many schools across the United States are remote learning or on a hybrid schedule, teachers are using different types of technology for homework practice, reviews, assessments, and in many other ways. Some may be comfortable with investigating and experimenting with new ways to deliver content, give feedback, and assess learners, but others may not. Over the course of the next learning modules, we will walk through the Google Workspace for Education applications and how to effectively use them in an online learning classroom.

Before the first module, think about the following questions:

What is one thing you do in the classroom that you wish you could do during e-learning?

On a scale of 1 to 10, how comfortable are you with Google Workspace for Education?

What is your favorite Google Workspace for Education application?

Follow this link to complete a pre-course survey via a Google Form before starting the learning modules. 

Google Forms, n.d., Figure 1

Answer all questions to the best of your ability. There are no right or wrong answers and will solely reflect the opinions and experience of the learner.  We will discuss them in the first module.

 

 

The History of Google Workspace for Education

In January 1996 two students at Stanford University started Google as a research project.  The two students, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, started Google as a search engine that now indexes billions of web pages allowing users to search by keyword.  Since its birth, Google has grown tremendously adding a plethora of apps for users to search online, advertise businesses, manage day-to-day personal, work, and education tasks, provide online payments, and manage large enterprises such as workplaces and education institutions.  Google changed the name of the G Suite Enterprise for Education to Google Workspace for Education in October 2020.  The new workspace is a "collection of cloud computing, productivity, and collaboration tools, software and products developed and marketed by Google" (“Google Workspace,” 2021).  

Applications

The applications included in the education collection include Gmail, Contacts, Calendar, Meet, and Chat for communication, Drive for storage, the Google Docs Suite (Docs, Sheets, Slides, Drawings, Forms, Sites, and Keep) for content creation, Jamboard (a digital interactive whiteboard) and Google Classroom. 

Editions

According to the Google for Education website (Sinha, 2021),

During the 15 years we’ve been building tools for educators, we’ve seen the needs of instructors, education leaders and students evolve. We’ve learned that a one-size-fits all approach isn't what educators need from tools like G Suite for Education. Whether you're in a rural elementary school, urban university or homeschool setting, our technology and tools should adapt so you can focus on what matters most: teaching and learning. That's why we're making a few changes to provide you greater choice and flexibility in selecting the best tools to empower your institution.

Four options are now available for institutions to choose from.  The former G Suite for Education is now Google Workspace for Education Fundamentals and Google has added Google Workspace for Education Standard, The Teaching and Learning Upgrade, and Google Workspace for Education Plus (formerly G Suite Enterprise for Education) (Sinha, 2021).  You can see a brief comparison in Figure 2 below.  The comparison shows a description, highlights, storage, and price information for each edition. 

 (Compare Editions, n.d., Figure 2)

Features and Benefits

According to his blog, Archan Krishna Mitters (Mitters, n.d.) described some key features of Google Workspace for Education to be:

• Institution-wide email (Gmail) – Google Workspace for Education includes powerful and easy-to-use email connectivity for faculty, staff, and students.
• Shared calendars – Shared calendars enable collaboration.
• Google Classroom – Google Classroom makes it very easy for like-minded learners and teachers to connect whether they are inside or outside of the school premises. Teachers can send announcements, create assignments and instantly start class discussions. Students can share valuable resources, seek clarification on any curriculum topic and interact real-time with instructors.
• Google Docs, Sheets, Slides, and Forms: Extremely useful for students and teachers, from the viewpoint of creating reports, noting down important information and lectures, preparing slide shows on subject topics, creating surveys to seek feedback, and much more.
• Unlimited cloud storage - Granular control for IT administrators provides 24/7 support, audit reports, eDiscovery tools, security and administration controls, and various other facilities.

Mitters also goes on to discuss the benefits of the application suite for schools and educational institutions:

• Quick and Easy Transition to the Cloud
• Data Protection Capabilities
• File exposure threats
• Email Delivery Audit
• Spam and malware classification
• Easy Collaboration and Sharing
• Capability to Store and Manage Large Amounts of Data and Make It Accessible Anywhere
• Easy implementation and deployment

While the benefits listed above primarily pertain to IT administrators, other benefits for teachers and student include:

• Easy to Collaborate and Share
• Great Storage Options
• Easy to Learn and Implement
• Free For Qualified Educational Institutions
• Extensive Integration from third-party applications

On February 18, 2021, Google hosted a Learning with Google event offering stories from educators around the world who are using Google tools to reimagine teaching and learning. The purpose of the event was to showcase the features and benefits of several tools within Google Workspace for Education.  The following table includes the links to the sessions to be played back.  Explore the links and listen to the sessions that interest you. 

Learning With Google Sessions

Welcome - 3 min. Sundar Pichai CEO, Alphabet	Learning Across Google - 6 min. Ben Gomes Senior Vice President, Learning and Education, Google	Our Commitment to Education - 8 min.  Avni Shah Vice President, Education, Google
The Next Era of Google Workspace for Education - 10 min. Shantanu Sinha Product and Design Lead, Google for Education	Google Classroom: What’s New - 16 min. Melanie Lazare Program Manager, Google for Education	Google Meet: More Engaging Learning Experiences - 6 min. Jennifer Shen Senior Product Manager, Google Meet
Chromebooks: Meeting the Moment for Leaders, Educators, and Students - 9 min. Andy Russell Product Manager, Chrome	Accessibility: Building for Every Learner - 5 min. Laura Allen Head of Strategy, Disability & Inclusion, Google	The Future of Education: Raising the Bar - 12 min Laura Holmes Product Manager, Google for Education

 

Add a Comment: What are three features or benefits of Google Workspace for Education that you are not comfortable with but may be interested in learning more about for online learning? What would be your personal learning process?  (Comment of 50 words or more)

Make an Update: Choose 1-2 features or benefits of Google Workspace for Education.  What other educational technology tools share the same features? Compare and contrast the two.  Which do you prefer?  At least 200 words, one scholarly reference, and one media element are required. Comment on three peers' updates.

We have discovered the applications Google Workspace for Education offers and its features and attributes. Before evaluating which application is best for specific lessons within our curriculum, we must further investigate the applications for our online learning situation. Whether you are teaching in person with online components, hybrid-learning, or fully remote, there are tools that will benefit one situation and possibly not another.

Before starting this course, you were asked to complete a three-question survey.  The results of the survey are shown below in Figure 3.  

Based on the results, I can see two things: 

1. Only three applications are well-known or used
2. There are mixed feelings about how comfortable teachers are with the programs. 

Taking this into account, we will now go over some of the applications most commonly used in hybrid and e-learning classrooms. Click on the link in each bullet point to investigate the features and benefits to compare and contrast the applications.

Google Drive

• Store, share, and collaborate on files and folders in Drive from any mobile device, tablet, or computer.
• Integrates seamlessly with Docs, Sheets, and Slides

View Drive tutorials here.

Google Classroom

• Classroom helps students and teachers organize assignments, boost collaboration, and foster better communication

View Classroom tutorials here

Google Docs, Sheets, & Slides

• With Google Docs, Google Sheets, and Google Slides you can write, edit, and collaborate wherever you are. For Free.

View Docs tutorials here

View Sheets tutorials here

View Slides tutorials here

Google Forms

• Collect and organize information big and small with Google Forms. For free.

View Forms tutorials here

Google Sites

• Google Sites is a structured wiki- and web page-creation tool

View Sites tutorials here

Google Jamboard

• Jamboard is a virtual whiteboard for visual collaboration

View Jamboard tutorials here

Google Keep

• Capture ideas with your voice, add images to notes, check tasks off your to-do list, and much more. With Google Keep, you can create, share, and collaborate with people on notes and lists.

View Keep tutorials here

 

Add a Comment: Which Google Workspace for Education application are you not comfortable with but may be interested in learning more about for online learning? What would be your personal learning process? (Comment of 50 words or more)

Make an Update: Choose one Google Workspace for Education application you have used or would like to use in the classroom, investigate the application in-depth, and provide an overview of the features and attributes as well as how it could be used in the classroom. At least 200 words, one scholarly reference, and one media element are required. Comment on three peers' updates.

After investigating what applications are available to enhance e-learning, and the features and appropriateness for online learning, we must analyze the tool for appropriateness for online learning. Just because an application or tool is available, does not mean it should be used in any lesson or classroom. According to Edmentum's blog, How to Evaluate EdTech Tools that Support Teaching & Learning (Grimm, 2018), there are five things you must keep in mind when evaluating any educational technology tool:

• Whether Learning Is Digital or Traditional, Standards Matter
• Tools Should Engage Students
• Tools Should Support Teachers and Inform Classroom Instruction
• Supporting Sound Teaching Should Matter Most

Whether Learning Is Digital or Traditional, Standards Matter

All technology tools must be used in a way that meets the clearly stated learning objectives and aligns with standards in the content area. Lesson plans should be competency-based and should frequently assess student progress until mastery is attained. The applications chosen should be able to enhance this process.

Tools Should Engage Students

In addition to creating visually and auditorily rich experiences for students, tools or apps must engage students in a way that encourages deeper thinking and builds on level 3 (Strategic Thinking) and level 4 (Extended Thinking) of Webb's DOK (Depth of Knowledge) Chart. Student engagement is also fostered when students can collaborate with other students during the learning process. Digital learning that allows students to co-engage with others leverages the theory that learning is socially constructed, and it provides opportunities through interaction for the tool to elicit higher-level cognitive skills through discussion, debate, and collaboration (Edmentum, 2018). This example of Webb's DOK Chart integrates the possible technology tools that would engage students at each level.

Paullus, H. (2018). Webb's Depth of Knowledge and Web 2.0

Tools Should Support Teachers and Inform Classroom Instruction

Think of the following questions when evaluating which application to use.

• Do the application and information I get from it help me meet the needs of my students?
• Is the application simply a digital version of an existing lesson activity, or is it providing new avenues for learning?
• Does the application integrate easily into my classroom?
• Can I use the application to track student progress and performance that inform my teaching?

In the end, we must evaluate whether, by using the application, the students have a deeper understanding of the content based on our own assessments or observations.

Google has created categories for the Google for Education tools that can ease the challenge of choosing an application (Education Fundamentals, n.d.). 

Collaboration

• Google Docs
• Google Slides
• Google Sheets
• Google Drive
• Google Forms
• Google Jamboard

Productivity

• Google Classroom

Communication

• Gmail
• Google Meets

Organization

• Google Keep
• Google Calendar

Google also has a website resource for teachers answering the following questions to assist in choosing an application for classroom use. The links and tutorials for figure 5 and figure 6 can be found here.

How do I manage a virtual classroom?

How do I keep my students engaged?

(Teach from Anywhere, n.d.)

Supporting Sound Teaching Should Matter Most

With the ever-evolving world of educational technology, choosing applications can be a challenge, but educators must keep in mind that the application is used to supplement sound instructional strategies and cannot replace instruction, Digital learning is subject to the same pedagogical best practices as traditional classroom instruction, and the tools you implement should serve the students and teachers who use them, fostering an engaging, differentiated learning experience that connects with students and helps increase their knowledge and skills (Grimm, 2018).

Add a Comment: Referencing the content above, what do you think is the most important, and in what ways would you evaluate an application for effective use in the classroom? (Comment of 50 words or more)

Make an Update:

Create an update and briefly describe a current lesson you deliver in a class you teach. Preferably, pick a lesson plan that is made for in-person instruction and you have not converted for online learning.

• Comment on 3 peer updates and suggest changes for each student’s shared lesson to adapt it using a Google Workspace for Education application and online learning strategies.
• Take note of the suggestions for your lesson plan
• Take the Peer Feedback Survey at the end of the week.

We can now start to integrate our selected technology into our lesson plans. This past summer, I participated in a professional learning community with ILCTE (Illinois Innovative Curriculum Resources) in converting lesson plans to an online format for remote learning. The lesson plans were focused on Career & Technical Education curriculum. Our goal was to take lesson plans and modify them for online or hybrid instruction. The main focus was to use technology integration to transform the lesson for enhanced learning. This can be a difficult task if educators are used to face-to-face instruction. To best complete the task at hand, we need to think innovatively. While using a digital book versus an actual textbook is technically using technology, educational technology tools should enhance the learning process in the lesson.

This table shows possibilities for integrating technology into our traditional face-to-face lessons:

Lecture	Create a Google Slides Presentation, add audio clips on each slide Record yourself giving the lecture or explaining an assignment (You can share your screen and go through a Slides presentation or worksheets if needed) Add videos for supplementation or extended learning Students take notes on Docs or Keep
Class discussion	Students comment on other peer's posts in Google classroom Create a classroom blog on Google Sites Link social media to Sites Post student-made video clips on Classroom and ask other students to respond Students interact on the whiteboard in Jamboard
Field Trip	Take a virtual tour on Google Earth Meet with an expert in the field you are studying using Google Meet
Posters/projects	Students create a poster in  Google Slides or in Docs. Create a class webpage with individual student pages for a virtual e-portfolio using Sites Use collaborative tools such as Meets, or allow students to collaborate in one document such as Docs or Slides.
Assessment	Allow students to create versus recall - demonstrating knowledge Use online assessment tools (they often score and can give immediate feedback to the student) -Google Forms Quiz feature. Peer review of e-portfolio work using Slides, Docs, Classroom.

This list is not cohesive but it is a start. What we must remember is our old lessons will not fully translate into an online learning setting. Student engagement and participation are more difficult in an online setting as well and we must be creative in delivering content and assessing student knowledge.

Keep it simple

The attention spans of students will vary based on age and students are no longer in the same room working or asking questions. It is important to remember not to overload a lesson with technology. Using one or two forms of educational technology in a lesson works best for most classrooms. This may include using Google Docs as a hyperdoc to videos or suggested links for reading and then also using technology for assessment in some way. If we try to use too many tools for every aspect of the lesson, the content may become lost and students could be spending much more time on common tasks than before.

Rethink Lesson Planning

​However you have created lessons in the past, for online learning, it may be best to start with the assessment and work to the delivery of content.

• What needs to be assessed?
• How can I assess the students digitally, and what tools can I use?

Go to the ILCTE Lessons webpage for examples of converted lessons.

From there, work into how to deliver the content and what tools you may use for demonstration and student practice,

Add a comment: What are some other implications of online learning that will change our lesson plans?  (Comment of 50 words or more)

Make an update: Adding technology to a lesson does not mean it will enhance learning for the students. With lesson planning in mind, choose a Google application, and describe how to integrate that technology to enhance a lesson. At least 200 words, one scholarly reference, and one media element are required. Comment on three peers' updates.

This Week's Assessment:

The objective of this assessment is to provide an opportunity for you to apply your learning to your own classroom.

Length of Activity: 4 weeks from initial peer feedback in section 3 to the final project revision completion. The first draft of the adapted lesson plan must be turned in by Sunday 1:59 p.m. of Week 4.

Directions:

1. Utilizing the information and skills learned and discussed during the modules, create an updated lesson plan from an original you currently have taught.
2. Evaluate objectives and student needs, and adapt the current lesson plan to integrate new applications and online-learning skills from the modules.
3. Submit the before and after plans with a narrative including an explanation of changes by Sunday 1:59 p.m. of Week 4.
4. The rubric is attached.

 

In a traditional classroom setting, we can read student responses and predict what information being delivered may be harder for students to grasp based on past classes. Online learning is the same but, depending on the learning model, the material may not be received in the same way. By taking past experience and applying it to our current remote learning situation, we have a starting point that may lead to improvision. As referenced in previous modules, planning ahead can help us to be prepared on short notice to continue the lesson utilizing educational technology.  

Predicting challenges is not the only way to assess the use of applications for instruction delivery, collaboration, and assessment.  Once we have decided what applications work best within a lesson, we can look to enhance the lesson further with other applications outside of Google that will work as well.  There are several apps that can be installed that integrate directly into Google Classroom.  

Instruction Delivery

Google Classroom is the ultimate application for organizing posts and assignments for students, but how we deliver the material can be taken to the next level.  An assortment of media to meet different learning styles is ideal when delivering a lesson in the classroom.  Online, we can do that same thing.  A few ideas to deliver instruction are images, videos from outside sources, videos created by the teacher, slide shows, link and the use of other applications.  One application that can be used is Nearpod.  The following video by Clang Bellen (2020), you can see how to log into Nearpod using your Google login after creating a Nearpod account.  It also gives suggestions on how to best use the app in the classroom.

Clang Bellen. (2020, June 18). How to use Nearpod in Google Classroom | Clang Bellen 

Collaboration

Google Workspace for Education makes collaboration easy with its cloud-based applications such as Docs, Slides, Jamboard, and Sites.  However, there are also other applications that can be used that integrate with Google Classroom.  One such application is Padlet. 

According to an article in Tech & Learning Magazine,Edwards (2020) describes Padlet as a digital notice board.  He says, "This digital notice board is able to feature images, links, videos, and documents, all collated on a "wall" that can be made public or private. This means that not only can teachers post on the wall but so too can students."

The following video by Roni MacDonald, Ed.D.(2018) describes how Padlet can be integrated with Google Classroom for collaboration and discussion.

Roni MacDonald, Ed.D. (2018, August 21). Padlet in Google Classroom

Assessment

Google Forms has created a quiz feature that allows teachers to assess students by creating custom quizzes with automatic or manual grading.  Depending on the type of assessment, there are several other applications available that readily integrate into Google Classroom such as Flipgrid, Kahoot, Quizlet, or EdPuzzle.  EdPuzzle is an application that allows the teacher to create interactive videos with custom questions.  It also has its own grading and analytics system. In the following video, Technology for Teachers and Students (2020), shows how the EdPuzzle to Google Classroom integration works.

Technology for Teachers and Students. (2020, August 25). Integrating Google Classroom with EdPuzzle 

Add a Comment: E-learning requires adjustments to instruction delivery, collaboration, and assessments.  Explain one way you can make an adjustment for ubiquitous learning. (Comment of 50 words or more)

Make an Update: Choose and research one application that seamlessly integrates with Google Classroom.  Explain the application's use, how it integrates, and give an example of how you would use it in a lesson for instruction delivery, collaboration, and/or assessment. At least 200 words, one scholarly reference, and one media element are required. Comment on three peers' updates.

Assessment:  Peer review of another student's project from the previous week. Use the rubric and provide annotations and feedback on what could be revised before the final draft.

 

This is where we bring it all together. We have investigated and evaluated educational technology tools in and outside of Google Workspace for Education and discussed how to integrate them into lessons and Google Classroom effectively. The last piece of the puzzle is to ensure the technology tools we use will encourage student engagement to enhance e-learning. The use of technology in lessons does not guarantee this, however by taking the previously mentioned steps towards lesson planning and including technology into those lessons, the chances of engagement increase.

Innovation

When I think of educational technology innovation, my mind goes to virtual reality and the limitless possibilities that lie within the headsets for lesson plans. VR can be used for every subject area from walking through a body and investigating DNA in science, to visiting the Louve or the Great Pyramids, and creating 3-dimensional images that can be converted and printed on a 3-d printer.

This video (Google, 2016) provides an insight into adding VR technology in the classroom using Google Earth and the benefits associated with it.

Google. (2016, November 16). Google Earth VR — Bringing the whole wide world to virtual reality 

ISTE provided a list (Snelling, 2019) of 25 resources for bringing AR and VR to the classroom. The list is a great starting point for VR and AR resources in several different subject areas.

Game-based learning is also something that has become popular in classes for math, programming, and to increase strategic thinking skills. The addition of innovative technology into lesson plans will intrigue learners and encourage engagement as well as cognition.

Giving Students Choices

In a student-centered classroom, the students take ownership of their learning which naturally increases student engagement and motivation. One way to do this with ubiquitous learning is to allow students the choice to complete assignments or projects in the format they choose. I have used this technique in many lessons throughout the past few years and have found that giving students the choice also produces higher-quality work. For example, I ask students to come up with a way to advertise a business. I am still using the same rubric for all student projects no matter the format of the work provided because the basic requirements remain the same. Students chose to make a video commercial, audio commercial, design t-shirts, billboards, and social media advertisements. The best part of this project was the students used everything from Google Slides to Jamboard, Canva to Adobe Photoshop, and Flipgrid to Screencasitfy to complete the work. The students chose what types of technology to use, The feedback I received was positive in that the students felt empowered and had the freedom to express themselves in the way they felt the most comfortable. I also do this for simple questions and answer assignments in lessons.

By now, you should feel more comfortable with how to identify and integrate Google Workspace for Education applications and other technology tools into lessons for e-learning..

Add a comment: Describe one take-away from the learning modules that you felt was most useful and explain why. (Comment of 50 words or more)

Make an update: No one knows your students better than you do. Describe what motivates your students and how you can use Google applications in future lessons for maximum engagement. Give specific examples as to the demographics of a particular class and what tools would work best. At least 200 words, one scholarly reference, and one media element are required. Comment on three peers' updates.

Assessment:  Based on the peer review feedback and your own self-reflection in reviewing other projects, revise your original work, and produce a final draft. The lesson plan should include ideas and strategies from the learning module we have covered.