Google Classroom - Can It Replace Your LMS?

Google Classroom has been around since September 2014 and has gotten a lot of attention for the tools it provides.  But will it replace your existing Learning Management System (LMS) or is it going to be just another tool that leaves you wanting more?  We have used Google Classroom extensively with a number of different school districts and are impressed with the way it works with assignments from your google drive.  There is nothing out there that we are aware of that manages sharing of Doc/Slides/Sheets/Drawings with students in such a fluid and comprehensive way.  Let's go over some of the highlights of why we think that everyone that is using Google Apps for Education should be using Classroom for managing your assignments that utilize Google Docs.

1. Make a Copy for Each Student - Google Classroom can automatically create copies of the Document/Presentation/Spreadsheet/Drawing that you are sharing with your students and share it with you, the teacher.  When the student clicks on the assignment, it automatically makes a copy of the document you shared with them, appends their name to it and gives the student edit rights and the teacher comment rights.
   
2. Create Google Docs for an assignment - Don't have a worksheet or template created? No problem.  Just create the assignment, include a description and due date.  When the student clicks on the assignment, they click the CREATE button and choose what type of Google doc they want to create.  A blank Document/Presentation/Spreadsheet/Drawing is created named with the name of the assignment, appended with the student's name and share with the teacher. 
   
3.  Use with any type of Document or Link - Along with Google Docs, Google classroom allows students to turn in any type of digital file via upload or a link.  This allows for flexibility in the types of products you require from your students.  
   
4. Turning in Assignments - When students turn in their assignments in classroom, the time it is turned in is logged and the student no longer has editing rights.  This is huge for teachers who want to maintain strict assignment deadlines and still use google docs.  Students can still un-submit and modify the document, but all their submissions are clearly documented and you don't need to dive into the documents revision history to see it.  

Overall, there is nothing better for managing Google Docs assignments.  However, Google Classroom is still in it's infancy and, either they need to add more features, or they need to make this API available to all other LMSs out there to allow them to work as seamlessly with Google Drive as Google Classroom does.  Here is where we find that Google Classroom is lacking:

• The stream - is just that, a stream of information and interactions with no organization to it except the option to look at all of your assignments in one place.  Three is no way to organize your content into units or weeks.  This is something that educators who are serious about online or blended learning will find Google Classroom is missing.
• No Calendar - with a robust calendar functionality in Google Apps, I would think it would be simple to add a class calendar to your Google Classroom that you can also edit and access from your calendar app.  For now, the only option you have is to attach a link in the resources section.
• No Quiz/Test Features - Google Forms are great for assessment, but for right now, all you can do to add one to your class is to attach it to an assignment as a shared link.  This is something that should be integrated into a class and even embedded on a page like you can in other LMSs that are out there.

There is hope for Google Classroom to mature into a fully functional LMS, but for right now it is a great tool for Google Drive based assignments and a simple tool for classroom interaction.  If you aren't currently using any kind of LMS and you share any documents with your students using Google Drive, then this is a great place to start.