New Updates to Google Classroom Make it That Much More Compelling

For those of you that have been using Google products for a while, it comes as no surprise that they still live by the entrepreneurial mantra of "Iterate Fast and Release Often." There have been numerous times that I have been training on a Google Apps Product and found that one or more tools have changed within the last week. In fact last week I told teachers that they couldn't have a different first-page header on their research paper in Google Docs only to find this week that they have added that option! So it also goes with Google Classroom They have released new changes to Google Classroom nearly every month since its first launch in August. All of these changes are driven by user feedback, so if you have suggestions, feel free to click the feedback button in the lower right hand of your Google Classroom screen and suggest away. Here are a few of the most recent and the most impactful changes they have made:

Personalized Theme

Don't like the selections of themes available on Google Classroom? Want to use pictures of your students to make it feel that much more inviting to them to participate? Well now you can. This animated gif shows how:

iOS & Android Apps

They have recently come out with apps for both Apple and Android and have subsequently made some changes to make it easier to use.  Now you can upload photos, videos, and other files for announcements right on your phone or tablet.  However, you still can't create an assignment from there - hopefully, that feature will be coming soon.  Until then, the new apps make it easier for students to use Google Classroom on the go.

Invite Students using Google Groups

If you already have a Google Group set up for your class, you can now use that group to invite students to Classroom. And if your school uses tools like School Directory Sync, your Google Apps administrator can sync your school’s class rosters from your student information system (SIS) into Google Groups, helping you use these groups to set up a class in seconds.

Mark Assignments as "Done"

If you are assigning offline work for students to do, it is very frustrating to have students assignments hanging out there incomplete or requiring them to submit something in order to remove it from their list of assignments that need attention.  They have added the feature of marking an assignment "Done" to facilitate that.

Control the Flow

Now teachers have the ability to give students permission to either post or comment in the stream and can block students who are violating your class rules.  Furthermore, you have the ability to see previously deleted messages giving you true omnipotence in your online classroom, as well as the physical one.  

Grade Export

Recognizing that many teachers use other electronic gradebooks, Google has given teachers the option to export all of their grades for all assignments, not just one at a time.  This is a big time saver for those that do use other programs like Engrade, Learnboost or others.

Sorting It All Out

It may seem like a small issue, but being able to only sort by last name or by first name is frustrating.  Now you can sort your students by either. 

While there are other features we would like to see, Google has been making headway in addressing users concerns.  If you have not tried Google Classroom yet, you are missing the single best Learning Management System for working with Google Docs.  

Copyright at the Core

Copyright at the Core

Copyright has been around in the United States since 1790, when it was signed into law by President George Washington. The law existed before that in Great Britain since the Licensing of the Press Act of 1662, and the British Statute of Anne (1710) further alluded to individual rights of the artist. The concept, however, is even older. In recent days, however, it has fallen out of the forefront of people’s minds, especially in the case of teachers when it comes to students’ assignments.

With the coming of the new Common Core New York State standards, students are asked to publish their writing starting in third grade, for example:

W.3.6. With guidance and support from adults, use technology to produce and publish writing (using keyboarding skills) as well as to interact and collaborate with others.

W.4.6. With some guidance and support from adults, use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing as well as to interact and collaborate with others; demonstrate sufficient command of keyboarding skills to type a minimum of one page in a single sitting.

W.5.6. With some guidance and support from adults, use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing as well as to interact and collaborate with others; demonstrate sufficient command of keyboarding skills to type a minimum of two pages in a single sitting.

W.6.6. Use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing as well as to interact and collaborate with others; demonstrate sufficient command of keyboarding skills to type a minimum of three pages in a single sitting.

As one can see, the standards are there, and the expectations are clear. What is not covered is the appropriate way to illustrate published writing. Too often, images are copied from a Google image search, and no mention of ownership is ever addressed. Many companies have exercised their rights. There is a difference in opinion between what “fair use” entails, and what the law stipulates, and the Internet has further complicated matters, making content more easily attainable. Students and teachers alike feel that if it’s out there, they can use it, but a company can object to their imagery being used without permission, and could legally challenge people with a lawsuit.

Here is a useful video schools can use to help articulate the basics of copyright for teachers and students. While the video is geared towards higher education, it can easily be applied to K-12 too. http://www.copyright.com/content/cc3/en/toolbar/education/resources/copyright_on_campus.html

Copyright law is quite specific, and the rules are black and white, but the use of materials is gray. One solution to this growing concern is Creative Commons, a not for profit organization that allows use of their content in a simpler, easier way. There is, therefore, a resource that teachers and students can use to find copyright-friendly images that they can use without fear of reprisal. Here is a link to the Creative Commons search on their site: http://search.creativecommons.org/

Let’s be clear, however: you must be sure to always read the fine print! People think if you find an image on Wikipedia, that it’s free to use. While that is sometimes true, it is not always the case. Ever so often, an image is classified as “Some Rights Reserved” just to muddy the waters further. An example of the attribution information is below:

It is also important for teachers and students who use Creative Commons materials to give credit when credit is due. Attribution is almost always required by those who license their work in such a manner. Many times the owner of the work will provide the citation or details as to how they would like the attribution to be displayed. If this information is not provided, websites like EasyBib.com provide a template for images and digital media for students to complete for the citation to be generated.

"Credit Is Due : Nina Paley : Free Download & Streaming : Internet Archive."Internet Archive. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Mar. 2015.

So what is a teacher to do? For one, be careful. When in doubt, don’t use it! And if you want to be sure you’re safe, use a free photo archive. Here are more links for copyright free/friendly links and links to lesson plans:

Copyright Lesson Plans 

Teaching Copyright - http://www.teachingcopyright.org/

Media Education Lab - http://mediaeducationlab.com/code-best-practices-fair-use-media-literacy-education

Copyright Friendly Images

Morgue File - http://www.morguefile.com/archive/

The World Images Kiosk - http://worldimages.sjsu.edu/

Pics4Learning - http://pics4learning.com/ 

Image Base - http://imagebase.net/

Public Domain Archive - http://publicdomainarchive.com/

Pixabay - http://pixabay.com/ 

Public Domain Video Clips

FedFlix - https://archive.org/details/FedFlix