Google Workspace for Education is introducing a host of new features to enhance the teaching and learning experience for students and educators across various tools, including Google Classroom, Meet, Docs, and Slides.
New Google Classroom Tools for Personalized Learning
Understanding the challenges educators face in managing large classrooms, Google is rolling out new Classroom features to help teachers provide more personalized support to students. Some of these features include:
- Practice sets: These AI-powered tools allow educators to transform their existing content into interactive assignments, offering personalized support to students. Practice sets also help identify gaps in understanding, enabling educators to tailor their approach.
- Interactive questions in YouTube videos: Teachers can add questions to YouTube videos and assign them to students, providing real-time feedback and insights into student progress.
- Assignment organization: Educators can sort grades and assignments within Classroom by quarters, semesters, or terms.
Improved Collaboration Features in Docs
Google is also introducing improvements to Docs for better collaboration and increased productivity:
- Custom building blocks: Educators can create templates for frequently used content like lesson plans and curriculum guides, saving time by reusing them instead of starting from scratch.
- Timer and stopwatch chips: These features help teachers keep track of class activities and manage time efficiently.
- Voting chips: Quick feedback gathering is made possible with voting chips, which can be accessed directly within Docs.
More Flexibility, Integration, and Accessibility with Slides and Meet
Google Workspace for Education is enhancing Slides and Meet for increased flexibility and accessibility:
- Speaker notes in Meet: Presenters can view their speaker notes while presenting, building presentation skills and confidence.
- Co-presenting in Slides: Two or more people can manage slides together for smoother presentations.
- Closed captions for Meet recordings: Captions can be added in multiple languages, with more options coming later this year.
- Custom images for Meet backgrounds: Admins with Education Plus can now add custom images for students and educators to use as their Meet backgrounds.
- AI-powered Hand Raise Gesture Detection: This feature will automatically raise the Hand Raise icon and move a participant to the main grid when they physically raise their hand in a meeting.
These new features are expected to improve the overall teaching and learning experience for students and educators using Google Workspace for Education tools. To learn more about Google’s commitment to building the future classroom, read about their latest Chromebook announcements and focus on safer learning environments.
