Ever since Google Drive was introduced to the school, the program has become a daily part of many students’ days. Now more and more teachers have started to frequently use Google Classroom.

“Google Classroom is what we call a ‘leaning management system,’ which basically means it’s a way for teachers to be able to manage how they push out assignments or announcements or other kinds of documents to students so that students can easily keep track of it,” library Media Specialist Emma McDonald said.

Even though this is the first year for teachers to start actively using Google Classroom, they are not required to do so. However, if it proves to be helpful for both students and teachers the school will “probably go to everyone using it the following year,” McDonald said.

One of the benefits of Google Classroom for many is the accessibility of the website.

“All of the information teachers push out to students are in one easy location for teachers and students to be able to view,” McDonald explained. “They can organize their information by topics, so students can simply click on a topic and see all announcements and assignments under that topic, or maybe unit.”

Google Classroom is another tool for teachers to use to share things with their students. They can upload content with a few simple clicks, and it’s up for their class to see, organized in a chronological stream. This makes it easier for students to find the content they need.

“I use it to post assignments, I use it to post reminders in my stream, and I use to post content that was used in class,” French teacher Melody Mozley said. “If we used a video in class, just so they can access it from home too. I almost use it as a sister site to my website.”

Another plus to using Google Classroom is that it’s linked to Google Calendar.

“All assignments are linked to Google Calendar, so students can go into their Google Calendar and see their assignments dates, and then teachers can add other due dates or test dates to Google Calendar and students can easily see it,” McDonald said.

Like Google Drive, Google Classroom is available in the app store for free. Once students download the app, they will get notifications on their phone when a teacher posts a new assignment. The app is downloadable for iOS and Android devices.

“It’s really easy to get to, and there’s an app on your phone that you can just click and then it brings up all your classes immediately,” freshman Lana Fowler said. “Most of the teachers use it, so it’s not just a thing for one teacher.”

On top of all that, parents will soon be receiving an email to join the new parent portal for Google Classroom. When a parent accepts the invitation, they will receive daily updates on what is due in the upcoming week.

“It kind of helps students to have that extra reminder on them, but it really helps parents to also kind of keep track and see where are their students in all their classes,” McDonald said. “The parent has to accept that invitation, so it’s important for them to, when they get that email, to go ahead and click accept. Then all classes that their student has, or the teachers using classroom, will go into that report.”

Even though it is encouraged, parents are not required to accept the invitations. There will be a few who do not, but McDonald predicts that “we would have a good 80 to 90 percent using it.” But Mozley said the initial reaction from her parents was less enthusiastic.

“I told my parents at open house that that was going to be an option and to let me know if they’re interested, and there was no interest in that,” Mozley said.

For Mozley, the new “organizational tool” has been a helpful addition for busy students to stay on top of all their classes throughout the week.

“I just think about being a kid and being a student and just having a day of eight classes and extracurricular activities and family life and personal life, and it’s about that time where I’m just ready to crash, and just as an overview before I go to bed,” Mozley said. “Just like looking at it as a reminder for expectations for tomorrow based on what was done today.”