Organizing My New "Classroom"

I LOVE Google Classroom and have for years, but I never thought it would be my actual classroom. Over the past couple of years, I have tried to introduce more and more digital learning into my classroom with the use of Google Classroom. I would push assignments, videos, and articles out to students for them to annotate, analyze, color-code, and use for collaborative projects. My students were getting better and better at navigating through Google Classroom and using Google Docs, Slides, and Forms. We even started working on a joint, Google website early in March.

Since my students are so well versed in Google Classroom, I wasn’t too worried about the two-week distance learning plan. I knew my students would know to check in Google Classroom for their assignments, utilize the tools we’ve used in the classroom setting, and turn in their assignments once complete. When I sat down to upload the tasks they needed to work on for the first week, I found myself overwhelmed at the lack of organization on the “Classwork” page. My first thought was that I’d start organizing my virtual classroom better next year. Then, the school closure was extended to May 1st, and I knew I needed to do something to help my students find assignments with ease. 

Setting Up Google Classroom For Distance Learning (please watch the video for detailed instructions):

1. I had to start by going through and organizing all of the old work. I created topics by sub-subjects (writing, reading, listening, research, social studies, etc.). Many teachers already do this, but I had never taken the time to do this. I will start organizing work this way, starting next year.
2. I created topics by dates. I decided to organize the new work by workweek. I also added an emoji of a computer to represent virtual learning (ex: 💻 Week of 4/6-4/10). 
3. I organized and shared a calendar for the week. On this calendar, I embedded links that would take them to the doc, slides, websites, articles, etc.
4. I decided that I wanted to upload all of the work on Sunday nights, so students would not get overwhelmed by getting assignment notifications non-stop. This way, they can see what they need to do for the week and use their time management skills to complete everything promptly. Since I don’t know what their home lives are like right now, I thought that this might help. Maybe they are the new babysitter for their younger siblings. Perhaps they are sharing their device with multiple people. Having the assignments labeled with the day, they should be working on it, and when it is due will help them prioritize their time. Also, it allows them to ask for help ahead of time during our Zoom meetings.

Let me know if you have any organizing tips!

Happy Organizing, 

Jenni Merry