Assignment 5

Can Google Classroom, legitimately benefit from and could contribute to be used regularly in the classroom and related to the use of technology and social media or networking in the classroom? 

Future of the Classroom of today’s classrooms use technology and can contribute to prepare students for their future and their careers path. Education is evolving faster in recent history due to the rapid changes in the education sector due to the COVID-19 pandemic that challenged the way students learn in and out of the classroom.

Fauzi, A., et al., (2021) a study on exploring students’ acceptance of Google classroom during Covid-19 by Using the Technology Acceptance Model in West Sumatera Universities provides findings and benefits of using Google Classroom for teaching and learning during the pandemic Covid-19. E-learning is a media that aims to increase the effectiveness of the learning process (Chao and Chen, 2009) and is designed to be applied remotely (Oztekin et al., 2013). One of such widely used platforms in Indonesia is Google Classroom, which, according to Appbrain.com, holds the first rank for the number of downloads in the country. (Appbrain.com, 2021). Similar results were also obtained from a survey conducted by Lembaga Arus Survei Indonesia (ASI) from October 7th to 11th, 2020, which showed that it was the most widely used e-learning platform for distance learning during the Covid-19 pandemic (ASI, 2020). Google Classroom is considered the best for improving educators' performance, as ideal for students (Iftakhar, 2016), and is very effective due to the support by various features that facilitate teaching and learning (Al-Maroof and Al-Emran, 2018). Therefore, using this platform can improve the quality of the learning process (Mafa, 2018). Also, Google Classroom is accessible by smartphones, an educator can create rooms for specific subjects consisting of all students in the class (Bhat et al., 2018), and more than one teacher can share a classroom to manage the courses easily. It can also be effortlessly operated and adapted by students (Hussaini et al., 2020), which can facilitate distance learning (Shaharanee, Jamil and Rodzi, 2016).

Google for education has created tools for today’s classrooms in which students can be supported individually based on their learning styles and needs. The tools that are provided can benefit the students, teachers, and the education sector. One of the benefits of using Google Classroom everyday use is it’s free and a handy way for teachers to keep track of student’s learning, organize learning and teacher lesson plans. The advantages of using Google Classroom that it provides, video streaming, easily accessible tabs for learning materials by categories, google calendar can sync to keep students due dates on assignments, and a fun interface. Teachers can also use other programs and apps that are compatible to use with Google Classroom in which they can use to assign work to the students, track student progress, and a way to communicate with the students and parents virtually. Some of the tools used in today’s classroom is Wakelet tool that you can bookmark anything and is used for organizing and sharing information that the teacher can create a lesson plan and collecting media all in one place including teacher’s notes. This tool helps students to apply the information learned to create presentations, book reports and study material for exams.

Another tool used in today’s classroom Flipgrid that is free from Microsoft, where students can record short videos to communicate with the class on any given topic. This tool allows teachers to assign reading assignments and have a way for students to provide feedback on a book review by sharing a short video to the class. Flipgrid has provided for teachers to collaborate with other countries by practicing world language and engaging students around the world to build skills around the world in the same language.

References

Fauzi, A., et al., 2021. Exploring Students' Acceptance of Google Classroom during the Covid-19 Pandemic by Using the Technology Acceptance Model in West Sumatera Universities. The Electronic Journal of e-Learning, 19(4), pp. 233-240, available online at www.ejel.org

Poore, M. (2016). Using social media in the classroom. SAGE Publications Ltd, https://www.doi.org/10.4135/9781473962187

https://www.edutopia.org/article/9-new-ways-use-flipgrid-classroom

https://wakelet.com/