Category: Education

G Suite is now Google Workspace for Education.  Used by students and teachers for school, the platform continues to provide tools that qualifying institutions can use for free.  Google for Education allows educators and students to interact simply.  Whether school is in session or consisting of online classes, these Workspace tools include essential web based applications.

Google Workspace allows teachers to plan and implement standard based lessons, manage grades and meet the needs of diverse learners.  A more simple way to explain how these tools and resources help educators is to say that it’s a collection of apps, just like you have on your phone. These apps are designed for use in work and educational purposes.

Some of these apps already exist for any organization needing to engage collectively online, but many have been specifically created for teachers and their classrooms. These Google tools will help you to engage students to interact with the content of any lesson presented, including back and forth communication other than just email or live online session.

Why Use Google Workspace for Education?

1. Free sign up then determine free eligibility for your institution.
2. Easy Collaboration between students and fellow teachers.
3. Use Google Workspace on any device with one log in.

Never before have these tools been more essential with many students having to attend their classes online. These resources bring all students together, whether at home or in school, to help increase everyday work flow for critical thinking, communication, collaboration and creativity with your students. All of this happens while supporting the standards in learning objectives that you have.

Google for Education Apps

You may recognize many of these Google platforms because as mentioned, many of them are not only used for education. Google for Education simply groups them all in one place through your Google account, in addition to adding specific apps essential for the online classroom.

Core Services of Google Workspace for Education

Whether conducting classes in school, online or a little of both, here are the Google apps that will make it easier for your students to connect through their each individual Google accounts, just as teachers and administrators are doing.

Classroom

This is one of the most commonly used workpace apps but many Google Classroom’s features may not be fully utilized. Even though the classroom is online, it is very secure as only those who are invited can join through a class code emailed to each individual student. Once a classroom is created teachers can can add various classes and sections as needed.

Some key features of Google Classroom are:

• Track classwork and submit assignments.
• Check originality, feedback, and grades. Share resources and interact in the class stream or by email.
• Parents and Guardians can get a regular email summary of student’s work.
• Review announcements and activities.

Drive

Think of Google Drive as a flash drive that is stored on a different computer that you can access from anywhere and from any of your devices. This is the same for students. It’s the easy way to share lesson files or educational videos and everyone in your class will have the latest copies. Add and remove files at will or update documents without having to forward revised materials your students. Drive brings all of the Workspace tools together for easy access on the cloud by everyone in your class.  Inside Google Drive you can create docs, work sheets, slides and forms for various purposes.

Docs

Any document your would normally create, print off and hand our to your students can be created in Google Docs. These docs will be available instantly for your entire class to see. You can restrict these documents from being edited by students, or their may be circumstances when you want to allow editing, if not students then with other teachers or administrators you share documents with.

Sheets

Make your lessons come to life with colorful charts and graphs. Google Sheets offers built-in formulas, pivot tables and conditional formatting options save time and simplify common spreadsheet tasks. Choose from a wide variety of budgets, schedules, and other pre-made spreadsheets — all designed to make your work that much better, and your life that much easier.

Slides

Google slides allow you to choose from a variety of presentation themes. There are hundreds of fonts, embedded video and animations as well. A wide array of pitches, portfolios and other pre-made presentations are also available.

Forms

Imagine the ability to create a pop quiz without having to print off copies and wait for students to attend your class? Google Forms is also a great place to get feedback from students. For example, lets say you want to create a place for students to leave questions or comments. Rather than sending out an email and getting overwhelmed with responses, you can create a form for them to list their name and comment or question. It’s also a great way for all students to see what their online classmates are thinking, just as if they were in a school classroom asking a question.

Sites

One of Google’s oldest platforms, Google Sites is easiest way for you to create a website for your classroom. Update it as regularly as you wish or simply use your class website to present year long resources, including links to safe websites for research. Many teachers provide a link to our safe search engine for kids to use..

Assignments

This tool allows teachers to streamline the distribution of assignments to students, as well as analyze and grade all work. Google Assignments integrates into your LMS (Learning Management System after your school administrator has turned on the tool within your domain. Learn more about how it works at https://edu.google.com/intl/en_ca/assignments/

Meet

Here is where you set up your classrooms for virtual learning. Just as all of Google for Education tools, it’s free for schools and gives you complete control to meet security and privately. You can block students from using classic Hangouts and Google Chat on their school-managed Chromebooks. You can block all students. Or, set different rules for students in certain groups.

Chrome

There are a lot of benefits to making Google chrome your default browser. First and foremost is the idea that Chrome works best with Google.  Since you’re using all of these Google tools you’re less likely to encounter any snags. Using Google Chrome also allows you to keep everything the same no matter what device you are using thanks for Chrome Sync.   

Gmail

Pretty straight forward here. Your Google email is connected to your Google account and has the same log in credentials as any Workspace tool you are currently using, all while maintaining efficient communication between administrators, teachers, and students. Gmail is not required by students to be part of an online class, but they will need a Google account and an alternate email address to get class notifications.

Calendar

The easy way to schedule online classes. Students and parents are always kept “in the loop” and everyone can get reminders about upcoming activities. You can also create multiple calendars that everyone can use together. Use of this app by all participants means students don’t have to create their own calendars to keep track of their schedules.

Contacts

Busy teachers often have different groups they need to communicate with. With Contacts you can organize and merge your contacts, as well as create personal mailing lists. Quickly send messages to specific groups of people with a single click.

Keep

The quick way to stay organized.  Create quick lists and add structured information and sub tasks.  Easily access your notes and lists on the web and your mobile devices.   Google Workspace administrators can control who uses Google Keep within your school. Users who have Keep turned on can use it to create, manage, and share notes within your school.

Admin

Google for Education within every school is controlled by an administrator. The Google Admin console is their access to manage all teachers and students using Workspace. There are plenty of free online tutorials to learn how to operate all of Google’s work and educationally based apps.  Google also provides training for educators to become Google Workspace administrators to fully utilize the power of the formally named platform G Suite.   Courses are held online and are regularly scheduled to continued availability.

Shared Workspace

Learn how a shared workspace online can benefits students for better learning, as well as encouraging collaboration with other teachers.  Explore ways teachers can use GitHub in the classroom.

If you have noticed your child is interested in Spanish, use this moment to promote the child’s healthy development. Foreign language develops a kid’s ability to multitask, improves memory and boosts critical-thinking skills. And the good news is that you can easily integrate the language learning process into a child’s everyday routine using an online format.

Benefits of online Spanish classes

Despite a popular belief, a foreign language in no way confuses a child and interferes with the mother tongue. Bilingual children are more creative and learn much faster. The earlier is the age of a learner, the less he is inhibited by the fear of making mistakes. And a new language increases opportunities for cross-cultural connection.

For example, Spanish will let you speak with more than 463-million audience worldwide. And the rapid growth of e-learning language resources makes it possible to get a lot of additional advantages from online Spanish classes.

With the demand for online learning there is a larger number of educators that are seeking online teaching jobs, therefore, options for find the right Spanish teacher for your child continues to grow.

1. Unique opportunity to create an individual schedule

When you visit regular offline classes, you have to adhere to a certain time pattern. And it is a different story with online study. It is up to you how long your Spanish class is going to be and how often you will take it.  It is really cool when the study rhythm is formed not by the school bell and breaks between lessons, but by you. Moreover, at home, the atmosphere is often predictable and calm. Children develop their own rhythm and follows it without additional loads and worries to miss something.

This approach will also allow adapting classes to individual features of each child – some need more time for verbal tasks while it takes longer for others to master grammar rules. A personal AI language tutor can further enhance this experience by providing customized lessons tailored to each child’s needs.

2. Identify a child’s weaknesses and work on them

Individual work with an online tutor will immediately demonstrate what material a child absorbs on the go and where more efforts are needed. It may become a surprise to parents who have previously voiced dissatisfaction with the school as a whole or with teachers about the child’s lack of success in a particular field of knowledge.

Besides, parents can observe their child and determine whether the child is attentive during classes or they are having trouble with speech. Full-time education does not allow to reveal such hidden problems as the teacher is not always able to spot them in a bigger group of children.

3. Perfect Spanish Immersion

Online classes allow kids to dive directly into the Spanish environment without traveling abroad. Traditional classes have more focus on writing and reading, and the teachers are rarely native speakers. No matter where in the world you are located, you are just a click away from a Spanish tutor.

There are many online resources such as Preply that will instantly take you to live language surroundings. And online immersion is a proven path to language proficiency. The ability to interact with native speakers stimulates kid’s engagement and speeds up language fluency.

4. Repetition.

The famous Latin proverb says “Repetitio est mater studiorum.” And it is especially true when learning a foreign language. Children at school are often embarrassed to ask the teacher to explain the material again when they did not understand something. And this problem disappears online – the child can listen to the lesson or part of it as many times as needed to consolidate knowledge. Tests that can be taken several times until all queries are resolved. Moreover, you can always return to the old lessons in the online format to refresh the Spanish grammar rules.

5. Development of self-discipline skills

Learning to learn is a top skill a person throughout life. Education experts are convinced that in 2030 the learning process will be continuous. Therefore, it is vital to pump this skill starting from an early age. In traditional classes, kids are more distracted and are more influenced by teachers, while distant classes teach kids to be more focused. Many studies prove that students who study remotely have fewer behavioral issues, more stable self-esteem, they easily master higher education and are more successful in adult life.

And the main advantage of online language classes is that parents are actively involved in the learning process. They can constantly monitor the child’s progress. This encouragement and support make a significant contribution to children’s academic success. The list of the above-mentioned benefits can be continued. But the verdict is obvious – online Spanish classes will not pass without positive results.

Reading Resources:

Learn how to teach proper English to non native speakers.
Read this guide to Spanish learning resources for kids

An argument, who hasn’t been in one? We argue on the school playground, argue with a best friend, argue whose best friend is better. We’ve all either been in an argument or tried our hardest to avoid one, but what happens when you have to write about one? Did anyone groan at that question?

Have no fear! This article is here with quick and effective tips that will help you write a great argumentative essay, no matter what you’re arguing.  It can also help in improved writing skills.

Tip #1: Pick a side, any side

It can’t be an argumentative essay if you don’t know what you’re arguing for or against. The simplest way to start an argument is to know what side you’re arguing for and to stick to the side until the very end. Sometimes the simplest statements of “I think. . .” or “I believe. . .” are a great way to start thinking about what side of the argument you’re on.

Here are some questions: Should schools push back their start time? Should healthy lunch meals be served to every student? Do you like the color black or blue?

Tip # 2: But Why?

Because I felt like it! If only that could be a valid reason for everything you have to explain (it’s not). But it’s not that complicated either. You picked a side of the argument, but you have to have reasons explaining why that side. The magic number to remember here is three. Any good argument needs to have at least three reasons that support your claim, and you get them by asking why.

• Why did you pick the color blue—? Give three reasons.
• Why should school days start later? Give three reasons.
• Why this School?  Give three reasons.

Remember, your argument is only as strong as your reasons. The sentence that has the chosen argument and three reasons to support the argument is what we call a thesis statement. That is if you want to sound all fancy and impress everyone around you!

Tip # 3: Find A Partner

A key to any good argument is finding good, strong evidence. In other words, find people who know what they are talking about, have been published properly, and now have come to your rescue. It’s an important element in your argumentative essay to have evidence that supports what you’re arguing for. The support could come in many forms: quotes, expert opinions, graphs, charts, or any form of data.

For instance, if you argue that school should serve healthy lunch for reason a, b, and c, then you need to find people that will support those reasons. The magic number here is two. Two pieces of strong evidence to support each reason. (When did an argumentative essay become a test in knowing how to add?)

Tip #4: Know Your Opponents

It’s just as important to know the other side of the argument as well as knowing yours. Wait. . . Why?!

You must address the other side of the argument in your essay, so that you can counterargue it.  The whole mission of the argumentative essay is to make a strong case for your side, and nothing makes a stronger argument than knowing what the other side is thinking. It’s called being prepared with the counterclaim, and having a strong rebuttal to prove your argument is stronger. This takes more good research.

The key here is to be prepared to defend your side till the very end. And yes, all this work is happening through writing. Let’s not forget that while playing mind chess!

Tip # 5: Take A Bow

Here’s the grand finale, time to put it all together. You’ve done all the hard work of thinking of good reasons to support your argumentative essay and then of finding strong evidence to support those reasons. Now is not the time to confuse your readers! Simply leave them with a thought about your side of the argument. Keep it short, neat, and clean!

These are the five basic rules to keep in your back pocket when writing an argumentative essay. Learning these steps will assist throughout entire acedemic life, including the abitlity to successfully write research papers.  Remember, writing is a process, so always be open to feedback and revisions. Happy writing!

Article provided by VSA Future; offering virtual classes for your child.

When doing research for an essay, watch this video to learn how to separate trustworthy information from biased information.

Learn how to ensure your essay doesn’t contain plagiarism.

Teachers are human beings and just like other humans do, sometimes we can be distracted while in the classroom. We can be biased towards some students and lose focus unintentionally. Sometimes you may focus too much on one gender. There are also cases of teachers focusing too much on one race and ignoring another race, either positively or negatively.

Of course, as teachers, we try to avoid preferential treatment, but sometimes our human nature gets in the way of our noble intentions. That makes it essential to self-reflect and evaluate our conduct in and outside the classroom. The beauty of the teaching profession is that we always have a second chance to right our wrongs; to do things better. Every year is a chance for us to get better than we were the previous year.

This article aims at helping you focus on all students in the classroom from different backgrounds at all time, whether it be cultural differences, gender, intelligence, or simply the fact that you connect better with some children more than others.  This is how:

1. Admit that you are not immune to bias

As a teacher, it starts by admitting that you are human and susceptible to distraction and bias. Acknowledge that you could be biased against certain students, so you start checking who those students could be. You are not color blind: How do you interact with kids who don’t have the same skin color as you? Evaluate how you treat kids from different ethnicities, religions, and socioeconomic backgrounds. Ask yourself whether you are doing enough to optimize every kid’s academic potential. Ask yourself whether you are focusing on each student as much as you would want your children to be treated by their teacher. Bottom line: Make genuine efforts of interrogating your conduct in the classroom and making the necessary amends.

2. Be empathetic

Make an effort to understand your students’ perspectives and emotions. You must understand what every kid is going through in their private life. Know the status of the communities where your students live so that you can understand their perspectives on different aspects of learning. Could be you have lost focus on a certain student because you judge him or her harshly, probably on matters of discipline, when in fact the child has been acting up just to get your attention, something he or she doesn’t get at home.

3. Encourage students to air their opinions

Encourage learners to tell you when you step out of line; when you focus too much on one group to the point of forgetting other kids. Agree to be held to account by your students. When students air their concerns in a respectful manner, you get the chance to self-examine yourself. When possible, teach your class about how we must all strive to treat everyone equal, regardless of their race, abilities or gender. Include teaching about what your students can do to stop bullying. This will give you opportunity to let your class that you are also imperfect and always trying to be a better person and teacher in your classroom.

4. Be kind and caring

Maybe you are kind and caring, but do you communicate the same to your students? Do the students think of you as caring? Start showing every kid that you care by being slow to judge, being patient with them all regardless of their many shortcomings, and being genuinely interested in learning about their distinct cultures and interests. Don’t make kids scramble for your love and attention. Be willing to share everything with everyone in your class.

5. Learn to focus and love your problem child

You may have ignored a particular student because you’ve formed a negative opinion about them, even sub consciously. Instead of ignoring him or her, force yourself to view and treat them with love and care for a whole school term. Start seeing them as in the same way you view the brightest and best-disciplined student in your class. Your opinion will soon change.

6. Communicate and work towards your expectations

Stop lowering your expectations for a certain group of students. Don’t assume, for example, that a kid is dumb just because he or shey are from an impoverished community or because they are from a given race. Have uniformity when setting expectations for all kids in your class. Interact with introverts in the same manner as you do with extroverts. It may take a little effort to draw an introvert out of their shell.  This extra attention is ok for a higher purpose.  Try to communicate with foreign students who do not speak the local language yet. If necessary advocate to include translation services in your school. Grade all students the same, both boys an girls. Don’t give up on a student or lower your expectations for them just because he or she has a physical or mental disability. If you are pushing your students to outscore their previous score, do it to all of them- equally!

Conclusion

The key to focusing on all students in your classroom is granting each one of them the same status as children. You must recognize that no matter how different they are in behavior and academic success, their innocence and vulnerability are the same. Treat them with the same amount of respect and love.