G Suite for Education
45 ways to start using Google tools in the classroom
October 2016
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How to use this deck...
Use this training deck to implement G Suite for Education in meaningful
ways in your schools. These tools will help you to increase teacher
efficiency, student engagement, and school-wide collaboration.
Each of the 45 ways are grouped into seven categories related to teaching
and learning and cover all tools included in the G Suite for Education.
Pedagogy Subject Specific Evidence of Add-ons
Progress
Differentiation Communication Organisation
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Pedagogy
1. Student Creativity
2. Homework and Flipped Learning
3. Efficient Searching Skills
4. Starters and Plenaries
Classroom Chrome Drawings Forms Docs
5. Research without leaving Docs
6. Cite Sources directly in Docs
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Student Creativity
Develop student creativity by
producing their own pictures and
designs on Google Drawings!
Use across the curriculum to draw
graphs or diagrams in Maths, Science
or Geography (see subject specific
ideas).
Insert drawings into other Google
tools to pair them with written
descriptions (great for EAL).
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Homework and Flipped Learning
Set homework assignments and
encourage flipped learning by posting
tasks, reading or videos on Google
Classroom.
Monitor which students have
completed the assignment and read
their comments.
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Efficient Searching Skills
Who can be the first to uncover an
obscure fact using Google?
Use “A Google A Day” as a starter or
plenary activity to develop efficient and
accurate search engine use.
Questions vary daily and hints are
available for differentiation.
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Starters and Plenaries
Assess student understanding before
and after the lesson to show
progress.
Use results to plan subsequent
lessons and address common
misconceptions.
Entirely flexible - if you run out of
lesson time, students can access the
form at home.
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Research without Leaving Docs
Encourage students to accurately
research within the same document
without having to switch tabs.
Follow 2 steps:
1 Click on the “Explore” button in 2
the bottom right
1
Results will automatically
2
appear based on your
document or you can type in
a specific topic
1
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Cite Sources Directly in Docs
Prepare students for higher education
by incorporating references into
coursework and essay writing. 2
Follow 3 steps to cite sources:
Click the “Explore” button in the
1
bottom right. Results will automatically
appear based on your document or
you can type in a specific topic.
2 Utilise multiple options for citations
1
Automatically add as a footnote or as
3 a list at the end of the document 3
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Communication
7. Pupil and Parent Feedback 13. Commenting on a Shared Doc
8. Encouraging Questions 14. Voice Recognition
9. Observations with Hangout 15. Group Work in Docs
10. New Ways to Share Information 16. Making Suggestions for Improvement
11. Guest Speakers and Event Streaming
12. Creating Assignments
Classroom Hangouts Slides Forms Docs
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Pupil and Parent Feedback
Use Google Forms as a tool for pupil
and parent feedback.
Collect feedback after Parent’s Evening
or a school event to inform future
decision making.
Create a “tell me about yourself” survey
to learn about your students and use
the “charts” feature to graphically
present the results.
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8
Encouraging Questions
Encourage audience participation
through the “Q&A” in Google Slides.
Simply select the grey arrow next to the
present tool and select “Presentation
View” to enable.
Audience members will be able to post
questions (anonymity optional)
throughout your presentation using the
persistent link at the top of each slide.
If a question is popular with the audience
they can rate it with a thumbs up.
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9
Observations using Hangouts
Conduct quick and efficient lesson
observations without leaving your desk
using Google Hangouts.
You can start a Hangout from anywhere;
you just need access to a device.
Invitations can also automatically be
added to your Google Calendar.
Observation notes can be entered and
saved directly into a Google Form.
10
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New Ways to Share Information
Improve home-school communication by
sharing letters or sending emails where
appropriate.
These can be translated as needed.
This tool can also speed up the
permission slip process and ensures that
an electronic copy is kept on record.
11
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Guest Speakers and Event Streaming
Increased access to guest speakers from
around the world through Google
Hangouts.
Host hangouts to broadcast school
events for parents and governors who are
unable to attend.
Limit safeguarding concerns through
emailing private links.
12
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Create Paperless Assignments
Use Classroom to create assignments.
Attach Google Docs, files from your
computer, YouTube videos, or any
website.
14
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Commenting on a Shared Doc
Insert comments directly in Google
Docs, Sheets, and Slides that can be
used provide feedback.
Use the “+” symbol followed by a user’s
email address to add someone directly
into the comment, or simply check the
box to assign the comment directly.
15
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Voice Recognition
2
Make feedback more efficient using
voice recognition.
Save time by changing the text to red
and speaking your feedback directly into
the document.
1
Science teacher with test tubes in hand?
Speak your instructions into Docs for
ease!
16
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Group Work in Docs
Give numerous students access to the
same Google Doc. Students can all edit
and contribute to group work at the same
time from their own computers.
Comments can be used for students to
feedback to each other and teachers to
give suggestions.
17
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Making Suggestions for Improvement
In “Suggestion Mode” make changes to
another's Google Doc by adding or
removing text.
These changes can then be reviewed by
the owner of the doc and either accepted
2 or declined.
When resolved suggestions can still be
reviewed in comments. If a comment
requires further explanation, links can be
added to a comment.
18
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Differentiation
17. Spelling
18. Dictionary
19. Translate
20. Alternative Quiz Paths
Chrome Sheets Forms Docs
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Spelling
Use Google Spell Up as a resource
to help students practice both their
speaking and spelling.
Students can practise spelling in a
fun way and it can be used as a
homework or additional activity.
Try it here!
19
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Dictionary
2
Enable further understanding for
students with Special Educational
Needs by using the “Define” function to
find accurate definitions quickly and
easily, directly within Docs.
1 Shortcut: Ctrl + Shift + Y
To differentiate further, users can add
a specific word to their Personal
Dictionary.
Navigate to “Tools” and click on
2
“Personal dictionary.”
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Translate
Support students and parents learning
in a second language through
translate document.
This allows you to translate an entire
document into an array of languages
and save a new copy.
21
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Alternative Quiz Paths
Redirect students to the beginning
of a quiz or tutorial if the incorrect
answer is given in a quiz.
Select then “Go to Section Based
on Answer” and redirect students to
the beginning of the tutorial if an
incorrect answer is selected.
This can be used to differentiate a
tutorial or quiz to different sections
and can be used in Homework.
22
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Evidence of Progress
21. Literacy in School
22. e-Portfolio
23. Revision History
24. Gradebook
Chrome Sheets Forms Docs Slides Sites
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Literacy in School
Reading Records
Encourage students to
read by having them complete their
reading records electronically using
Google Forms.
A log of students reading entries can
then be created as a record for future
interventions.
23
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E-Portfolios
Students can keep records of their best
work using sites as a E-Portfolio. They
can organise their work by subject and
can include as many pages as they
require.
Students can also use Sites to write a
blog or submit a project. You can also
make a school template for your
student’s portfolios.
24
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Tracking Progress and Improvements
Check the revision history in a document
to see how students are progressing
over time and who is contributing.
An effective method to track progress
and completed tasks.
Draftback, an add-on, can be used to
create visual progress of a student’s
work. Great for spotting plagiarism.
25
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Bring your Gradebook Online
Grade book template
Use the Grade book template in Google
Sheets to easily track student progress.
Individual reports are created
automatically to track progress of a
student throughout the year.
26
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Organisation
25. Groups of Students or Teachers 34. Parent Appointments
26. Review Assignments & Give Feedback 35. Resource Allocation
27. Minutes and Agendas 36. Revision & Subject Resources Site
28. Room Bookings 37. Professional Development
29. Timetable
30. Table of Contents
31. Resources
32. Homework Tracker
Drive Sheets Forms Docs Slides Sites Calendar Groups
33. Behaviour Referrals
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Easily Communicate with Teachers and Students
Create online and email-based groups
for your students and staff.
Groups encourage discussion
among peers and can be used to share
resources and materials.
Save time when sending emails by
typing in a group name rather than
individual recipients.
27
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Review Assignments & Give Feedback in real time
Teachers can see how many students
have completed an assignment, review
it, then provide grades and comments
to students
28
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Keep Minutes and Agendas Online
Keep a live document detailing the
agendas and minutes of staff
meetings.
Choose who can view and edit the
document.
Notes can then be updated at any time
signaling what has been completed or
if additional support is required.
29
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Manage and Book Resources
Book conference rooms and other
resources (like projectors, laptop carts,
etc.) when scheduling meetings in
Calendar.
For recurring Faculty Meetings,
customise the settings by clicking on 1
“Repeat” and adjusting accordingly.
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Manage and Share your Timetable
Share your calendar with colleagues
(and overlay their shared calendars) to
more efficiently schedule meetings
and events.
31
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Table of Contents
Indicate whether text is a title, heading
or subheading to insert a hyperlinked
table of contents to the beginning of
your reports.
If you add more content, simply press
refresh to automatically update the
table.
32
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Centrally Organise and Share Resources
Stay updated with curricular changes
by creating a centralised folder of
departmental resources.
Share folders across departments or
faculties so everyone has access to
the same content.
33
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Homework Tracker
Tracks student’s homework attainment
and progress through Google Sheets.
Use conditional formatting to highlight
areas for concern and patterns.
Share with Senior Leaders or use as
evidence during Parent’s Evening.
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Behaviour Referrals
Keep track of discipline referrals
across a school. Recognise
behavioural patterns and share the
results with key stakeholders.
35
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Parent Appointments
Create a shared Sheet for parents or
students to sign up for timeslots with
the teacher.
Or use appointment slots to schedule
parent-teacher conferences or
counselor sessions.
36
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Device Allocation
1 3
Use forms to create a sign-out for
resources (i.e. laptops) so a log is
created of resources allocated.
Complete a form creating a
1
resource request.
Export the information into
2 2
sheets to keep up to date
records.
3 Send a confirmation email
detailing the terms of use.
37
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Revision and Subject Resources Site
Create a site for your class or wider
department to store and share content
and relevant resources all in one place.
Separate sections by year group, key
stage or class. Embed a Drive folder,
class calendar, videos, and/or
presentations.
38
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Professional Development
Create a Professional Development
Site containing appraisal information,
policies, CPD and Inset resources. schoolpark.org) schoolpark.org
Amend the settings to allow staff to
add information through forms but be
unable to edit pages.
39
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Subject Specific
38. Touring in Humanities 43. Visual Questions in Maths
39. Expeditions in Geography 44. Recreate Landmarks in Design
40. Population Charts in Geography 45. Create Charts in Business
41. Examine Patents in Design
42. Write Equations in Maths
Chrome Sheets Forms Docs Drawings Expeditions
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Touring in Humanities
Take students on a virtual trip around
the world with Google Tour Builder. Add
context, videos and pictures to really tell
a story.
This is perfect for a Geography or
History lesson, but has use-cases
across all subjects.
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Expeditions in Geography
Get Cardboard and check out
Expeditions to give your students a 360°
view of the world.
Explore the depths of the Pacific Ocean
or the Great Wall of China from their
desks using VR!
Check out Google Cardboard and the
thousands of Expeditions to explore,
most with teachers notes and prompt
questions for differentiation.
Download the Expeditions app for Android and iOS
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Population Charts in Geography
Create population charts in Sheets to
compare statistics visually.
Ideal to use in Geography or a
Statistics-based lesson. Students can
compare data across countries and
change colours accordingly.
Other chart types are available in Sheets
that can be used in different subject
contexts.
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Examine Patents in Art, Graphics, Design Tech
Search for patents (patents.google.com)
and use the sketches and information to
improve understanding.
Students can use models as the base of
their designs and get a better
understanding of structural development.
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Write an Equation in Maths
1
Include Maths equations when creating
worksheets or encouraging students to
type up coursework.
Click to view the equation toolbar and
choose from a variety of maths
equations and symbols.
2
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Create Visual Questions in Maths
Improve and customise Mathematics
quizzes by creating your own images in
Google Drawings.
Then save the drawing as a PNG and
easily upload it into a Google Form.
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Rebuild Landmarks in Design & Technology
Recreate landmarks and build your own
fantastic structures using Virtual Lego.
An excellent activity to develop creativity
and structural knowledge. Associate
designs to historical landmarks or
encourage students to use maths to
consider material use.
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Create Charts in Business Studies or Computer Science
Quickly create and insert flowcharts,
mind maps, and more diagrams directly
into a Google Doc using LucidCharts.
Use LucidCharts in:
● Business to represent
organisation charts
● Computer Science for creating
flowcharts
● Across the curriculum to create
revision mindmaps
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