Google has kept its promise to make Google Classroom available by September

Aug 13, 2014 14:17 GMT  ·  By

Google has taken its Classroom project out of the pilot phase and making it open for all users of Google Apps for Education.

Ever since it was introduced in May, educators have tried it out and more than 100,000 people from over 45 countries signed up for a preview, which was extremely encouraging for the company.

Google wants teachers to stop spending so much time shuffling papers and more time actually teaching, which is what Classroom seeks to achieve.

“One of the first schools to use Classroom was Fontbonne Hall Academy in Brooklyn, New York. Sister Rosemarie DeLoro, who has been teaching for more than 60 years, had never used computers with her students before Classroom was introduced at her school. Classroom made it easy for her to assign digital worksheets to students in her Italian class and provide direct feedback to help them learn. In fact, after just a few weeks, Sister Rosemarie was showing the other teachers how to use it. ‘You can’t stay in teaching and keep going to the old ways,’ she said,” explains Google’s Zach Yeskel, product manager for Classroom and also a former high school math teacher.

Some changes have been made over the past few months following the input of students and teachers. For instance, educators wanted to be able to collaborate with students before the assignments were turned in. As a result, teachers can now view and comment on students’ work to help them along the way.

Google also created a place where educators can post information and materials about their classes, which is the “About” page for each course.

Classroom is now available for users in many countries all over the world, in 42 languages, including right-to-left ones like Hebrew, Arabic, and Persian. The service also works for mobile devices and screen readers, so teachers and students aren’t tied to a desktop computer or laptop while working.

Google has previously promised to make Classroom available for any school through the Google Apps for Education platform by September, and it’s clear that the company has now delivered, with more than two weeks left before August is over.

Before announcing the service, Google has worked with over a dozen pilot schools and universities who offered the company the first batch of feedback, before opening up the system to others who wanted an invitation.

Classroom grading interface
Classroom grading interface

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Google Classroom can now be used across the world
Classroom grading interface
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