How to Use Google Classroom for Students and Teachers?

Do you know how to use Google Classroom for students or teachers? If no, stick through this guide to learn. The blog explains Google Classroom in detail including creating class, joining class, creating assignments, submitting assignments, and more.

What is Google Classroom?

Google Classroom is an online platform where teachers can teach and students can learn. It is exactly like those classrooms where a person visits physically. With the help of this online service, both teachers and students can communicate.

Teachers on Google Classroom can create classes online, add students, post assignments, review them, grade students, and perform other tasks for the classroom. On the other hand, students can join classes online, submit or unsubmit assignments, and perform other duties assigned by the teachers.

Furthermore, teachers are allowed to use Google Drive, Google Forms, and Google Docs in Google Classroom. This helps teachers to create assignments, share files, or documents.

How to Access Google Classroom?

To access Google Classroom service, one has to sign in to their Google account. In case, you do not have any Google Account, create the one and sign in to proceed.

Once you own a Google account, you can visit the classroom.google.com link. The Google classroom account can be accessed through the web browser on a computer and mobile phone (Android and iPhone). Although Google classroom is easy to access using the mobile phone app, on computers, one can easily create assignments or view other tasks.

How Does Google Classroom Work?

As discussed earlier, Google Classroom can be used to provide education online where students can communicate with teachers and submit their school or college work.

Now, it should have justified to you that Google Classroom can be used for education purposes. You can use it as a teacher or as a student.

Therefore, in this article, we will enlighten you about Google Classroom with two perspectives; one as a teacher and another as a student. This will help you to understand what is Google Classroom used for and how to use Google Classroom as a teacher or student. Let’s get started!

Teacher’s Guide to Google Classroom

First, we will discuss how a teacher can take advantage of this Google Classroom service. To set up Google Classroom as a teacher, you can go through the following ideas:

Here, we will be talking about numerous topics about Google Classroom. For instance, creating a class, adding students, co-teachers, creating assignments, and grading students. Let’s know how to make a Google Classroom.

How to Create a Google Classroom?

As stated earlier, you need to have a Google account to create a Google Classroom. So if you do not have a Google account, you can create it. Once you are logged in to your Google account, you can follow the instruction stated below:

• Go to the Google Classroom login page using the classroom.google.com link.
• On the top right, click on the “Plus”/(+) sign.

• Click on the “Create class”. This will show a pop-up for “G Suite for Education”.
• Click on “Continue” after reading the message.

Note: If you want to use Google Classrooms for real schools, it is suggested to use G Suite for Education to get more security. However, if you are using it for personal work then you can mark a tick and click Continue if you are not using Classroom at a school with students.

• Enter the required information such as “Class Name”, “Section”, “Subject”, and “Room”.
• Then, hit the “Create” button.

Once done, your class on the Google Classroom platform will be created successfully. In addition, this will take you to the class page where you can take actions accordingly.

How to Add Students to Google Classroom?

Once you are done creating a class, you can start adding the students to that classroom.  This can be done in two different ways; either by sending an email invitation or sending a class code.

Here, we will show you both the methods with a step by step guide. To know how to invite students to Google Classroom, you can pursue the following methods:

Method 1: Add Students via Email

The first method is to add the email addresses of the students and send them an invitation via email. To do so, you can follow the steps mentioned below: 

• On Google Classroom, go to the “People” section located on the top menu.
• Click on the “Invite Students” option on the right.
• Type the “Email addresses” of the students whom you want to add to the created classroom.
• Then, hit the “Invite” button.

When you are done following these steps, the invitation via email will be sent to the added students. Thereafter, students can join the class by clicking on the invitation link.

Method 2: Add Students using Class Code

Another method to add students is to use a Class Code. You can grab this code from Google Classroom’s settings. Let’s know how to find the Class code to share in the following steps:

• Click on the “Settings” icon located at the top right.
• In the “General” tab, you will see a “Class code”.

This code can be sent to the selected students whom you want to be a part of your created class. By adding this code, students can join the class.

How to Add a Co-Teacher to Google Classroom?

Besides adding students, you can also add a co-teacher to teach students or have a discussion together. You can do this by sending them an invitation via email address.

To know how to add a teacher to Google Classroom via email, you can walk through the following steps:

• On Google Classroom, go to the “People” section located on the top menu.
• Click on the “Invite teacher” option on the right. You can add single or multiple teachers to the class.
• Type the “Email addresses” of an individual teacher or a group of teachers.
• Then, hit the “Invite” button.

Once you are done following these steps, the added teachers will get an email. Once they click on the invitation link and click on Accept, the invited teachers will join the class automatically.

Things to Learn When Adding Co-Teachers

• Invited teachers can reject the invitation by clicking on the Decline button.
• Only 20 teachers can join the class no matter if you are sending invitations to more than 20.
• The strength of the total class (including teachers and students) is 1000 maximum for the G Suite for Education account whereas for the Personal account only 250 can be part of the class (including teachers and students).

How to Create Assignments in Google Classroom?

Being a teacher it is obvious to assign tasks to your students. Google Classroom allows you to create assignments and share them with students so that they can work on it.

Before moving forward, make sure you have created a class for which you want you to create assignments. Let’s know how to create assignments in Google Classroom.

Part 1:  Create a Class Before Creating Assignments

• Go to Google Classroom main page.
• On the top right, click on the “Plus”/(+) sign.
• Click on the “Create class”.
• Enter the required information such as “Class Name”, “Section”, “Subject”, and “Room”.
• Then, hit the “Create” button.

Part 2: Create the Assignment for a Specific Class

• On the homepage, go to the “Classwork” section on the top.
• Click on the “Create” button. Here, you will find other options which are as follows:
  • Assignments – To create regular assignments.
  • Questions – For creating a single question for students.
  • Material – To post a visual or reading material for students.
  • Topic – To organize the content you teach the entire year.
  • Reuse post
• You can click on the option based on what you want to create such as the “Assignment” option.
• When you see the “Assignment Form”, fill in the necessary details such as “Title”, “Instructions”, “Due Date”, and more.
• Once done, click the “Assign” button.

Note for you: The deadline for your assignments gets added to the Google Calendar. You can click on the Calendar icon on the Classwork section to get a better view.

When you are done creating assignments, your students will get the notification via email. Thereafter, you can work on it and submit it.

More Details about Creating Assignments

The idea of creating an assignment should be clear to you now. Besides that, there are a number of features you can take advantage of in Google Classroom.

For instance, teachers can insert a file from Google Docs file as a reference for their students. This is helpful when you want to instruct your students with a detailed guide.

Moreover, you can decide how you want your students to interact with the documents. You can allow or not allow them to view, edit, or make a copy for students.

Learn How to Use Google Docs in Classroom

To attach Google Docs with the assignment, you should be on the Assignment Form (as we created earlier). After filling in the information such as Title, Points, and Due date, you can click on the Attach file or link icon and add your document.

To set the authority, you can click on the dropdown menu where you will find the following options:

• Students can view file
• Students can edit file
• Make a copy for each student

Depending on your requirements, you can set the authority. By selecting Make a copy for each student, a separate copy will be created for every student. Then, they can work on it individually.

Can a Teacher Mark an Assignment Done in Google Classroom?

Teachers not just only create assignments on Google Classroom, they can view and mark grading as well.

Once the students submit their assignments, teachers have the ability to view an individual assignment and set the score for each student. If required you can use the grading tool and view the whole class marks to download scores. Let’s learn how to view and grade assignments.

Part 1: View an Individual Assignment

• Go to the Google Classroom login page using the classroom.google.com link
• Click on the “Classwork” section.

• Pick the assignments you are supposed to grade.
• Click on the “View Assignment” option.
• On the “Student Work” page, you can view the assignments submitted by the students.

Part 2: Grade Assignments

• On the “Student Work” page, click on the “Score” located next to each student’s name.
• Enter the grade you want to mark for a student.
• Once done, click on the “Return” option located on the top.

Doing so, this report will be sent to the corresponding students. This is how you can view and mark scores for students within Google Classroom.

More Details about Grading Assignments

Teachers can also mark scores using the grading tool. It is available within each submission To understand clearly, you can go through the following instructions:

• Click on the assignment in order to open it.
• On the right, you will see the grading tool.
• Here, set the score in the “Grade” field.
• Add “Private comments” for the students if required.
• Once done, click on the “Return” button located on the top.

Part 3: View and Download Scores

After marking the entire class, teachers can export the scores to a Google Sheet and print them if necessary. In the sheet, it creates columns for grades for assignments, average grades, and the overall average grade for the class.

If you want to get these scores as a record or print then you can export them as CSV. To download the scores, you can do the following:

• On the “Student Work” page, click on the “Settings” icon.
• Then, click on the “Copy all grades to Google Sheets” option.

This will create a spreadsheet that you can export.

Important: When you update the scores, it will not get updated on the download sheet fromGoogle Classroom. Thus, you need to download the scores again if you update them in the future.

This is all about the teacher’s Google Classroom where you can create a class, add students, add co-teachers, create assignments, and grade students. Besides that, you can use Google Forms for surveys and quizzes. Also, communicate with students and their parents for meetings.

If you are stuck by this question “how do I use Google Classroom as a teacher” the aforementioned details are helpful to follow.

What is Google Classroom for Students?

Students can also use Google Classroom. However, there are a few things that a student needs to do before moving forward.

For instance, students need to have a Google Account so that they can create their Google Classroom account. Thereafter, they can join classes through the invitation sent by teachers and perform duties given by teachers. Let’s know how do students log into Google Classroom in the following guide.

How to Sign in Google Classroom As a Student?

To know how to login to Google Classroom, one has to make sure that you are logged in to your Google account. Then, visit the classroom.google.com link to open how to login to Google Classroom. If you are visiting the website for the first time, you will have to choose your role as Student.

How to Join Google Classroom?

Students can join classes using a class code provided by the teacher. If you are thinking about how to find Google Classroom code as a student then you should check your emails where your teacher sent you an invitation link.

Once you received the code, follow these steps to understand better:

• Visit the Google Classroom page.
• Then, click on the Plus (+) icon on the top right.
• Select the “Join Class” option.
• Enter the “Code” in the box sent by your teacher.

• Hit the “Join” button.

After following these steps, your class will be joined by you. Thereafter, you can go to the Stream tab and check announcements, assignments, questions, comments, and more. Students can also create a post by attaching files from the computer, Google Drive, YouTube videos, and web links.

How Do Students Turn in Work on Google Classroom?

In the Stream section, students can view their assignments given by teachers. If your teachers assign a copy of a Google file (Sheets, Docs, or Slides) as a part of your assignment then you will see a Turn In button.

When the students are done working on their assignments, they can submit their work by hitting the Turn In button. Thereafter, the work will be shared with the teacher.

Important Note: Hitting the Turn In button will change the ownership which means students cannot edit the assignment once it is submitted or turned in. Even if a student needs to edit the assignment, one has to click on the Unsubmit button. After editing the details, you can again click on the Turn In button to submit your work.

In case your teacher assigned a collaborative task for the class then students will see Mark as a Done option. Once your task is done, you can hit this button to submit your task. If you are concerned about how do students submit assignments in Google Classroom, the above-mentioned details are helpful.

How to Email Teacher on Google Classroom?

There can be instances when a student needs to send an email to teachers. For that, you can follow these instructions:

• On the Google Classroom page, click on your teacher’s class.
• Go to “People”.
• Click on the “Email” button next to the teacher’s name.
• Type your email and click the “Send” button.

Note: If you don’t see the Email icon, it indicates you are not allowed to send emails to a specific teacher.

This is how a student can operate Google Classroom. Students can easily join classes, check announcements or assignments, submit or unsubmit assignments to the teachers.

In a Nutshell

Google Classroom is the best platform for teachers and students to collaborate and manage assignments online. This requires no paperwork at all. Moreover, you can organize your current and past tasks in one place.

If you are still having any confusion about how to make a Google Classroom for teachers or students, you can drop your query in the comment box.

Also, don’t miss out on these amazing guides on Google Docs:

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Frequently Asked Questions About Google Classroom