Google was hard at work this summer updating G Suite and all of our favorite Google tools. There were so many, I wanted to go over the biggest ones and how they will affect you and your students.
1) Priority Page in Google Drive
According to the G Suite Update blog, this new page will help you access relevant files and take action on them through a combination of suggestions and workspaces. The idea is to make accessing your most important files easier and help you work more efficiently. For example, you’ve been working on a document with members of your department. When you open the priority page, you’ll instantly see the document and be able to review recent edits without having to navigate to the folder or subfolder where the document is located or search your Google Drive for the document. You can access the priority page on the left-side navigation. It replaces “My Drive” as the top spot in the navigation. Learn more on the 9 to 5 Google blog.
How does this affect you?
Honestly, I’m still trying to figure this one out. It sounds like a cool idea, but I will need some time to play with it. This will also be coming to mobile apps too. Right now, I’ve got a pretty organized Google Drive and feel like I can access anything I need quickly enough, so I may choose to not use this feature. It will really only affect you if you choose to try it out. I would like to know if anyone decides to give it a shot! Leave a comment below to let us know your experience.
2) Grammar corrections in Docs
Grammar corrections will show up as blue lines underneath words or phrases. Click the underlined text to see suggestions.
How does this affect you?
One of the frequent complaints I hear from teachers is about the lack of spelling and grammar corrections in Docs. Google has been working to update both its spelling and grammar tools and this update is definitely another way to help benefit student writing. At least, it was helpful with the title of this blog post. I first typed the title in Google Docs as I was typing up some notes and realized I had used the wrong word. I also use the beta version of Grammarly in Docs and it didn’t pick up the mistake, although Google might be superseding it now.
If you still need more help in this area, check out the Read & Write chrome extension from TextHelp or read my post about the tool.
3) New features in presentation mode in Slides
I realized after reading this update that I am not taking full advantage of presentation mode. I think like most teachers, I hit the present button and go through the slides. But if you click the drop down arrow next to present, there’s also presenter view. I really should pay more attention to this, especially when facilitating PD sessions. The new features will make navigating a presentation while presenting much easier. These new features include:
- Resizing speaker notes and slide thumbnails in presenter view
- Navigating to specific slides with keyboard shortcuts
- Control video playback with keyboard shortcuts
- View all available Present mode keyboard shortcuts by clicking the new “tips” button in the presentation control bar.
To resize the speaker notes, drag the separator line between the slide preview and speaker notes to fit your needs. Likewise, to view a list of new keyboard shortcuts click the drop down arrow next to present and select tips.
How does this affect you?
Not major changes, but being able to resize the speaker notes and see upcoming slides, not to mention quicker ways to control videos optimizes your ability to present in a comfortable manner and maximize class time.
4) Compare Two Google Docs at the Same Time
This feature will show you the differences between two docs as “Suggested Edits” in a new document. Click Tools > Compare Documents and choose the file you want to compare against. From the GIF below, it looks like the results show differences between the two documents in red.
How does this affect you?
When I first saw this update, I imagined English teachers everywhere exclaiming “WHAT? This is amazing!” I’m not sure if this is what Google had in mind, but my first thought was wouldn’t this be great as a way to check on students who might copy another student’s essay? It would also work great for teachers to track revisions on student work and save time when offering feedback.
5) Import Questions from Other Google Forms
Google Forms will not only be getting a new look, but will also now allow you to import questions from other Google Forms.
To import questions, open a form and on the right side navigation select the “import question” icon, the one that looks like a paper with an arrow pointing to the right. Then, select the form with the questions you want to import. You can import all questions by choosing “Select All> Import Questions” or select specific questions to import and then select “Import Questions”.
How does this affect you?
The ability to import questions will keep you from having to make copies of Forms or make new ones, thus saving you time.
6) Screencast-o-Matic becomes a Google Edu Partner
This partnership will bring new features and better integration between the two companies. To learn more about using Screencast-o-Matic, visit this site: https://screencast-o-matic.com/blog/record-video-easily/
How does this affect you?
If your district uses single sign-on as mine does, you can sign in to Screencast-o-Matic using your Google account. For Google Classroom users, you will also be able to quickly share videos, while G Suite users will easily be able to embed videos and screencasts in Google Docs for interactive reading resources, embed in Google Sheets to share data and embed in Google Slides for engaging presentations. For those using Chromebooks, users will have the ability to use the screen recorder and create as many recordings as they want.
7) Quizzes Locked Mode in Google Forms
As the use of technology in classrooms has grown, so has the temptation to open a new tab to look up the answers. However, if your students are on managed Chromebooks, this new feature in Google Forms won’t allow for new tabs or other applications to open while students are taking a quiz. For MPCS folks, yes, our chromebooks fall into this category! 🙂
To turn on locked mode in a Google Form: Go to settings and select “quizzes”. Turn on quiz mode and then check the box next to “Turn on locked mode.” For available accessibility features and troubleshooting tips, check the Google Docs Help Center.
How does this affect you?
You will have the confidence of knowing your students will stay focused while taking quizzes and/or tests. If you decide to use this option, students will need to be signed into their school Google accounts and email addresses will be collected. If a student exits the quiz, or opens any other tab, the teacher will be notified via email.
Ms Priester EDU 