The Google Classroom is an educational program that allows teachers to connect classroom content to their students. Teachers can create posts, assign materials to students, link resources, or create a post that prompts blogging. I have posted a link to Google Classroom (it’s free) and a tutorial youtube video to the bottom of this email.

How does this program link audio/oral to reading/writing? Well, in the class, the teacher can switch modes easily when students have computers at their seat. For example, the teacher can post the assignment in written form, and then explain the assignment verbally to students during class. The post the teacher creates (with the assignment) asks students to use their reading literacy (as they read the assignment on the computer screen), but then students would mode switch to the audio literacy skills (as they listen to the teacher explain the assignment). Finally, the student mode switches AGAIN to respond to the assignment in a written fashion.

Consider the mode switching in the following assignment that is posted at the start of class on the Google classroom: Please listen to Gladwell’s Podcast Revisionist History (link at the bottom of the post), then create a 3-4 sentence summary of the podcast in which you identify his central argument.

In the above assignment, students would mode switch from audio, reading/ written, visual, and tactical (computer operation) literacies.

The program is versatile but demands a multimodal experience. Also, students could then respond to each other’s assignments (in a blog fashion) which would enable teachers to assess student learning, and would also empower independent thinking. After using this program, you realize how nice it is to use a blog as a part of the seminar atmosphere. In the classic seminar atmosphere, there are certain group dynamics that play into the way the students respond, but a program like google classroom can facilitate independent thinking. The limitations of the program is that you would need both a computer and high speed wireless in the classroom to utilize this program.