“G Suite” (formerly known as Google Apps for Education) streamlines classroom productivity

Over the past ten years, Google has developed applications that have left a positive impact on the education field.  Apps like Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides allow for collaborative opportunities and help K-12 students learn to cultivate digital citizenship skills!  Here at Teq, we offer a variety of courses designed to help teachers become acquainted with the Google to enhance the learning experience for students of all ages.  With the evolution of the apps, be sure to stay tuned for updates within our courses.  Be assured that the changes that are coming to Google Apps can continue to benefit teachers and students alike!

Updates include:

• New Name
  Shifting from “Google Apps for Education” to “G Suite” is perhaps the most noticeable change the platform displays.  The simplified nature of the title seems to coincide with the ease with which teachers and students will continue to utilize Google apps.
• Team Drives
  Collaboration is carried out seamlessly with team drives. When assigning group projects and assignments, teachers and students alike can benefit from team drives with co-authoring opportunities.
• Quick Access
  When looking for documents or projects saved on Drive, G Suite will provide users with suggested items based on frequency of access.  From an educator’s perspective, this can help save both teachers and students time when searching for ongoing work.
• Explore Feature
  This can be helpful in the classroom (docs, sheets, slides).  Searching with “natural language” will help users easily identify specific components of projects.  Explore also provides teachers and students with suggestions and tips for layout and design aspects.

To learn more about Explore, check out our post 4 Ways the All-New Explore is Making Google Apps Even Better.

Remember, G Suite is free and accessible on all devices!  Be sure to join us for an upcoming Online PD Session in December to learn more about the effective updates G Suite has to offer!

For more information about G Suite, be sure to check out these great sources!

• https://techcrunch.com/2016/09/29/google-rebrands-its-business-apps-as-g-suite-launches-team-drive-upgrades-apps/
• https://techcrunch.com/2016/10/19/why-oh-why-are-they-calling-it-g-suite/
• http://www.edtechmagazine.com/k12/article/2016/10/3-ways-g-suite-updates-use-machine-intelligence-make-classrooms-more-efficient

To learn more, check out our Google Digital Teacher Certification. Not a subscriber of Teq Online PD? Sign up for a free 7-day trial below!