Google has updated its educational initiative - Classroom - which it launched last year, enhancing it with a new API, an embeddable share button, mobile notifications, whitelisted domains and more.
On Monday, June 29, Google issued the series of updates to its Classroom, an initiative which attempts to make the use of Google Apps for Education easier to use for teachers.
The feature enables teachers to set-up lesson plans. They can integrate Docs, Gmail services and Google Drive for both assigning and gathering work online. Teachers can also use this feature to communicate in a simplified manner with students beyond the classroom.
"Starting today [June 29], developers can embed the Classroom share button and sign up for the developer preview of the Classroom API. These tools make it easy for developers to seamlessly integrate with Classroom in ways that help teachers and students - like letting teachers create assignments directly from Quizlet, Duolingo, PBS and many other favorites," revealed Google in a statement.
The new Classroom API will enable the admins to both populate and provision classes on the teacher's behalf. It will also help in the setting up of tools that enable Classroom to be synced with the Student Information Systems. The Classroom API will also enable "basic visibility into which classes are being taught in their domain."
Developers who are keen on deploying the new API have the option of requesting early access to the preview version which is being tested in July. Post the preview period, Google reveals that all the Apps for Education domains will get access to the APIs.
Users also benefit from a new share button that will aid in linking the content that is on the Internet to Classroom and for this, one does not need to exit the websites/pages. The share button is expected to be added by over 20 partners, which include Duolingo and PBS.
Classroom will also add the ability to whitelist domains and the feature will be pushed out in the coming weeks. Another addition to the feature is the inclusion of mobile notifications for both Android and iOS apps, which will send alerts to students when a teacher issues grades, sends notes or creates an assignment. One will also be able to re-use previous posts for future classes in Classroom.
