M6B5: Case Study on Google Classroom and Jupiter Ed.

Case Study: Google Classroom 

• Overview: Google classroom is a cloud-based learning platform that is designed to help facilitate digital learning through a variety of different tools. The platform is mainly used by students, teachers and parents, and allows teachers to create, distribute and grade assignments while integrating other important Google tools such as Google Docs, Google Slides and Google Drive. It offers remote learning options and allows students and educators to interact and access different materials, and track grades/progress. It provides metrics of student progression, and allows teachers to analyze when students visit their Google Classroom.

• User Engagement: 
• Teachers- Teachers use Google Classroom in a variety of ways. Teachers use the platform to create assignments, and are able to incorporate additional materials via Google Docs or Google Slides. Teachers are also capable of tracking student progress by grading and returning assignments digitally. Teachers can set term limits, and track if a student has progressed from one term to another by tracking their overall average through each term. Google Classroom also allows teachers to provide feedback to students, allowing students to see if their work was satisfactory or not, and lets them know what they can improve on. The platform simpifies grading for teachers by using an automated system of returning work, and enables direct communication between teachers and their students/students’ parents.

• Students- Students engage with Google Classroom in a variety of different ways. Firstly, Google Classroom is a wonderful resource for students to submit assignments in a multitude of ways. It allows students to submit photos, upload Google Docs or Slides, or allows them to typre directly on an assignment and complete it there. Students also have the opportunity to participate in discussion activities by allowing them to post publicly about their thoughts and interpretations of the assignment. The platform also allows them to work collaboratively with others via the utilization of Google Docs and Google Slides. Additionally, it allows students to track the progress of their grades. Lastly, it supports synchronous and asynchronous work, as there are options to have  Google meet sessions through Google Classroom.

• Parents- Parents do not have direct access to the entirety of Google Classroom, they can receive and send emails through the program, as well as track the progress of their children by looking at their grades/feedback.

• Influence on Communication: Google Classroom allows communication between multiple different parties both in and out of the classroom. Firstly, it fosters great teacher-student communication as it allows teachers to provide real-time feedback on assignments, as well as post announcements that students can see both in the class and at home. The platform also allows for student collaboration, that being through the use of discussion boards or Google Slides where students can work collaboratively on an assignment together, either within or outside of the classroom. The platform also allows for parent involvement, by allowing teachers to send direct emails and messages to parents if parents have elected to enter their email addresses.

• Information Consumption: Google classroom allows for information to be shared and consumed in a variety of ways. The platform allows students to access a variety of resources by organizing learning materials in a well structured way. Students can have access to everything the teacher posts, so they are always able to be fully updated almost instantaneously about any work they have to complete, as well as have access to any articles/readings the teacher assigns for them. The communication that Google Classroom provides does not only benefit students who have high traditional literacy skills. Google Classroom allows students to watch and listen to videos, which benefits students who prefer auditory learning.

 

• Impact on Learning:
• Positive Effects: There are a variety of benefits that come with using Google Classroom as a learning tool. One of the benefits is the increased engagement amongst students with interactive digital tools. The exposure to this platform will allow students to enhance their digital literacy skills and get them ready for school after high school. Another benefit is the facilitation of organization and the accessibility that students have to learning materials. Lastly, like previously mentioned, Google Classroom offers the means for differentiated instruction by providing a variety of different ways that students can digest the content being given to them.

• Negative Effects: While I do believe that Google classroom is overall a positive tool for students, staff and parents, there are some negative aspects attached to the platform. One being the over reliance on technology and how that can reduce in person communication. With Google Classroom offering a variety of options for communication with students, it might limit students' confidence in asking teachers questions or concerns in real life during class time, and instead rely on the platform to message their teachers later. Along with this, there could be many different accessibility issues, as lower income students might not have easy or adequate access to the internet, so being able to use this platform would be hindered by their inability to access it while not connected to WiFi.

• Privacy and Safety: Google Classroom offers a variety of safety precautions to ensure that all students have privacy and safety. For one, the only way in which any other person can access the classroom is if they receive a code that only the teacher has access to. This ensures that only people approved by the teacher can see announcements and work. Along with this, students are only able to view their own grades, not the grades of their peers. The only other way anyone can access Google Classroom is if a link it sent out to parents in order to see the progress of their children. 

• Required Literacies: With Google Classroom being accessible in a variety of different online formats, it is crucial for students to require a variety of different literacies. The most important type of literacy that is required of students is digital literacy. To start, Google Classroom is only offered as an app on a cellphone or as a website on a computer. Being able to navigate either of these devices requires mass amounts of digital literacy, as it involves having competency in maneuvering through these devices in an efficient manner. Along with this, digital literacy is also required for students to navigate the platform. They need to understand the different interfaces that are offered, and understand how each section of the website works.

• Implications for K-12 Education: Google Classroom is a very reliant and helpful tool in the K-12 setting. The platform aligns heavily with educational goals, as it supports learning in both group and individualized settings. It also allows easy accessibility for students, parents and teachers. Teachers can utilize Google Classroom for effective teaching by promoting student engagement in group work activities. Along with this, teachers can ensure that no child is left behind by uploading any work that was missed by students directly to the platform for students to complete. The platform also allows for parental engagement in their student work by being able to directly see any assignments their children are missing. They can also send direct emails to teachers through the platform.

Case Study: Jupiter Ed. 

• Overview: Jupiter Ed. is a web based learning application that is designed to assist students and teachers in facilitating day to day school activities. The platform is mainly used by teachers, students and parents as a method of tracking students progress and averages based on the current grading term they are in. Jupiter offers the option to track assignment progress and a direct messaging system. Jupiter mainly functions as a grade tracking system.

• User Engagement:
• Teachers- Teachers use Jupiter Ed. in a variety of different ways. Teachers can link several different other platforms to their Jupiter accounts, and can directly upload assignments from these other platforms. This allows for cohesive collaboration between these different digital tools. The most common of platforms that Jupiter links to is Google Classroom, which allows you to bring all assignments and data directly over. Teachers can also assign weight to different assignments, such as an assessment being higher than an ordinary classwork assignment. Additionally, Jupiter allows teachers to track attendance of students, and sends a direct message to parents or guardians if their child is absent or late for class.

• Students- Students are also capable of using Jupiter Ed. in a plethora of ways. Firstly, students can directly message their teachers through the apps messaging feature. This allows for steady communication between teachers and students. Along with this, students can track all of their assignments and grades through the app, and can evaluate which assignments are helping or hindering their grades the most. Student can also view their report cards directly through the app, incase they are absent during the distribution of report cards in schools.

• Parents- Unlike similar applications, like Google Classroom, Jupiter Ed. offers parents a wide variety of accessible features. Firstly, parents are offered the same view that students are when assessing students' grades. This allows them to have a fully updated understanding of how their child is doing. Along with this, teachers have direct access to messaging features with teachers and guidance counselors. This allows teachers to update students on potential problems with students at home, such as a sickness.

• Influence on Communication: Jupiter Ed. allows communication between multiple different parties, those including teachers, parents and students. Firstly, teachers are able to communicate directly to students, parents and other teachers. This fosters an open dialogue between all parties about the progress of the student. Aside from the messaging system offered on Jupiter, the platform also offers real time feedback and progress monitoring of students' work and sends notifications to parents. This allows parents to be aware  of their children's grades without directly needing to contact the teacher. 

• Information Consumption: Jupiter Ed. does not facilitate the transportation of information to students outside of analytics. Other than being able to allow students to track their grades in a multitude of different ways, such as progression and weight of assignments, they can not access any of the content from the class directly on Jupiter, as attaching documents/slides does not seem to be an option. However, the link between Google Classroom and Jupiter allows students to know exactly what assignment from Google Classroom is being posted on to Jupiter, and this allows them to go back to Google Classroom and analyze the content there. Students are also able to improve their assignment management by organizing their work based on deadlines given for each assignment, as well as feedback.

• Impact on Learning:
• Positive Effects: Jupiter Ed. has a variety of benefits as a learning tool. Firstly, Jupiter encourages students to be held accountable for their grades with real time grade tracking. Along with this, it allows teachers to provide students with personalized support due to Jupiter’s data analytics and the way it attracts and presents grades of students. Lastly, Jupiter, enhances parental involvement by fostering an environment where teachers and parents can message each other directly through the application, allowing for instantaneous communication about any problem that the student might be facing

• Negative Effects: While Jupiter provides many benefits for teachers, students and parents. It does not come without drawbacks. The over emphasis on grades and analytics on Jupiter could cause a student to become overwhelmed, especially with a full course load of classes. On top of this, Jupiter does not offer peer to peer interaction like many other platforms do, for example, Google classroom. Jupiter is highly used for analytics and not for engagement between students.

• Privacy and Safety: Unlike Google classroom, Jupiter is an administrative based application that allows all administrators in the school building to access student data, including grades, attendance and performance. This can cause more privacy concerns than a platform like Google Classroom, or something similar to it. However, Jupiter is still considered to be a safe and private application for students to use, as nobody outside of the students school is able to access student data. Along with this no other student can see other students grades or performance. 

• Required Literacy: with Jupiter being a web-based application, there are a variety of different literacies that are involved with understanding how to use it. Digital literacy stands amongst all of them as the most important type of literacy when navigating Jupiter. Jupiter has a very intricate interface that could confuse students, so students understanding how to navigate it will involve digital literacy skills that are more advanced than average. students will also need these digital literacy skills to understand the analytics being shown to them when looking at their grades and performance in a class.

• Implications for K-12: Jupiter aligns with educational goals in a variety of ways. One being the exposure of student data and Progression which allows students to have a consistent understanding of their academics. Educators can use this to foster effective teaching by allowing students to always know how they are doing in class, which could avoid in person distractions with questions regarding grades. Parents also play a vital role in Jupiter's success, due to  the platform's reliance on its messaging system. In order for a parent to be able to receive a message they need to be signed up on Jupiter and have their accounts registered. This reliance on parents makes it so that parental involvement is vital for student success on Jupiter.