Summertime, and the Learning is Easy!

School may be out, but the learning never stops—especially for educators! If professional development is on your summer to-do list, we’ve got some ideas for you. Below, check out some professional development options from our partners.

Become a Google Certified Educator

Whether you want to learn how to better use Google tools to streamline your classroom, are interested in learning more about Chromebooks or you’d like to train other educators as a summer side hustle, Google for Education offers a variety of training paths. Free online training help educators make the most of classroom technology, while also preparing them for certifications, including Level 1 and 2 Educator Certifications to Certified Coach, Trainer and Innovator. 

A few highlights of Google’s free courses include the Digital Citizenship and Safety Course, which informs educators how to keep themselves and their students safe from phishing and other scams, how to manage and maintain an online reputation, and how to navigate issues around privacy. Meanwhile, in the Tools for Diverse Learners Training, explore ways to harness technology to better accommodate learners with special needs. 

Inspired educators with a vision to transform education can check out Google’s Certified Innovator program. The program nurtures educators who’ve passed the Google Certified Educator Level 2 exam in launching their own innovation projects with the support of a community of like-minded learners and mentoring. 

Delve into Dell Technologies Professional Learning

Dell Technologies collaborates with school districts to provide personalized professional development for educators. From virtual courses to professional certification offerings, Dell is committed to helping districts achieve their goals. 

Among Dell’s virtual courses, you’ll find classes like Authentic Student Learning and Gamification, which cover the benefits of gamification while also incorporating the theory into the training itself. Inquiry and Questioning: Igniting Student Curiosity with Technology provides a deep dive into the value of fostering curiosity, as well as the intersection of curiosity and technology. Leading a Culture of Change in your School examines technology initiatives that can be used to create change.

Explore the Microsoft Learn Educator Center

The Microsoft Learn Educator Center offers a plethora of training options. Whether you’re interested in integrating Minecraft into your teaching by becoming a Global Minecraft Mentor, learning more about increasing accessibility and inclusivity in your school, or diving deeper into STEM and coding, you’re sure to find training that matches your interests. 

Close the STEM gap by engaging girls goes over ways to close the gender gap and lead more girls and women into STEM careers. In Build social and emotional skills in your classroom community with Reflect, teachers learn how Microsoft’s Reflect app gives students the chance to identify their emotions, increase empathy and feel heard. For educators interested in how a blend of in-person and virtual learning might look in the future, check out Lead forward: Integrate the best strategies from remote, hybrid and blended learning for school leaders.

What are your favorite professional development resources for educators? Leave us a comment and let us know!

Cleaning up your Classroom Tech for Summer Break

Cleaning up your Classroom Tech for Summer Break

As the academic calendar winds down, it’s natural for educators and administrators to daydream about their summer plans. But before you leave your classroom behind for the summer, you might devote some time to do some digital decluttering of your devices. Think of it as the virtual version of wiping a chalkboard clean—it takes a little time now, but you’ll appreciate it when you return to the classroom next school year. Here are a few things to consider as you prepare for the summer break.

Decide on a strategy

Are you a dive-in-and-do-it-all-in-one-day type? If so, get out your calendar and schedule a day to spend on digital clean-up. On the other hand, if the thought of spending hours on end sorting through your devices makes your eyes cross, try setting aside smaller chunks of time. Spending just 15 minutes before or after each school day sorting through files can make the task more manageable. 

Delete, delete, delete

With the school year still fresh in your mind, it’s the ideal time to spring clean your devices. Are apps you or your school no longer use taking up space on your devices? Do you have saved parent email lists, photos, or lesson plans from previous school years that you no longer need? Go through and purge any apps, files, bookmarks, emails, and folders that you know you won’t need for the next school year. 

File it

“What if I might need it later?” is a common refrain when decluttering. If you’re finding you have a lot of files, apps, or lessons that you think you might need in the future, it might be helpful to create a “maybe” or “decide later” folder. You could even put a reminder in your calendar now for a date a few months into the next school year to review your “maybe” file.

Reflect. 

Let’s face it—the last few years have been incredibly challenging for educators. You’ve made it through another school year, enduring difficulties your professional training never could’ve prepared you for. Take a moment to acknowledge the wild ride it’s been, full of rocky moments and silver linings. You could even write yourself a short note summing up aspects of the school year that went well and those that didn’t.

Enjoy your well-earned summer break! 

Top Ed-Tech Resources in 2022

As a premier educational technology supplier for several decades, Arey Jones knows a thing or two about the best machines in the business. We provide customized solutions for our clients, and with that, recommend excellent products that aid in the creation of modern learning spaces.

Our partners are pioneers in the field of EdTech, bringing to the table some of the most cutting-edge tools, gadgets, and programs. To kick off the new calendar year, we’re excited to share some of our favorite features offered by partners of Arey Jones.

HP

HP Education solutions commit to aiding education, everywhere. Its built-for-school technology is perfect for teachers and students alike. The HP Chromebook 11 is a top pick for education. It has so many features to love: a long battery life, a great sized screen, and a HD IPS touchscreen- just to name a few. It’s comfortable and reliable: great for traveling back and forth to school and home.

Microsoft

Microsoft Office 365 is integral to virtually every business and academic landscape. With must-have features like Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint, and OneNote, it’s impossible to imagine a school without it. 

Recently, Office 365 launched several useful, groundbreaking, and fun new features. Take a look at all of our favorites here. In addition, these free tools from Microsoft make everyday teaching tasks function a little easier.

Google

Google for Education remains a prominent figure in the EdTech world, and for good reason! Google Classroom is filled with incredibly useful programs. Their systems streamline everything from lesson planning to parent communication.

Peruse Google for Education for more information on specific features (such as slides, docs, and meet), and other highlights like professional development.

Google Chromebooks pack some power, but they also boast affordability. Their lightweight design makes them perfect for classroom use, and they can easily be navigated by little hands. When paired with the other, innovative features that Google classroom has to offer, Chromebooks can truly transform the educational experience- both from in and outside of the classroom. Check out some of our favorite things to do with Google Chromebooks.

Dell

Dell is a well-respected and well-known name in the tech industry. They have a device to fit every lifestyle and academic need. One of our favorites is the Dell 3110 Chromebook is designed to last. Its rigorous testing includes making sure it’s able to endure dozens of drops. The keyboard is spill and tamper-resistant, and the ports stay protected and covered with reinforced brackets. These awesome features and its impressively long battery life make this Chromebook a perfect fit for school.

Lenovo

Lenovo is one of the most trusted brands out there.  The Lenovo 100e is perfectly designed with education in mind. It’s durable and light, making it extra portable for students on the move. With rubber bumpers and reinforced hinges, it can stand the test of time (and the test of little ones) in the classroom. 

Lenovo’s 300e is a practical, impressive machine and comes at a price that any school administrator will love. It’s built with education in mind, and with the durability to thrive while under the care of younger students. We love its water-resistant keyboard and the seamless way it is able to run apps. 

These tech devices and programs are sure to assist in making 2022 a great year for education. Click here to find out what services Arey Jones has to offer.

How to Keep Kids Excited About Reading During a Pandemic

It’s been nearly a year since COVID turned our world upside down, changing the structure of school and our social lives. Since then, parents and teachers everywhere have been worn thin by the new expectations and ever evolving forums. What’s remained unchanged is our mutual commitment to both students’ safety and success.

In the educational landscape, reading is fundamental. It connects all disciplines, growing a child’s fluency and comprehension. That’s why it’s more important than ever to nurture children’s love of learning, even during unpredictable times.

Take a look at these four tips for keeping reading an educational priority.

Check in with your local library.

Depending on your location and city’s current status, your library may be open. Seasonally, most libraries offer reading challenges- complete with fun rewards and book recommendations. Sometimes, a little extra incentive is what kids need to keep them encouraged. Many libraries across the country are offering curbside pickup for easy exposure-less experiences. Check out your library’s website to see how they’re handling the current challenges.

Take turns reading aloud.

Reading fluency is an important skill that requires practice. With your child, take turns reading aloud. This can take many forms: a page in a book, a list from a recipe, or even directions from a new board game. Parents can begin a bedtime tradition of reading to their children from an engaging chapter book. For teachers, using read aloud excerpts is an effective way to expose students to nonfiction and more complex passages. 

Let students make recommendations.

Like everyone, kids love to share their perspectives. Allow them to assume the role of Book Reviewer for their peers. If you’re still teaching in your classroom, designate a visible place where students can display their book reviews, or carve out a spot on Google Classroom specifically for this purpose. Students will feel like their opinions are heard, and their reviews can help other kids choose a book that is well rated and loved by friends.

Change the format. 

Sometimes, a change in medium can pique kids’ interest enough to keep reading. There are countless tech toys that are both fun and educational: The Touch and Teach Word Book and LeapStart 3D Learning System are two great choices or younger children. Kindles ebooks work well to provide efficiency, choices, and fun for older children. For kids of all ages, audiobooks provide a different way to enjoy texts.

Pandemic life has altered the way we live, and education is no exception. Educators and parents know that reading is absolutely fundamental to young people’s development. Luckily, with the help of creative ideas and technology, we can keep kids excited about reading through these uncertain times.

It’s Madness: The Biggest Players In Tech

There’s a lot of chatter this year about basketball, brackets and top-seeded teams but we’re more interested in some of the standout players in the EdTech field. 

These two champions are always coming up with new products, tips and updates to help administrators and educators effectively do the job of teaching students.

Reigning Champs

Microsoft Education has been at the forefront of EdTech since the beginning. The company and its partners are consistently updating products and providing tips for users. For example, Microsoft Education recently released 10 learning tool updates for the new year which includes adding Translator in the Immersive Reader, combining step-by-step solving in Math Assistant and reading aloud in Immersive Reader and page colors in Word Desktop.

Some other Microsoft products that are moving and shaking are,

• FlipGrid – As more schools and classrooms connect through FlipGrid, #GridPals, a spin on penpals, help engage students with peers around the world. This awesome dynamic helps students learn from others, share their love of learning through books and offer support.

• OneNote – Custom tags are now in OneNote! Users can now name the tag and select an icon to create a custom tag that will sync across devices and show up in app search results. Brilliant!

• Skype Classroom - Skype in the Classroom is unveiling all sorts of different PD options educators can use to get more out of the product. The best news is the courses are FREE!

The Cinderella Team

Google For Education has become a major player in the EdTech world. Its powerful yet affordable Chromebooks have helped make technology accessible to all students. Its GoogleEdu YouTube channel regularly hosts product updates and EdTech know-how, like the new gradebook in Google Classroom and lock mode for quizzes in Google Forms on managed Chromebooks. 

Some other Google For Education product updates and tips include,

• Gmail – Customizable keyboard shortcuts, how are we not already doing this? Make your Gmail work for you by creating your own keyboard shortcuts. A couple quick clicks in Settings can change your entire day.

• Google Drive – No Internet, no problem. Google Drive allows users to access stored files without Wi-Fi or any other type of Internet. You can work on the go, edit Google Docs, Sheets, Slides and more when you’re in the dark.

• Google Classroom – Google is rolling out new features in 2019, including allowing teachers to create and assign a forms quiz directly from classroom. This saves time and streamlines the entire process.

The good news is you don’t have to pick a team. Microsoft Education and Google for Education have tons of programs and products that seamlessly work together making the fans the real winners.

Administrators: Here is your Summer Reading List

Whether you’re hitting the road this summer or just lounging by the pool, a great book can really enrich the experience. Why not make it one that puts you ahead of the game with education technology for the fall term? Wondering about Chromebooks, G Suite or Google Classroom? Brush up on your knowledge or even demystify a topic with a paperback. We’ve chosen a couple guides for mastering tech in the classroom that are a must-have on your summer reading list.

4 Books to Read on EdTech

• The Chromebook Classroom: If you’re considering Chromebooks for your school, you need this guide by John R. Sowash. It gives a fast, clear roadmap for turning a new fleet of Chromebooks into rich learning tools for a single classroom or an entire district. The Chromebook Classroom is the perfect companion for any educator just getting started with Chromebooks, or one that’s looking for new ways to boost their students' learning through technology. Buy it here.

• The Google Infused Classroom: This paperback, by EdTech experts Holly Clark and Tanya Avrith, is perfect for any educator looking to use technology in the classroom. It is filled with practical ideas and strategies about using G Suite. It focuses on 20 essential Google tools that will help your teachers learn to incorporate into their classrooms. Buy it here.

• Shake Up Learning: This book by Kasey Bell is divided into three parts to help educators explore why they need to shake up learning with technology and what changes you can have your teachers make in their classrooms. The book also includes ideas for lesson planning and tips on digital learning, plus free downloads. Buy it here.

• 50 Things You Can Do With Google Classroom: Educators Alice Keeler and Libbi Miller have answered one of the most frequently-asked questions with this book, “How can I effectively implement digital tools in the classroom when I don’t fully understand them myself?” It offers a thorough overview of the Google Classroom App, including how to create a paperless classroom, set up a Google Classroom, share announcements and offer virtual office hours. Buy it here.

Dive into these books this summer and then put them in the staffroom this fall to share with your teachers. They are a great resource for anyone who wants to successfully incorporate technology in education. Have another great read that’s changed your thinking? Share it below!

G Suite Enterprise For Education Is Now Open!

G Suite for Education is Google’s suite of best-in-class productivity tools for teaching and learning. In January 2018, Google announced it was making this product even better with security updates for G Suite for Education and a new edition, G Suite Enterprise for Education, an expanded version built specifically for large educational institutions.

 G Suite Enterprise for Education is the product of feedback from private and public colleges and university to school districts, all who expressed the desire for more advanced tools. It offers many of the same capabilities available to G Suite business customers, in addition to future features geared towards the specific needs of educational institutions.

Google outlined some of the capabilities available in G Suite Enterprise for Education in its blog, including:

• Mobile Device Management.Advanced mobile device management helps large institutions manage mobile BYOD devices. G Suite admins can define custom rules that trigger on device events, like device updates or ownership changes, and have associated actions. Additionally, admins can review audits and reports of activities on these devices, as well as securely manage work apps on a user’s device while leaving personal apps under the user’s control. 

• Cloud Search. Now, cloud search provides a unified search experience across G Suite to help users spend less time searching for information and more time deriving insights. Cloud Search surfaces personalized information that helps users stay on top of important work, prepare for upcoming meetings or even suggest files that need attention.

• Gmail Logs Analysis In BigQuery. Logs in BigQuery contain information that can help education administrators diagnose issues or unlock insights. Admins will be able to run sophisticated, high-performing custom queries and build custom dashboards. Their domain’s data can also be analyzed with Admin reports in BigQuery. 

• Security Center For G Suite. The security center brings together security analytics, actionable insights and best practice recommendations from Google so that admins can protect their organization, data and users. Admins now have access to a unified security dashboard and can reduce risk to their organization by adopting security health recommendations from Google

• Record meetings and save them to Drive. This is for schools that want to capture faculty meetings or online lectures. Hangouts Meet can be used to record and save them directly to Drive, making them readily accessible for those that weren’t able to attend.  

• Hangouts Meet. This edition gives now connects up to 50 participants on a single video and phone conference. The dial-in feature in Meetallows users to seamlessly connect to meetings via phone. If a participant doesn’t have a reliable Wi-Fi connection, they can join via a conferencing bridge that’s automatically added to every meeting. 

Unlike G Suite for Education, which is available for free, customers pay $4 per user, per month, for Enterprise’s additional features. This is still cheaper than Google’s G Suite Enterprise for business, which is $25 per user, per month. Plus, Google promises extra features at no extra cost. If you’re using G Suite Enterprise for Education, let us know what you love and what you don’t.

Top Chrome Extensions For The Google Classroom

Google Classroom has been instrumental in changing the way education looks today. It streamlines assignments, boosts collaboration and fosters seamless communication to help make teaching more productive. There’s also the advantage of being able to integrate hundreds of Chromebook apps and extensions that save teachers and students time and make it seamless to share information. Extensions enhance the browsing experience by tailoring Chrome’s functionality towards individual needs and preferences. 

Here are some of our favorites.

Grammarly

Grammarly is an online editor that gives all of your text the once-over before you send it to colleagues, parents or students. It’s a free extension that revises the text you type in Chrome, Facebook, Gmail, Twitter, Linkedin and anywhere else on the web. It suggests corrections based on both spelling and grammar, and it explains alternative options because we call all still learn.

Screencastify

Screencastify is a great tool to use when you need to create a quick demonstration or instructional video. It is a screen recorder that allows you to capture, edit and share videos in seconds. It can tell a story in just a couple of clicks.

CheckMark by EdTechTeam

This extension is designed to give teachers the ability to provide students with feedback quickly and easily. When a teacher highlights text in Google Docs, an overlay pops up with quick shortcuts to frequently-added comments such as “Spelling” or “Check Punctuation,” or “Evidence needed.” CheckMark has both comments related to grammar as well as concepts, citations and more.

Shareaholic

Shareaholic gives you the ability to share and bookmark great content, without stopping what you’re doing on Chrome. It works with Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and more than 200 other services. It makes all your shared links searchable in one place and won’t slow down your Google Chrome.

Alice Keeler – Teacher Tech

This extension gives you quick access to Alice Keeler’s Teacher Tech blog – which covers all things classroom and Google Classroom. A quick click on the extension pulls up a list of her most recent posts. Topics include: 50 Things You Can Do With Google Classroom, A Tour Of Google Classroom and Google Slides, Create a Drop Shadow on Text.

LastPass: Free Password Manager

This handy extension saves all your usernames and passwords in one spot. It gives you secure access and will autologin to your websites and sync passwords. Plus, anything you save on one device is instantly available on all your other devices. Slick.

We'd love to know your favorites on Chromebooks, too.

6 Tools in Google Docs To Help Write (and Grade) Term Papers

We’re in the throws of March Madness, and productivity across American businesses--and classrooms--is taking a nosedive. (Research shows that employers lose an estimated $4 billion in revenue due to the paid time lost in managing brackets, discussing team matchups, and watching games.)

And your students aren’t immune.

While college basketball teams are gearing up for the culmination of the season, high-school students across the country are prepping for midterms, term papers, and research projects. To stay ahead of the game, they have to stay on the ball--and Google Docs is a fan favorite.

1. Choose your Add-ons wisely.
   There are several Google Doc add-ons that can help you write--and grade--an effective paper. Word clouds, editing tools, a worthy thesaurus--all of these can improve your language and flow while demonstrating your knowledge of the material. Before you start adding a bunch, however, start with Extensity, an add-on that makes sure extensions and additional add-ons play well with each other.
   
   Try: Pro Writing Aid, Kaizena, and Easy Bib

2. Get a second opinion.
   Having another set of eyes on your paper is always a good thing. An unbiased proofreader will catch unclear phrasing, grammar, and flow problems, and they may be able to offer insight on specific context you could be missing. Use the Chats and Comments functions within Google Docs to make sure you and your friendly editor are both on the same page.

3. Find supporting research.
   Just like you can use the CTRL + K function to create link text, you can also use it to find likely resources--and sources— for your material. Simply type out the topics you are researching, highlight, and hit the shortkeys, and Google will give you some suggestions. Make sure to cite!

4. Use your Tools to Explore
   Another excellent resource in the Google Doc toolbox is the Explore function. Hidden in the Tools menu, Explore opens a side tab in your doc and gives you additional ideas and sources that support your paper based on the phrases, topics, and ideas you are talking about. It pulls from other Google services, like Google Scholar, Google Images, Google Quotes, and Google Dictionary.

5. Harness collaboration.
   With Google Docs, you can pass around thoughts, edits, suggestions, and formatting questions with relative ease. You can also sneak back into past revisions if a tossed idea ends up being relevant again. These commenting tools are also crucial for teachers who want to encourage deeper research or call out worthy sentences.
   
   Tip: Make sure you understand the difference between the Editing and Suggesting modes in active collaborating. Determine who has the final say before ideas start to swarm.

6. Minimize distractions.
   While not a specific function of Google Docs, it’s all-in-house ability to focus a student’s efforts can help funnel creativity in a purposeful, productive way. There’s no need to have multiple tabs open (including ones with live updates of the games); there’s just you and the page, and all the time and tools in the world to fill it.

What add-ons are you using in your Drive? We would love to know.

16 Hashtags Worth Following (and Tagging!)

We do a lot of Twitter outreach at Arey Jones because we love to be in on the educational technology conversation, and there is always something to new going on in our industry. Whether you want to contribute to the discussion or learn something new every day, these hashtags will put you--and your followers--in the know.

By Platform

• #OneNoteEDU

• #MinecraftEDU

• #Skype2Learn

By Software

• #GoogleSheets

• #GoogleSlides

• #GSuiteEDU

By Company

• #MicrosoftEDU

• #GoogleEDU

• #AcerEDU

By Broad Reach

• #edtech

• #education

• #digcit 

By Teams

• #GTT

• #MIEE

• #GoogleEI

• #edtechteam

Obviously, this isn’t an extensive list, but it is a great start to learning just how connected educational technology is to how we work, learn, and share advancements. The next time you share a cool teaching-with-technology moment, add these hashtags to your post. You could inspire others with your ideas, and you also may learn a thing or two in the process.

Ready to learn more? Follow us @AreyJones, or feel free to contact us traditionally.

Setting SMART Goals For Your Classroom

While the New Year for the rest of the country started on January first, most teachers would agree their “new year” started last fall--and so did all of their goals for the school year. That said, January is the perfect time to review those goals, establish new parameters, and determine if they need to be adjusted.  

And using technology is a great way to do it.

We at Arey Jones are a big fan of the S.M.A.R.T. method of goal setting, a way of setting Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound goals. And when it comes to tracking and tackling targets, we dream big--and we dream in spreadsheets, calendar reminders, forms, and fonts - all in Google Drive.

Specific: Write Down Your Goals in Google Docs
On top of being portable and flexible, Google Docs allows you to share your goals with relevant people in your life, and they can leave comments of support, hold you accountable,  or add resources to help you along. How you phrase your goals is an important part of the process, and it’s important to keep these things in mind:

• What do I want to accomplish?

• Why is it important?

• Where must I focus my energy and time?

• Who is involved in its success?

• Which resources will help me succeed and which hurdles will make it more difficult?

Measurable: Using Google Forms to Track Progress

A SMART goal is a measurable one, and Google Forms is a relatively simple tool with many versatile uses. Simple set up the form to input all the metrics you want to track on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis. From charting how many pages your class has read at home to keeping track of how many cups of coffee you’ve had each day, Google Forms is a highly-customizable tool that streamlines, validates, and consolidates answers and translates them into visible charts and graphs. 

Achievable and Relevant: Using Google Sheets to Keep It Together

Some people have found additional success using Google Sheets to track goals. Unlike a software with a steep learning curve, Google Sheets is easy to use, personalize, and adapt to your goals. Use Conditional Formatting to help you stay on track and organize your goals by worksheet to keep your thoughts, relevant resources, and successes handy. 

Time-Bound: Use Google Calendar To Set Reminders 

If friends, forms, and spreadsheets don’t hold you accountable, a daily reminder in your Calendar feed will. Create a fresh Google Calendar for your goals and set up small, actionable deadlines for the goals you want to work on today, next week, next month, and so on. 

What are your goals for the next semester? We hope you're able to accomplish them, and if you need help, we're always happy to chat.

Your End-of-Semester Tech Checklist For Google Classroom

Wrapping up a semester takes more than just accounting for all the class laptops, cleaning off your desk, and unplugging the printer; you should also spend a few minutes organizing your Google Classroom.

The emergence of technology in the classroom has given teachers something else to think about before locking up their classrooms for a long winter’s nap (or a much-needed summer break).

Google Classroom is a wonderful tool, especially when it is organized and maintained year after year. Here are a few suggestions to help you clean up after your last semester so that you can strike the right key with the next one.

Return all student work.

Google Classroom makes light work of homework by adjusting sharing permissions when it is assigned, and then once again when it is turned in. When you are done grading the assignment, don’t delete it; instead, turn it back to the student. This will remove the file from your drive and return it to the student (and they can delete it if they want). Emptying classroom files of assignments is a fairly cathartic process. Enjoy it.

More directions on how to return Google Classroom assignments here.

Remove students from old classes.

If you don’t want past students accessing (and potentially sharing) current class content, it’s a good idea to remove former class members from your student roster at the end of each semester. It may not prevent all forms of cheating, but it can be a strong preventative measure. 

Learn more about how to remove students from a Google class here.

Archive completed classes.

Archiving classrooms allows you to remove the class from your main Google Classroom page while still allowing you to copy, reuse, and access previously created material. The biggest reason to archive is that it helps make your page cleaner and easier to navigate--something most teachers appreciate, especially when logging in the first time after break. 

More about how to archive a Google class here.

Don’t forget about class calendars.

Every time you create an assignment with a due date, you automatically create a calendar entry in the class’s Google Calendar (yes, Google Classroom is just that good). Once the class is done, however, that calendar link just becomes one more thing to clutter your sidebar. Delete or hide the unwanted calendar in the Google Calendar Settings.

Clean up Google Drive.

Google Classroom is just a shinier, automated interface for Google Drive, which is doing all the heavy lifting of creating folders, sorting documents, and more. You may never want to dive this deep with your cleaning, but on the off chance that you want access to files in a different way, here’s your chance to keep your current files where you need them (in the Classroom folder) and to remove old ones to other locations as you see fit.

A good tip here is to create a Google Drive folder named “Archived Classes” and drag and drop completed classes from Google Classroom into this folder for safekeeping.

NOTE: You may never need or want to do this. This process doesn’t affect Google Classroom performance; it simply makes it easier to work within Google Drive for current classes.

Google Classroom has quickly become an invaluable tool for many teachers around the world. To keep it--and you--running most efficiently, it’s important to keep it maintained and organized. The good news? Unlike your physical classroom, where you have to move desks, take inventory, and haul boxes, you can clean up your Google Classroom at your kitchen table, coffee in hand, and in your pajamas--and it will still feel just as good when it’s done.

Want to learn more about what Google Classroom can do for you? We'd love to talk.