Options for Parent Visibility of Google Classroom
Google Classroom simplifies the distribution, collection and feedback of digital work and is a game-changer for most teachers. Despite it’s clear advantages, parents looking to see daily homework assignments or student progress can become frustrated by Classroom’s “walled garden” that limits access.
Check out the post below to understand the benefits and limitations of the options for keeping parents informed can help teachers choose a solution that works for them.
Guardian Summaries
Guardian Summaries can be sent to parents, provided an email address has been entered for the student AND the teacher has enabled for the class. Once a Parent email addresses has been entered, it will also appear in ALL classes for a student, both in the current and future years. By default, Guardian Summaries are turned off and must be enabled for a class by the teacher. Information included in the email summaries includes: Upcoming Work, Missing Work, and Class Activity.
Guardian Summary Benefits:
- Parents control the frequency of emails by selecting daily or weekly updates
- Updates for all (enabled) classes in a single email notification
- Teachers can choose to have their class included a summaries
- Visibility of upcoming and missing assignments included in summaries
Drawbacks of Guardian Summary:
- Time consuming process to enter email addresses for each parent
- Missing homework notification are often “false alarms” because kids forget to “turn in” or “mark as done”
- Parents sometimes question why all teachers’ don’t enable Guardian Summaries for their classes
Making Google Classroom Calendar Public
Teachers can make the automatically created by Google Classroom Calendar public so parents can see assignments by due date. Teachers can easily link or embed the public calendar on a website. Access the Classroom Calendar settings by going to the Classwork page and clicking the Calendar icon to view in Google Calendar. Click HERE for a detailed post with instructions for this process.
Public Classroom Calendar Benefits:
- No email or sign up required, parents can easily access
- Parents can add the Google Calendar to their phone / computer
- Assignments show up based on their due date making it easy to see what’s coming up
- Teachers “digitally post” assignments, without an extra step
Drawbacks of Public Classroom Calendar:
- Long-term assignments only show up on their due date, making it harder for parents to prompt kids to keep them on track
- Details of assignment not visible to parents, only the title of the assignment
- No grades / missing work information shared
Choose a Solution that Works for your Class
Knowing the benefits and limitations of the options for sharing information with parents from Google Classroom can help you choose a best-fit solution for your class. With the continued improvements to Classroom, there may be more robust parent communication options available in the future!
