Get Everyone On The Same Page: Share To Classroom

@LisaBerghoff/@Joe_EdTech

More and more teachers have been using Google Classroom because it serves as one place for students to access what they need for our classes, it is easy to use, and allows us to communicate with our students without the need for email. With our 1:1 devices, teachers are finding new ways to make sure our students are engaged and interacting with information. Learners are able to access information quickly and then use critical thinking skills to solve problems with their new knowledge. As teachers, we often get excited when we find new sites or tools to use in the classroom. One issue, however, is how to get all of our students to open the webpage when we need them to. Gone are the days where you need to write an entire URL on the board and have the students copy it down and enter it, exactly, in order to get everyone on the same site at the same time. That never seems to go well. If you are a Google Classroom user, you will no doubt find the Share To Classroom extension to be very helpful. This extension will enable you to send a webpage to your students and have it open up on their chromebooks right before your eyes. It also allows you to post announcements, assignments, or save webpages to be pushed out at a later time. Students can also share webpages with their teacher using this extension. 

Quick Lesson: Application vs. Extension vs. Add-On 

We use these terms a lot and it is important to understand what they do and where to find them.

Application (App): 

Web apps are basically websites. They have functionality within your browser and run without the need to download software. Gmail and Google maps are examples of web apps. In the chrome web store, you can choose web apps that are websites and chrome apps. Chrome apps are basically software programs that often can run even if you are not online. There is a gmail chrome app that you can get from the chrome web store that will allow you to access your email offline (limited functionality). Your apps that you have added from the chrome web store can be found in your apps doc in the upper left corner of your screen.

Extension: 

Extensions function while you are using an app or a website. They enhance the functionality of the tool you are using. The Share To Classroom extension allows you to access your Google classroom while you are on another webpage. The extensions show up as little icons to the right of the URL bar. Fun fact: The URL bar is called the omnibox.

Add-On:

Add-ons are similar to extensions, but they are scripts that only work within certain applications. For example, there is an add-on that will allow you to send emails from a Google spreadsheet. It enhances the functionality of the app but it only works in sheets. 

Ok, back to Share To Classroom...

Step 1: Go to the chrome web store and add the Share To Classroom extension. When you add it, you will see the little green icon pop up on the upper right of your screen. 

Step 2: Have all of your students also add the Share To Classroom extension. It will NOT work unless everyone has it.

Step 3: When you are on a webpage that you want to send, click the little green icon for the extension. The extension will show up as long as you are signed in to your district chrome account.

Step 4: Choose a class and then click "push"

That's it! 

Below is a screenshot of me pushing the Yellowstone National Park website to my biology students.

There are lots of practical uses for this extension. What I like most about it is that with technology we often miss the step of how to get the information to our students and that is when we lose instructional time. There is no need to spend time trying to make sure your students are all on the webpage that you want, just open it for them using Share To Classroom.

Here is a short video from The Gooru, showing how it's done...

Are you using this extension? Do you have other extensions that are working great for you? Feel free to post in the comments section below.