I'm taking advantage of the sticky button to give this article attention: https://www.theverge.com/22684730/students-file-folder-directory-structure-education-gen-z A common discussion among higher ed professors (that we've talked about here too) is a lack of general computer knowledge. We were told kids don't need computer class because kids know computer. We all know that kids know iPad or iPhone. Kids don't know computer. Kids are missing computer literacy skills that are still relevant - especially navigating through a directory system, including saving files and using appropriate file types, names, and locations. Google Suites creates a very very user-friendly experience for students with no need to navigate or even save anything. Type on the Google Docs that was created for you, and then hit submit. And even if you don't hit submit, your teacher can still see it! This is all fine and dandy until students are no longer using Google Suites, or at least Google Classroom. When they have to attach a file for a grade for the first time a week into their college freshman year, they're lost. I'm mostly paper-pencil in my grade, but when I taught sixth, I absolutely relied on these exact features of Google Classroom. I understand why all PK-12 teachers do. We need the product. The process is not what MY evaluation depends on. I need the essay, and I don't have time to dedicate to teach how they'll use it in the future. This is the easiest shortcut for me right now. Really, it's why we need to have computer classes. Students should have a weekly technology class FOCUSED ON COMPUTER LITERACY (not a class that uses the computer, a class about HOW to use the computer) in elementary school. Students should be able to type well prior to entering middle school. Core teachers do not have the expendable time to teach skills and are having to work around them. More on reddit.com

When parents are pulling their kids out of class for vacation, they ask for work in advance so that you are impressed with their dedication to academics. Somehow, they never get around to telling their kids to do it. More on reddit.com

Google Classroom is not a full-featured LMS like Canvas. For example, many textbook and curriculum publishers provide quiz/test question pools in QTI format. Google Classroom doesn't allow for the import of this sort of open, standardized format. Canvas, Blackboard, Moodle, D2L, Schoology, etc etc etc all do. Use that info how you will. I was at a university years ago when we switched from Blackboard to Canvas. We did not switch just because it was new or stay put just because Blackboard was what we were used to. We met as grown adults making an informed, conscious decision. We put aside all preconceptions and created a list of needs/requirements for an LMS. We sought faculty input for what each department needed and what an ideal LMS would feature. Which features were most important? Which were nice-to-have, but not that important? Like, the QTI thing above, some faculty said that was a must-have. Others said it must work flawlessly and seamlessly on mobile. Copying classes, sure might have a learning curve but once you know how to do it, it's a non-issue. After we created our requirements, we sent that list off to the sales people at each LMS that had such a team and sought out answers and processes for how to do that on Moodle. Our instructional design team then endured hours of sales pitches that specifically showcased the features needed on our rubric and scored each one based on the perceived ease of accessing or doing that thing. We then averaged our scores for each LMS and what bubbled up to the top was Canvas. That's how you should make these sort of decisions unless the powers-that-be dictate it must be between option A and option B and no other LMS can be considered. It should be a logical, planned and documented process. Years from now someone can pull all that documentation and see what we valued and what was not. Rejiggering those feature valuations might change the end goal, it may not. Documentation should be there to support the decision and answer "what were they thinking?!" - instead of just saying "this is what I've used before and I like it". That sort of thinking won't ever grow. Henry Ford once said "If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses." Don't let technology intertia be the deciding factor, otherwise no organization would ever change the tools they use. Start with a blank slate and consider what is needed, what is most important and what would the ideal LMS be like - not just what is available or been used, but what would the perfect LMS be like. More on reddit.com

When Ontario switched to fully online I coached some teachers on using Brightspace and Google Classroom. Like most Google products it’s a little half baked but it’s the closest to replacing the real classroom experience. It’s more like Zoom with everyone logging on and sharing a screen. So it’s good for younger classes who can’t navigate a Learning Management System on their own. Brightspace etc is heavy on the management. It’s more suitable for high school and higher ed. It’s geared more towards managing the assessments, grades, assignments. There are video chat tools but it’s just one tool out of many. Google Classroom: simple, synchronous Brightspace: manage learning, asynchronous More on reddit.com