Recently, HSLDA worked with Google in order to make G Suite for Education available to homeschool groups for FREE, just as it does for public and private schools. This is a valuable resource for any homeschool co-op or community. Your organization will need a website (must own your domain) and a verification code in order to set up an account with Google. For more information check out HSLDA.
Many of the Google tools you may already be familiar with: Meet, Groups, Docs, Slides, Sheets, Forms, Calendar, Classroom and more.
So why use G Suite for Education, why not just use these tools on their own?
Here are several ways G Suite for Education can improve and support your homeschool group.
Privacy and Security are a high priority for most of us. With G Suite, your data remains yours and is never used for creating ad profiles or targeting. There are no ads when using G Suite for Education’s core services (Gmail, Calendar, Classroom, Contacts, Drive, Docs, Forms, Groups, Sheets, Sites, Slides, Talk/Hangouts, Vault, and Chrome Sync.) Furthermore, G Suite for Education is FERPA and COPPA compliant and has signed the Student Privacy Pledge introduced by the Future of Privacy Forum (FPF) and The Software & Information Industry Association.
Communication is key to any community. The unified tools in G Suite for Education keep parents/teachers/tutors in the loop and up to date outside the classroom as well as in it, which is important for a cohesive community, and efficiency in our homeschool. Because these tools work together and all members are part of the Suite, a lot of gaps in communication are eliminated. Different situations require different tools, and the best part of G Suite is that they all work together seamlessly.
- Google Calendar-Keep everyone on the same page through a shared calendar, which makes scheduling events easy. Invite members, set up reminders, and even schedule a Meet video conference within the Calendar app.
- Meet – Video conferencing is helpful for parents and students for meetings or distance learning, and is supported in Calendar and Classroom. Videos can also be recorded to share with others after the fact.
- Groups – Create mailing lists so you only need to enter one email address to reach a whole group, and not have to worry about forgetting anyone. Communications are archived online in your Groups, where they can also be filtered by topic making them easier to find and referenced later. Create a web forum for further discussion on a specific topic.
- Forms are great for surveys and feedback, creating a sign up list, or administering a quiz.
- Classroom makes file sharing, teaching, collaborating, feedback, and due dates a breeze to manage. Have as many Classrooms as your community demands (You can even make one for the parents too, for those “Coffee Shop” discussions, book clubs, or continuing education seminars)
- Drive eliminates so many headaches when it comes to turning in assignments and keeping documents safe. When you use any of the G Suite apps such as Docs, Forms, Sheets, or Slides, the files are automatically saved to the shared Drive so you never need to worry about accidentally losing your information.
For older students that are ready for their own email account, think of G Suite as a tool that can better prepare them for the future, giving them experience managing a “work account.” Using G Suites tools to collaborate, debate, and discuss with peers in a supervised and closed system, allows middle and high school age students to practice communicating in a thoughtful and professional manner that will better prepare them for higher education and the workforce. Sharing and collaborating with other parents and students is central to any homeschool group, so what better way than using productivity tools from the #2 company in the business for FREE!
Still not sure about setting up G Suite for your own community, or think you are too small to need this service? We can help by bringing your homeschool community under the wing of Digital Chickens. Contact us below for a free consult!
