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Google updates Meet, Classroom, Drive & other education tools

Google updated its apps under the G Suite for Education — now known as Google Workspace for Education — which comes in four distinct editions: Google Workspace for Education Fundamentals as a free tier and then Google Workspace for Education Standard, Teaching and Learning Upgrade, and Google Workspace for Education Plus.

Google Workspace for Education includes popular Google products like Classroom, Meet, Gmail, Calendar, Drive, Docs, Sheets, Slides, Chat and many more in one place.

Users of Google Workspace for Education Fundamentals (formerly the free edition of G Suite for Education)  will not see any changes apart from the new name and features such as offline mode, improved mobile grading, roster sync, better pictures of homework, Classroom add-ons, and student engagement tracking in Google Classroom.

Meanwhile, Google Meet will now give teachers more control during sessions with the new “end meeting for all” and “mute all” features, as well as allowing multiple moderators in calls to make it easier for teachers to partner with others in facilitating classes. A new screen recording tool is also coming this March, enabling teachers and students to record lessons and reports in real-time.

The paid editions of Google Workspace for Education expands on security and learning tools. For example, the Security Center in Google Workspace for Education Standard offers greater visibility tools such as advanced audit logs and advanced mobile management which make online learning more secure.

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The Teaching and Learning Upgrade, on the other hand, enhances instructional impact through advanced communication capabilities in Google Meet, as well as features that enrich class experiences and tools that guide critical thinking and academic integrity with originality reports.

For institutions looking for the ultimate comprehensive solution, Google Workspace for Education Plus (formerly G Suite Enterprise for Education) provides tools with advanced security, better analytics, and enhanced teaching and learning capabilities.

Existing users of Education Fundamentals and Education Plus will start to see the new edition names and the upgrades in their admin consoles automatically. The new editions of Education Standard and Teaching and Learning Upgrade will be available starting April 14, 2021.

Google Workspace for Education continually expands its offerings and product capabilities to augment online learning experiences. In the last year alone, dozens of free features such as hand-raising in Google Meet, rubrics in Classroom and grammar suggestions in Google Docs were made available, along with new premium offerings to expand advanced security controls and enhance collaboration tools.

Visit the website for more information on the new Google Workspace for Education editions.

Bryan is a geek at heart and a tech enthusiast by choice. He has a strong background in corporate communications, marketing services, and customer relations having worked in the telecommunications and banking sectors for over two decades. In his spare time, he enjoys watching clips on YouTube and binge watching shows on Netflix.

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