How G Suite for Education Helps Online Learning in the Philippines

In light of the COVID-19 situation, schools can only reopen once a vaccine has been found. So to maintain the safety of students, teachers, and staff during this time, many organizations in the academe have turned to e-learning, also referred to as online learning or distance learning.

Classes are conducted through video conferencing apps, quizzes are done online, and resource materials are accessible through a shared drive. Unfortunately, e-learning is relatively new in the Philippines and many schools lack the proper tools to conduct classes online.

Good news is there are now solutions available to ease the transition into online learning so schools and students can remain productive even in a remote setting.

G Suite for Education

Google launched G Suite for Education in 2016, a suite of Google tools tailored for the digital learning experience. Besides the usual applications we’re probably all familiar with, like Gmail, Docs, and Spreadsheets, G Suite for Education also has Classroom, Meet, Read Along, and many more new functions to make online learning a better overall experience. 

Here are a few reasons why investing in productivity tools like Google Workspace (previously known as G Suite) is an online learning solution your school needs:

#1 Better security

Security is definitely an issue when it comes to anything online. When you’re managing large classes with tons of links and resources hosted online, it becomes difficult to keep track of security restrictions – who gets access to what, when, and how.

For example, you could give fellow teachers editing access to curriculum documents, but you must make sure that students have the read-only version. Not to mention there’s always the chance your database could get hacked, which may result in leaked tests and answer sheets, or worse, leaked personal information of your student database.

Investing in the full versions of productivity tools can prevent security incidents through security presets and dashboards that can detect threats as soon as they emerge. G Suite for Education even has an investigation tool, which can fix cyberattacks like malware, phishing, or rogue students trying to get into the database.

#2 Easy to adopt

Most people are already accustomed to Google Workspace (previously known as G Suite), so adopting this new version won’t be much of an issue. And for those who actually haven’t used any Google tools, the products and interfaces are simple and easy to understand for people of any age.

Plus, using a productivity suite adds more legitimacy to your online classes. Students aren’t just clicking on a bunch of links their professors send on their Viber thread – both students and staff get official school emails and accounts that can help prevent instances of phishing.

#3 Specialized learning and productivity tools

Most video conferencing apps available right now are optimized for meetings or webinars, not digital classrooms. So while they work, they’re not the best for e-learning.

G Suite for Education has a number of applications specific for e-learning:

• Classrooms. Google Classrooms is all about streamlining the online teaching experience. Teachers can break students up into groups to do assignments. They can organize assignments into modules to make them easier to discuss. And they can record and save classes so students can re-watch them in their own time.
• Meet. This is the video conferencing tool that allows teachers to host classrooms with up to 250 participants per call and up to 100,000 live stream viewers. Students are given unique links so they can’t share the classroom links with outsiders, and they can participate in these classes from any device.
• Read Along. For younger students, Read Along is a speech-based reading tutor that can help engage students through expressive and animated read-alongs. Teachers can even observe the classes and correct students as they go.

#4 Closer connections

Since students and teachers can’t meet each other face-to-face, they need to find different ways to remain engaged and in touch. Learning, after all, isn’t a touch-and-go experience – you need to be able to observe students to see how they’re faring, what they think of the class, and more.

Through emails, chat groups, and video conferencing, teachers and students have different avenues to use. Teachers can even send out surveys through Google Forms to see how students are doing and get feedback on how classes could be improved.

Accessing files for both educators and learners is easy as a typed-in search in whatever device you use, making collaborations seamless. Storage for these files is scalable, too.

This kind of connection can also be seen as an opportunity to make online learning a collaborative experience by asking students what activity they would like to do next or what topic they want to discuss. In that sense, students and teachers can be co-creators of their online program.

Having a mutual digital environment for students and teachers to engage with one another is necessary for video conferences to feel like real classes.

Improve your online education experience today

While this situation is certainly “unprecedented,” schools and educators can take this as an opportunity to grow and develop online learning today. With the proper productivity solutions at their disposal, they can streamline the education process and make online learning just as collaborative as offline learning. 

Globe has partnered with G Suite for Education to transform the digital learning experience in the Philippines. Learn more about what G Suite for Education can do for you by scheduling a consultation with one of our account managers today.

Learn more about how Globe myBusiness can help your school. Download our product guide here.

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