Google details several new education-focused features for Workspace users

Google has announced upcoming updates to its Workspace features for education customers during the BETT 2023 educational technology exhibition.

The updates include new features for Google Docs, Slides, Classroom, and Meet, with the aim of providing teachers and students with more tools for collaboration and engagement.

One of the most useful updates for teachers on the Education Plus tier is the ability to use custom building blocks in Google Docs. Accessed via the @-menu, teachers can now create and save templates for lesson plans and curriculum guides. This feature will be rolling out gradually over the coming months. Another new feature coming to Google Docs is @voting chips, which will likely allow teachers and students to provide instant feedback during lessons. Meanwhile, @stopwatch and @timer are now available for teachers and students to use within Google Docs.

In Google Slides, co-presenting with multiple participants will soon be possible, with all parties being able to advance and start the video, whereas Google Meet recordings will support closed captions in multiple languages by later this year. “We’re also working on updates to Slides and Meet, adding co-presenting in Slides and AI-powered hand raise gesture detection in Meet, coming later this year,” wrote Google in a blog post. The hand raise gesture feature in Google Meet will automatically turn on the Raised Hand icon when a user physically raises their hand.

Lastly, Google Classroom users on the Teaching and Learning Upgrade and Education Plus tiers can look forward to new features like the ability to add questions to YouTube videos and receive real-time feedback, the option to sort grades and assignments by quarters/semesters/terms, and practice sets that offer targeted hints based on selected skills.

Image credit: Google

Source: Google Via: 9to5Google