Google Classroom: The Pros

I know this post is a little delayed so I apologize, but I have finally been able to sit down and mess with it, and have witnessed it being implemented in an actual classroom.  Here is my general response, "Oh Google you've done it again."

Google Classroom is amazing, and here are my reasons why:

1. It's Google, duh.  With the growing number of GAFE schools, why wouldn't you want a dashboard that automatically hooks into your Google life.  It creates folders right in your drive, you can upload right from your drive, you can search from YouTube right in the app, and you can send emails via Gmail right in the app.  Consistency is great, and with the power of one log-in for all Google apps, it's a no brainer for me.
2. Organization is key to success.  I think a lot of success develops from organization, but everyone's definition of organization is different.  Google Classroom allows you to share assignments with your students via link, attachment, drive, or YouTube.  It then creates a folder for you (in your Drive) and then places all the student's in that specific folder for that specific assignment.  When you start classroom you will notice a new folder in your drive aptly named "Classroom."  As you create classes you will notice folders within your "Classroom" folder popping up aptly named after your course names.  Within each of those folders are the assignments folders for each individual assignment.  You can assign due dates, and see when students have submitted their assignments.  
3. It's simple.  Ever since I started using Google apps I was hooked because of the simplicity which translates directly to user friendly (with the exception of sites, yes I don't like sites).  Google Classroom is set up for anyone to use.  It's clean, organized, and there are not a ton of options.  The goal is not to replace your classroom, it's to enhance it, so why would there be a ton of options, you're still the teacher, Google just helps you stay organized and open up communication.
4. Communication is awesome.  Why wouldn't you want to open up communication with your students?  Classroom makes it easy for students to email you, comment on assignments and announcements, and they can even contribute to class resources via links, documents, and videos.
5. It's not perfect.  Well this is an odd thing to put into a pros list, isn't it?  My answer is no.  Nothing is perfect and Google Classroom has it's flaws which will be the basis of my next post.  With that being said, that only means there is room for improvement.  Google is constantly updating, so it's only a matter of time before features and improvements are made.  The simplicity is great right now because anyone can open it up and use it, even those reluctant teachers.  As it gets more complex, those reluctant teachers can learn along with everyone else.