Google Workspace for Education: The Complete Masterclass for Busy Teachers

Posted on by J.J. Hamilton

Sunday Night Scaries are real in every occupation, right? You’ve had a wonderful Saturday, long weekend, or half-term break, are keen to get going and hit the ground running on Monday and, yet, when Sunday comes around, you get the Scaries.

This could be low level anxiety or it could be something more. Perhaps you’ve spent the whole weekend putting off that lesson plan or set of marking and have a mammoth task to do before going to bed (too late, once again). Even worse is that Google has rolled out a new ‘innovative’ or ‘game-changing’ technology which promises to change-up your whole pedagogical mindset.

And all you really want to do is keep on teaching in the same way that you have for the past year, five years, or even longer. Now you have a whole other thing to wrap your head around before Monday?

This isn’t really about tech, though, is it? This is about reclaiming what matters most – high-quality teaching and Me Time. Ensuring that you’re being the best teacher that you can be while remembering that it is, like any other career, still a job, and not your whole life.

That’s why I’ve done the thinking so that you don’t have to. You’re about to delve into the my ultimate Google Workspace Guide for Educators. Whether you’re a Sheets pro or still finding your way around a Google Doc, you’re in the right place. Check out each of my outlines of the different work methods that Google has to offer, and then read the whole article in full if you need a step-by-step walkthrough.

The Great Debate: Drive vs Office

Before we delve into the ‘how-to’, we should address the ‘why Google’? Your school might have already made this decision for you and, if they have, you should stick with it. It’s far less friction in your day-to-day life to use one way of writing, rather than constantly swapping between Slides and PowerPoint.

On the other hand, many less tech-friendly schools are still caught between the two: Google Drive and Microsoft’s Office 365. In my deep dive of Drive Vs. Office, I explore why the Google ecosystem often wins out for the modern teacher. It isn’t about which has the most complex features, it’s about the frictionless collaboration.

Action: Stop thinking of Drive as the ‘lite’ version of Word or Excel. Think of it as a living, breathing document that lives wherever you decide to work

Explore: My Drive vs Office ultimate comparison piece.

Master the Foundations: Drive & Docs

My workplace favours using iPads as our portable devices which allow us to not only work from anywhere in school (or at home if we so choose), but to also connect to digital displays. The consequence of this is that I can project my screen onto the board, annotating or live marking while students work, as well as a host of other tricks.

With that being said, using Google tools on iPadOS can sometimes feel like a bit of a nightmare if you don’t know the specific workarounds. I’ve broken down the essential Google Drive Pro tips for iPadOS to help you navigate files like a veteran. These should also help you with Active Observation, a pedagogical innovation that’s helping students to make progress in leaps and bounds.

Once you’ve sorted your files out, you need to actually start lesson planning. Chances are that you’ll produce your worksheets on Docs, which my guide on using Docs like a pro covers:

  • The magic of integration with the Files App
  • Why the Logitech Combo Touch is a non-negotiable for mobile productivity
  • Scribble and Shortcuts: How to mark up a students’ digital work

Explore: Drive for iPadOS and using Docs like a pro, then go further with my essential keyboard shortcuts.

Visuals and Data: Slides & Sheets

It feels like we spend half of our lives in presentation software, whether that’s as a child in the classroom, or as an adult delivering the lessons. My Google Slides Pro Guide is less about making things look great (we all love a good animation); rather, it’s more about the App vs. Browser debate. It’s about using your iPad as a remote during a particularly challenging lesson, keeping you mobile to manage tricky behaviour.

Then, there’s Sheets. Most teachers, myself included, view spreadsheets like Excel with fear. By leveraging AI to produce the formulae I need, I’ve managed to make this software into an essential part of my ecosystem. In my Teacher’s Guide to Google Sheets, I show you how to turn that dread into data-driven confidence.

  • Automated Trackers: Use Sheets to track and log homework
  • Conditional Formatting: Heat Maps help you to see who needs interventions and whether everybody is meeting your expectations

Explore: My Slides like a Pro Guide & How to use Sheets like a Boss

Efficiency: Classroom & Forms

Google Classroom is the heartbeat of a digital department and it should power the majority of your lessons and independent learning. However, I’d be willing to bet that most of us only use about 10% of its full power.

Well, here’s where we reclaim our Sunday nights.

I’ve identified 8 features to save you time, including how to use a Comment Bank and how to reuse posts.

Then, to close the feedback loop, you need to employ Google Forms:

  • Branching logic: Create a ‘Choose your own adventure’ style quiz that differentiates for you
  • Self-grading: Walk out of your lessons with the marking already done
  • AI: Leverage Gemini and Brisk to create the Form for you

Explore: My Google Classroom Guide & how to get the most out of Google Forms.

There you have it: the complete guide to G-Suite, which I’ve spent six years researching, learning, practicing and perfecting. Were you already using G-Suite for Education? Or have I convinced you to change? Or are you adamant that Office365 reigns supreme? Let me know in the comments below.

Before you go, why not also check out my guides to leveraging AI to reduce your workload in the classroom even further?

And then, if you liked that, you’ll love…

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