When a new school year approaches, we know educators everywhere are gearing up for a fresh start filled with opportunities. We understand this is a crucial time to create meaningful connections with students, right from the beginning.
That’s why GoGuardian Teacher is the most loved classroom management tool by so many in the teaching community - it allows teachers like you to spend more time connecting with students using tools that help you check in on students’ progress and emotional wellbeing while keeping them on task.
As Patricia Coldren of Lee County Schools (NC) puts it, “You can use GoGuardian Teacher as a differentiation tool, to push out websites to different student groups. Kids are more receptive to what interests them, so GoGuardian gives teachers the chance to plan ahead for every student."
And so we remain committed to placing educators at the forefront of our development process, continuously evolving our features to ensure you have the tools you need to make every moment count in the classroom. They know every time they come to us with a new suggestion as to how we can help them streamline their instruction, we listen.
In this blog, we’ll spotlight some of these essential features that will help you make the most of your instruction time.
1. Default Scenes: Simplify and streamline class time
Teacher request: “It would be nice if there was a ‘default scene’ that could be set to run automatically when any session is started.”
Wish granted! Default Scenes now offer a streamlined experience for teachers by automating routine tasks. This enhancement not only enables teachers to block or allow certain websites, open essential tabs, and limit the number of open tabs, but also simplifies their workflow. By designating a Scene as a Default Scene for a classroom, teachers benefit from one less click and one less thing to think about when starting a classroom session. This functionality ensures a smoother, more efficient start to every class.
For example, a Default Scene can be configured to open a Google Classroom tab for all students at the beginning of each class, ensuring everyone starts on the same page. In addition to this, if teachers don’t want students to have more than five open tabs at any given moment during class time, teachers can set a Default Scene with a tab limit of five.
By configuring Default Scenes, educators can ensure students are guided to the right resources and distractions are minimized.
Learn more about Default Scenes and how to utilize this feature in your classroom.
2. Schedule Sessions: Automate classroom workflows
Teacher request: “I would like to be able to schedule when GoGuardian Teacher starts for each class so I only have to turn it on once each day rather than every period.”
No problem! We know instruction time is too valuable to waste, and GoGuardian Teacher is here to help you automate routine tasks and minimize distractions so you can spend more time doing what you do best — teach.
The Schedule Sessions feature allows teachers to configure classroom schedules that automate the start and stop times of sessions. This feature can be set to run multiple times a day and at different times throughout the week, making it especially useful as teachers prepare for the new academic year.
When every Learning day is crucial, you need new ways to create efficiencies. Educators love GoGuardian Teacher for just that reason - it streamlines classroom management, allowing teachers to focus on what truly matters: engaging and educating students effectively.
Learn how to Schedule Sessions.
3. Scenes for Student Groups: Personalized Learning at scale
Teacher request: “I need a feature that will allow me to block certain websites for certain students.”
We’ve heard you, and are here to help. The Student Groups feature enables teachers to create and manage groups within a classroom. Teachers can apply different Scenes to these groups or individual students to support differentiated instruction, behavior management, and test-taking needs.
This feature facilitates personalized Learning by allowing educators to tailor digital environments to different groups of students, enhancing both instructional support and behavioral management. Sometimes, we’ve noticed “classes” have been created with just one student. By using Student Groups, teachers can still set different Scenes for individual students without the extra administrative step.
In addition to this, we understand students may need different resources at various times. Having the ability to set different Scenes for different students in the same class is beneficial for blended and differentiated Learning, especially when there are multiple groups of students working on diverse activities on their devices.
One thing that came to mind as we refined this feature is the potential to enhance it with “drag and drop” functionality. Teachers can easily manage student groups by dragging and dropping students from one group to another as the session progresses. This means that once Scenes are set for differentiated Learning, teachers can seamlessly move students around without having to re-create groups from scratch. This added flexibility supports dynamic classroom needs and allows for more efficient management of changing instructional requirements.
Student Groups really shine when they allow for different Scenes to be applied to different students to better support test-taking. For example, a few students may need to retake a test while the rest of the class moves on to a new task. The ability to quickly adjust groupings and Scenes, combined with the drag-and-drop feature, ensures that every student gets the support they need without additional administrative burdens.
Discover more about Scenes for Student Groups.
Upcoming enhancement: Flexible Schedules
But wait, there’s more! Coming in early September 2024, we're excited to introduce an enhancement to the Scheduling Sessions feature — Flexible Schedules. This update will support rotating and block schedules, making it easier to adjust and manage scheduled sessions.
We are proud to be the most loved classroom management tool by teachers across the country. With features like Default Scenes, Student Groups, and Scheduled Sessions, GoGuardian Teacher empowers educators to create a more focused and effective Learning environment. We invite you to explore these features if you haven't already, and look forward to continuing to support your educational needs with our widely-loved, innovative tools.
We're proud to support you along with nearly two million educators in keeping fifteen million students engaged and focused in the classroom. To learn more about how we can help your district, please feel free to request a personalized demo.
