Google has announced the introduction of new features for educators and students in Google Chrome and Google Classroom. These updates aim to enhance the learning experience and provide additional support for both teachers and learners. Among the new features is a “reading mode” in Chrome, designed to help students with dyslexia and ADHD by reducing distractions on the screen and allowing them to focus on the primary content of a page. Users can customize settings such as typeface, font size, spacing, and text/background colors.
Another noteworthy feature is the AI-powered Hand Raise Gesture Detection in Google Meet, which automatically raises the Hand Raise icon and moves the user to the main grid when they physically raise their hand during a meeting. This feature aims to make virtual meetings more natural and interactive. The co-presenting feature allows multiple teachers to manage slides together, facilitating collaborative teaching.
In Google Classroom, educators now have the ability to add interactive questions to YouTube videos and assign them to students. As the video plays, students can answer the questions, receive real-time feedback, and rewatch the video if necessary. This feature provides a more engaging and interactive learning experience while allowing educators to track students’ progress.
Additionally, Google has introduced a “practice sets” feature that leverages AI to help educators create interactive assignments from existing teaching content. This feature provides personalized support to students and enables educators to identify gaps in understanding. Practice sets can also be shared with other verified teachers in the same domain.
Google has also made updates to Screencast, a tool that allows educators to record and share lessons. The updates include expanded language support for recording and transcription, a web player for viewing screencasts on any device, and demo tools for animating clicks and taps on the screen.
These new features and updates reflect Google’s ongoing commitment to supporting remote and online-based education. By providing innovative tools and functionalities, Google aims to enhance the learning experience for students and provide educators with valuable resources to deliver effective instruction.
