Google Workspace for Education

Google Workspace for Education is a suite of versatile, cloud-based tools used widely throughout OUSD. These apps, accessible from any internet-connected device, are used for student work, teacher collaboration, assessment, and communication. One of the key benefits of Google Workspace for Education is that all work is automatically saved in the cloud. Both teachers and students can seamlessly log into any of these apps using their OUSD accounts, making it simple to integrate these powerful tools into their daily educational activities.

If you are interested in being Google Educator certified, you can fill out this form and request a voucher to cover the cost of the exam. More information can be found here. Level 1 and Level 2 are available. 

Google Docs

Google Docs is a word processing application, that helps you write reports, planners, or any kind of text.  It’s easy to format your documents with different fonts and colors. And you can easily add photos from the internet, from within the app, resize them, and make your text wrap around them.


Students can use Google Docs to create nice-looking documents that are easy to edit and revise. They can also access their documents from any internet connected device, meaning that they can work at home on the same documents. 


Teachers can also use Google Docs for planning and collaboration. Sharing with another Google user is very easy, so teachers often use Google apps to create team documents. It’s also possible to insert internet links in Google Docs, making it easy to jump to other web resources.

Google Slides

Google Slides is a slideshow application that can create presentations with text, pictures, audio or even video. Teachers can use a slideshow to present and teach content, using a computer or mobile device and a projector. A multi-media slideshow can really help teach students with different learning styles.


It’s possible to introduce individual elements of a slide, one at a time. This is great for word problems, and you can even project onto a whiteboard so that you or your students can write on the board to solve the problem.


A great use of Google Slides is to have students create their own Google Slideshows as an assignment. One option is provide the students with  a template (you can use Google Classroom), and  they can build it out with their own text and images. 

Google Sheets

Google Sheets is a spreadsheet application, similar to Microsoft Excel. While Google Sheets can be used by students, it’s really useful to teachers for organizing data.


For example, you can create a spreadsheet that stores contact information. You can also use Google Sheets to record and analyze assessment data. It’s easy to automatically calculate averages, or to sort values from highest to lowest. You can use a Google Sheet to track reading levels. With one click, you can sort students by reading levels and create reading groups.


For OUSD elementary teachers, another bonus use for Google Sheets is that you can use it to quickly create report card comments. 

Google Forms

Google Forms is a surprisingly versatile tool with a wide variety of uses. It can be used as a form-creation tool in the traditional sense, but this powerful app can do a lot more.  It can be used to design customized quizzes that can be automatically scored.  It can be used to create branching educational activities that take users to different pages depending on their answers. And yes, it can be used to create surveys - surveys that automatically generate graphs and charts.

Google Classroom

One Google app that’s in a class of its own is Google Classroom. Google Classroom is like hub for all of the Google Apps. Teachers can assign work directly from Google Classroom, and students can access all of their work from within the app. Teachers can also grade assignments using Google Classroom. They can work directly with students on their work in real time by clicking into their assignments and editing digital documents together. Teachers can also post resources, create announcements, or even ask questions to start a group discussion. More information about Google Classroom can be found here.

Google Drive

Google Drive is an online storage solution for all your digital files, such as worksheets, assignments, images, and PDFs. It's like an online filing cabinet accessible from any internet-connected device. Google Drive’s sharing and search capabilities, along with automatic integration of files from other Google programs, make it a powerful tool for educators.

Google Chrome

Google Chrome, the world’s most widely used internet browser, offers numerous features for educators. By organizing bookmarks that sync across devices and utilizing Chrome extensions, educators can enhance their productivity and access a variety of useful tools and resources.

Google Sites

Google Sites is a user-friendly platform for creating websites without any coding knowledge. It can be used to create class websites for sharing information with students and families, student portfolios, grade-level or content-specific sites, or even a website for your entire school.

Gmail

Gmail is a robust email service that facilitates communication among co-workers, families, and students. With a little organization, you can use labels, folders, and filters to manage your emails efficiently, ensuring that important messages are easy to find and respond to.

Google Calendar

Google Calendar is an online tool designed to help you schedule and remember events. It's versatile enough for comprehensive scheduling, but can also be used just to keep track of important meetings or events. A notable feature is Appointment Slots, which allows others to book meetings with you, streamlining the scheduling process.

But wait, there's more . . . 

There are other apps that are part of the Google Workspace suite, some that will be essential to you, and others you might want to explore: