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Features of Google Classroom include:

• Storage : There is an integrated Drive folder for each course, and by using GAFE, Drive space is unlimited.
• Flexibility with Collaboration: The teacher has the ability to add other co-teachers or inclusion teachers. Students can be added to the class through course code or manually by the teacher through the organization's directory. With a little help from your IT coordinator, you can also collaborate with other GAFE domains at other educational institutions.
• Assigning Work: The teacher has the ability to Create an assignment, a question, an announcement, or reuse a prior post
  • Create assignments with due dates, times, and instructions.
  • Attachments can be included in assignments through computer or exterior drive files, Google Drive Files, files created with GAFE products, YouTube, or url link.
  • Question creation for quick assessment or more open-ended thinking, allowing the teacher to set viewing and response permissions for each question. Students may or may not view and respond to other classmate's answers. This does not include a bank of questions and does not require a particular format. Basically, this takes the "assignment" task and allows short answer or open-ended questions, with or without peer feedback.
  • Discussion ability through open-ended response and student viewing and response abilities set to "all" (mentioned in prior bullet).
  • "Share to Classroom" extension allows teachers to send and open browser url tabs to a class as a "push" which opens the tab. The teacher can also insert an assignment, announcement, or question related to the url within the "Share to Classroom" extension.
• Assessment and Grading: Teachers can use the "Work" link to view and grade work and then email feedback to the student, along with a grade. Students may also use this to see what is due, instructions, grades, and comments.
• Integrated Tools: Seamless integration with many third-party apps (even other LMS like Edmodo), along with the GAFE suite, including Blogger, Google Sites, Google Mail, YouTube, Calendar, Forms, Docs, Slides, Sheets, and many others.
• Organizational Ease:
  • Every course has a dedicated folder in Drive to which assignment documents, etc. are stored.
  • Notification settings can allow students and instructor to receive email notifications or even push notifications with the Classroom App as comments are made, assignments are graded, etc.
  • As an instructor creates a course, a calendar is also created in Google Calendar.
    • Course calendars are added to a student's Google Calendar app when they join the course.
    • Every course assignment or announcement with a time and/or date is placed on a student's Google Calendar automatically with the default reminder settings.

Advantages:

• Ability to "create a copy" of a document or assignment for each student using Google Drive.
• Drafts of announcements or assignments can be created and saved for "timed" distribution.
• Teachers can reuse a post or pin a prior post back to the top of the timeline. This enables finding important stream posts as an easier task for students.
• Teachers can distribute an assignment to multiple classes at the same time using "drop-down" menu features.
• Teachers and students can access all assignments through the "Work" link and see if anything is due at the moment.
• Teachers can use the "Work" link to view assignments which have been returned, which are late, which are under review, and which have been graded.
• Students can privately message the instructor regarding an assignment.
• Student accounts and passwords are automatically managed through your Google Apps for Education domain.
• Free to use with no charge to GAFE organizations.
• Student posting abilities can be set by individual student or class.
• Students can be emailed as individuals, groups, or whole class with just a few clicks.
• Students can be added to the class through course code or manually by the teacher through the organization's directory.
• Automatic creation of class calendar into Google Calendar.
• Integration with a school's Student Information System (SIS) can allow courses to be automatically created based on an instructor's schedule. This would require technical assistance from your IT department.

Disadvantages:

• Limited in design scope as it is hosted by Google and institutions cannot "personalize" it.
• Only available to use if an educational institution is in agreement with Google as a Google Apps for Education entity.
• No ability to form or communicate with small groups within a course.
• No real "social media" collaboration with other users outside the organization, with the exception of anything that might could be accomplished with Google+. However, this "public" social media ability is not built directly into the LMS as it is in a solution like Edmodo.
• Not as simple to integrate resources which are outside the Google domain (Word, PP, etc.) or from other Google domains such as using a resource saved in a personal Google account to the institution account that manages your Google Classroom.
• Does not automatically update the class stream. Users must use the refresh command. This could be perceived as an advantage if you are limited in bandwidth.
• Classroom could be enhanced with direct integration with Google Hangouts or have similar capabilities.
• Students cannot share their work to the entire class or even individuals by using the same method as the teacher (i.e., make a copy for each student feature). Students must go through the usual sharing methods of documents in Drive. Of course, this could be a deterrent for copying homework! However, it would be a nice feature if available when needed and activated by the teacher.
• Does not contain automated quiz creators like some other LMS. The ability to use Google Forms is present, but has not been integrated automatically. Also, Google does not offer content banks based on the CCSS or other standards banks.

References

1 Retrieved fromhttps://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/59/Google_Classroom_Logo.png.

YouTube,. (2016). Google Classroom Overview (For Students). Retrieved 7 February 2016, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zqesn2uwVXw

All other information comes from the author's own experience using Google Classroom as both an instructor and as the Talladega County Schools Google Apps for Education Domain SuperAdministrator