Digital Learning - Google Classroom

The school uses Google Workspace. This is quite different from your regular email account. With a free Gmail account, you get access to basic apps and services, including Google Drive, Docs, Sheets and Slides. With Google Workspace, you get access to all of the same apps as Gmail, as well as Google Meet, Calendar, Chat, Keep Sites, Forms and Current.

An important thing to understand is that your personal emails will not work. Only school provided emails will work. While the school provided emails use Gmail, they are written differently as we use our own school's domain.

Using our own domain makes it easier to secure your information as well as managing your Classes in Google Classroom.

School Email

Your school email address is styled like the one shown i.e. ending with @vhs.ac.fj. Other email accounts WILL NOT work. These emails are only available from school.

You can sign in using a browser (web version) of via the Gmail app.

HAVE YOU SIGNED INTO YOUR EMAIL FIRST? Using a browser

Please contact your Year teacher, subject teacher to get your email address or password resets. Your parents can also drop in a message via the Contact Us message portal on this website or use our social media handle on Facebook to request your email address.

Password resets require you to communicate with your Year teacher using the contact information you provided in your school profiles.

Once you receive your email address and password, do the following immediately.

Open a browser on your device.
Go to www.gmail.com
Type your school provided email address and on the next screen enter the given password.
You would be asked to accept the Terms and Conditions and to change the password. Accept the Terms and Conditions and change the Password to proceed.
Now you should be able to view your emails in your account.
The next time, you should use your school email accounts and your new passwords to use email and your Google Classroom.
You cannot reset your passwords. Only the school admin can do that.

Remember, these emails are should not ever be used for the unintended purposes. Please do not use them to create social media accounts.

HAVE YOU SIGNED INTO YOUR EMAIL FIRST? Using the Gmail app on your Smart Phones or tablets.

The Gmail app is already present on your Android. No doubt you have set up your device using your personal email address. The following steps show how to add a second email to your Gmail app.

Before you set up your account using an app, please use the browser steps to change your password. Only then add the new account to your Gmail app.

On your Android phone or tablet, open the Gmail app .
In the top right, tap your profile picture.
Tap Add another account.
Choose the type of account you want to add.
- If you check work or school emails through Outlook for Windows, select Outlook, Hotmail, and Live.
- If you don't see your email service, select Other.
Follow the steps on the screen to add your account.

Long press on the Gmail icon on your device to switch between accounts.

Remember, these emails should not ever be used for other then it's intended purposes. Please do not use them to create social media accounts.

GETTING TO GOOGLE CLASSROOM

GOOGLE CLASSROOM USING YOUR BROWSER

Follow these steps to get to your Google Classroom and access your classes.

Go to classroom.google.com and click Go to Classroom.
Enter the email address for your Classroom account and click Next.
Enter your password and click Next.
If there is a welcome message, review it and click Accept.
If you're using an Google Workspace for Education account, click I’m A Student or I’m A Teacher. Tip: Users with personal Google Accounts won’t see this option.
Click Get Started.

Once signed in, you would see a screen similar to the one below. Your classes would be displayed once you have Joined them via the invitation links sent by teachers. These links can be found in your school email inbox.
Sometimes links to not Join you to Classes in the Classroom. In this case, you would need to contact your Year teacher or your subject teachers so they can remove the old invitation and resend it.
In more dire cases, your teachers may send your a Join Code or an invitation link although we try not not utilize these methods.

GOOGLE CLASSROOM USING THE ANDROID APP (enable security on your device first -Any one of the following - PIN, pattern, fingerprint or face recognition to use Google classroom on your handheld device.)

Before you begin: Install the Classroom app on your device from Google Play store. If you are comfortable with using a browser, you do not have to install this.

- Tap Classroom to open it.
- Tap Get Started.
- Tap Get Started
- Tap Add account and then OK.
Enter the email address for your Classroom account and tap Next.
- Tap Next
- Enter your password and tap Next.
- If there is a welcome message, review it and tap Accept.
- Review the Terms of Service and Privacy Policy and tap I agree.

- If you are using an Education Fundamentals account, tap I’m A Student or I’m A Teacher.
- Tip: Users with personal Google Accounts won’t see this option.
Pick your role

Switch to a different account

If you’re signed in to multiple accounts and need to switch to the account you use with Classroom:
At the top, tap your profile image or initial.
- Select or add the account.

GOOGLE CLASSROOM INVITATIONS

Receiving an invitation via email and then JOIN

Your teachers would send you invitations to their their Classes via email. This is going to be the standard method of inviting students to classes. You need to look for the invitation in your school email inbox. It would look similar to the one shown one the left. (above, if you are using your mobile device).

Click on the email to open it. Now you would see an invitation from your Class teacher/ creator. Click on JOIN at the bottom to enter the class. It would automatically take you to a new tab for Google Classroom. Click on Continue to accept the Condition. Choose the role of student by clicking on "I AM STUDENT". This should lead you to that Class's Landing Page - The Stream.

If you have the Classroom app installed and are signed into the app, you may not receive the email invitation. Instead, the invitation to JOIN could be sent directly to the Classroom app. That method is shown next.

JOIN if classroom app is installed.

If you have the Google Classroom app installed and have signed in with your school account, you would received all JOIN invitations and all Class notifications via the App as well.

Click on JOIN and you would be taken to the Classroom Landing page, the Stream.

The Google Classroom Home Page

Google Classroom Homepage
- In your browser

Upon successfully JOINING your Classes via the invitation links in your emails, you should have a Homepage similar to the image displayed in your browser.

You could be part of the number of academic subjects that you take. Five Classes for Seniors and seven Classes for Juniors.

Google Classroom Homepage
- In the Classroom App

Once you have JOINED your Classes, your Google Classroom App, if you choose to use it, would look similar to this.

Your Google Class

Your Landing Page - The Stream - for Annoucements and commenting

If your teacher allows it, you can communicate with your class in the class stream in the following ways:

Post—Information or a question that you add to the class stream.
Example: When do we visit the museum?
Comment—A response to a post or comment.
Example: We go next Friday.
Reply—A response to a comment that mentions the person who made the comment.
Example: +commenter’s name Thanks!

If you don't want to post in the class stream, you can send a private comment to your teacher on an assignment or question.

Note: If your teacher mutes you, you can’t post, comment, or reply to comments. Only teachers can unmute a student.

The Classwork Page - your Workspace

All your Classwork is displayed here as Lessons under Topics. Any link posted on the Stream leads to this area. While the links in the Stream appear in the order they are posted, this area is better organized following your coverage or topics. Some teachers may use Chapters or Strands to organize this area.

You would also view your assignments and grades for those assignments here.