Google Classrom has officially opened its doors to anyone with a Google Apps for Education Account. 

The tool was announced on May 5 as a way to keep teachers and students connected, said EducationNews.org. The aim was to make it easier for teachers to give out homework and offer feedback. Since then, more than 100,000 educators in 45 countries have tried out Google Classroom. Classroom allows teachers to post assignments, offer feedback, and add or remove students from their classes with ease. The server is available in 42 languages and is free for schools enrolled in Google Apps for Education suite. 

“We did user research, and what came to the forefront was the fact that teachers were spending a lot of time doing things other than teaching,” said Classroom creator and Google product manager Zach Yeskel, a former high school math teacher. “The goal of Classroom is to make the things that should be simple, simple...It was clear they had a lot of technology that helped with other problems, but there was still an opportunity for us to solve a real problem in classroom organization."

Google Classroom is another aspect of the tech giant's goal to get schools to use its services in place of other competitors, such as Apple. Chromebooks, a product by Google, has taken over classrooms, accounting for one-fifth of all mobile computer purchases made by schools.

"Classroom creates an even more convenient flow of information for schoolwork, as students can open their Chromebooks, write a paper with Google Docs and submit them on Classroom, keeping all their work in one network" the article said. "Once submitted, Classroom will keep track of assignments, which it automatically sorts into Google Drive folders."

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Article by Kassondra Granata, EducationWorld Contributor