Why NOT Google Classroom

What it is...

Google Classroom, a new feature in the Google Apps for Educators suite, has streamlined the use of digital tools in a traditional/blended learning environment.  

It replaces the need for individual teacher course websites for announcements and links to online content by creating a clean streamlined user experience for teachers and students.  

Additionally, it provides file sharing capabilities; once only available to intermediate/advanced G.A.F.E. users who were familiar with  the various scripts and add-ons that now support your Google Drive Applications; such as Doctopus.

What you'll miss...

Advanced users who migrate to Google Classroom will miss the ability to customize the appearance and layout of their online classroom. 

Also, Google Classroom lacks certain file sharing settings that make differentiation and group projects/jigsaw activities possible via other bulk file sharing processes.

The biggest drawback is the lack of a rubric option that accomplishes standards based grading; a-la' Goobric.  You can still use Doctopus to "slurp" in assignments from Classroom and attach Goobrics, but this seems like more "teching" than should be necessary to accomplish this task.

So it's bad?

I highly recommend Google Classroom for teachers taking the first step toward digitizing their classroom.  Teachers who lack the expertise, time, or may be intimidated by attempting to design their own website will immediately be able to jump into this very user friendly system.  Oh, and there is "an app for that" that allows you to access your classroom on the go.  

Additionally, teachers who have never, or previously tried and then grew frustrated with, bulk file sharing management systems can easily easily accomplish this task.  In fact, this feature in Google Classroom is more refined, in terms of setting due dates, and communicating with students about specific files, then I have previously seen; though at the cost of rubric integration.

  

A Step Back?

For advanced users, I would say yes.  While Google Classroom offers an amazing student/teacher experience; it does so at the level of "substitution/augmentation" on the SAMR model.  While it is classroom online, it is not an "online classroom".  

It is a private environment, lacking the outward facing component that early G.A.F.E. adopters may be used to.  Google Classroom shuts the door on teachers ability to share content and best practices with the world.  Accordingly, students can communicate, collaborate  and share their products of learning with each other; but not with the world. 

Google Classroom may be a good first step toward climbing the SAMR model, but the streamlined interface leaves little room for customization and innovation.  Google Classroom should be seen as a stepping stone, and not a target for best digital teaching practice.