What’s new in Google Workspace for schools and trusts – January 2023  

Welcome to your guide to what's new in Google Workspace for schools and trusts. This blog looks at the new improvements to Google Meet, Chat, Sheets and Slides.  

Welcome to your guide to what’s new in Google Workspace for schools and trusts. This blog looks at the new improvements to Google Meet, Chat, Sheets and Slides.  

Google Workspace is a popular tool for many customers, so we wanted to create a regular roundup of the most useful new updates for teachers and educators. 

Schedule Do Not Disturb on Google Chat. 

You can now set a recurring schedule, so you’re not disturbed by notifications from Google Chat at certain points in your day.  

For example, you could set your Do Not Disturb to switch on automatically over the weekend, during lunch breaks or during specific times of the week when you need to focus on projects.  

Find out more on the Google blog.

Collaborate with colleagues with “Follow”. 

Google has introduced a new “Follow” feature for Slides, which makes it even easier for teachers to collaborate and co-author documents in real time.  

You can now click on another person’s avatar in the Slides toolbar to jump to whatever slide they’re on, then continue to move with them through the deck as they make changes to the presentation. 

Find out more on the Google blog.

Create drop-down menus in Google Sheets. 

You can now create drop-down menus (or chips, as Google calls them) in Sheets. 

Drop-down menus save so much time and are great for creating an interactive spreadsheet that you can share with others.  

This example shows how you can use it to track the status of a project. But you can customise the colours and the menu options to suit your project. 

Find out more on the Google blog.

Improvements to Google Meet.  

Google Meet is an excellent tool for hosting virtual meetings with other staff members and delivering remote learning to students.  

Some new features make the tool more accessible, straightforward, and fun to use.   

• Teachers can now view speaker notes while presenting Slides in Google Meet.*
• More languages have been added to support translated captions in Google Meet. *
• You can now use emojis to share reactions in meetings. 

*Note: Only available to schools using a paid Google Education license.

Our Salamander Integration Suite helps schools effortlessly manage user accounts in Google Workspace, giving teachers and students access to everything they need to teach and learn. Talk to a member of our team today to find out how we can support your school or trust.