Chromebook & Google Apps Classrooms
By Aaron T. Cleveland
Take-aways
- Free web-based services for teachers including: 1) Centralized cloud-based management, 2) Create and manage users, 3) Create Organizational units, 4) Enable/ Disable certain apps and adjust settings.
- Chromebooks allow students to sign into Google account within 8 seconds after starting machine. Nothing stored on device itself. $279 per Chromebook (with $30 management fee per device). Tablets share similar features with cost of $229.
- Educator Apps are focused and approved by educators. Filters include standards, grade-level, subject/content, and 75 essential apps for education.
- For support for teachers with limited technology experience, teachers and websites were designed to help with learning how to use Google applications, technology, classroom management.
View PowerPoint (without audio) from webinar here!
Presentation was done through a Google associate and a technology respresentative from a school district north of San Francisco that adapted and applied the features of Google Education to their schools.
Website: http://www.edweek.org/media/061714presentationpdf.pdf
Google Chomebooks, Tablets, and student-centered impact
Video created by Google Enterprise
Impact of Google Tablets - Case Study
Learn about how HTPS implemented Google Tablets stocked with features and applications to help facilitate classroom instruction and learning. As a result HTPS discovered that the technology was easy to use, there was an abundant and diversified database of applications to use for teachers & students, easy accessibility, and nearly complete student-centered learning.
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Reflection
The content of the presentation included powerful uses in education for instruments and software of Google. Schools using Google devices and applications developed a sense of empowerment among the teachers and students for individualized learning. This empowerment developed into choice of access that was not just limited to Google Chromebooks and Tablets, but virtually anything with a inter-web capabilities. With the ease of choice came the ability to collaborate with others both in and out of the classroom for students and teachers alike. These tools would not have been possible without Google's scalability in terms of management, administrative powers, and computers synced with Google applications.
The presentation then shifted to a specific example of the use of Google Education devices and software. With content of powerful web-based tools at their fingertips via Google, Milpitas Unified School District (Calif.) began an unprecedented district-wide transition from a 20th century classroom to a 21st century classroom. Their outlook focused on a change from a teacher centered classroom in which the teacher fed information to students without any collaboration and engagement to a classroom in which the teacher acted as a facilitator and worked with students to seek out information and attempt to solve real problems. With this outlook at the forefront, Milpitas goal of four C's: Communication, Collaboration, Critical Thinking, and Creativity were made real by implementing many of the choices Google had to offer for educators.
The presentation was wrapped up with an informative question and answer session which included tips and strategies for implementation. My overall impression of the presentation and the specific example of a school district's use of Google devices and software further encouraged me to take action at the district I work at to help create a classroom experience that is both engaging and not static - which is how public education has been for the most part for well over 100 years.