Chromebooks 101
Why should you check out your Chromebooks everyday?
Reason #1--Collaboration
Imagine watching your students work through a problem, complete a project, or write a paper in real time. With Google you can do that. See a mistake? Comment on it, The students will see your comment in real time. See a pattern of mistakes? Send them a link to a website or video that can help them fix it.
Not only can you collaborate with them, but they can collaborate with each other as well. Group work in an online environment like Google takes on a whole new meaning. Each student can work on a document, presentation, or spreadsheet in real time. They can chat with each other in the chat function, comment on each others work in the document, correct each others mistakes, the possibilities for student collaboration is endless!
Reason #2--Accessibility, Cost, and Ease of Use
Everything that you do through Google Apps for Education is FREE! You won't have to sign up for trial accounts and then find out that the technology is great, but the cost isn't. If it comes from Google, it's free to use!
Google Products like Docs, Sheets, Presentations, and Drawings are similar to the Microsoft proucts you've been using for decades! If you can use Microsoft Word, then you can use Google Docs, but with Google Docs you can do so much more.
Reason #3--Your Students Will Love It
Our students want to use technology. We can either give them the technology to use, allow them to use their own devices, or try to stifle that desire. With the Chromebooks, you have greater control over what the students are doing. Can they still find ways to play games or chat with their friends? Sure, but they are going to find ways to do that anyway. Embrace the technology available and steer that desire to use it toward educational purposes!