The Life of a Chromebook

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1:1, chrome, chromebook, edtech, gafe, google apps for education, google., paperless, paperless classroom

Ask a public school administrator about a cost effective way to try to go 1:1 in a school, and the odds are a good many of them will say to buy Chromebooks.  We had the privilege of being asked to come to a school to pioneer paperless classrooms. We were always known as those teachers who were out there, dancing around the room, doing whatever we could to keep kids engaged. We were also known as those who were always looking for new ways to engage students. To us, this sounded perfect.

Google Classroom… a few little tips.

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1:1, alice keeler, classroom, google apps for education, google classroom, google drive

My school year is under way. I understand that many districts around the nation, and the world, are not in session right now, but that time is coming, so be ready.

This is my second year using Google Classroom, and my third year being a paperless classroom. The experience has been a learning lesson the entire way. This year is no exception, but if we aren’t learning, what are we doing?

Screencasting Using Google Chrome and Snagit

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chrome, extensions, gafe, google apps, google apps for education, google., screencast

Screencasting. Most people tend to think it’s not a terribly valuable resource. Many think they are troublesome to create. Many don’t want their voice all over the internet. After being asked how to do the exact same thing several times, I made a joke, saying I needed to record myself showing how to do it… then it hit me, I really did need to record myself showing how to do it, I needed to screencast it.

Believe it or not, my 11 year old daughter had been experimenting with screencasting. She knew all about it. She regularly watches screencasts of people doing certain tasks in Minecraft. She had mentioned wanting to make screencasts of her own, and I now saw a need to make them, so we plunged into it together.

The Basics of Using Google Forms

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1:1, gafe, google apps, google apps for education, google drive, google forms

Have you ever seen a horse pushing a cart? Neither have I, and I feel like I put the cart before the horse yesterday with the Flubaroo post. So, rewinding a bit, here are the basics of how to create a Google Form.

First off, head over to your Google Drive. When you get there click NEW then hover over MORE so you see the menu shown below.

Paperless Grading Using Flubaroo, Google Sheets, and Google Forms

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1:1, add-ons, extensions, flubaroo, gafe, google apps, google apps for education, google sheets, paperless, paperless classroom

To many, going paperless seems like a daunting task. Most teachers have gotten into a comfort zone. They know how things run, they know how long tasks take, they have it down. However, as we progress as educators, we must change with the times. Kids are growing up in a digital age, and it only seems logical that we would teach them the way they are growing up.

The age old pen and paper tests can often be digitized. Let’s face it, many of the tests teachers give are multiple choice. Google Forms is an excellent way to digitally deliver the same test. It saves paper, ink, and grading time. Yes, grading time. One of the chief concerns I hear from teachers is they don’t wish to go paperless because they don’t know how to test and grade tests on a computer. This is where the Google Sheets add-on Flubaroo comes in.

50 Things You Can Do With Google Classroom by Alice Keeler and Libbi Miller

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alice keeler, clasroom, edtech, gafe, google apps for education, google classroom, google docs, google drive, google.

I had intended to read this one through the weekend, but to be honest, it’s a quick read, and I was rather into it, so I stayed up and finished it last night. Now, I need to preface this review with something…