As I have mentioned before, we will be getting some Chromebooks for our classroom this coming year. We have not really had any workable computers in our classes before. We only had 2 students computers (from the pre-historic age or so it seems :) ) that were used mainly for Accelerated Reader tests and sometimes typing. Having these Chromebooks will be a great addition to our classroom, but I am also a bit nervous about deciding how to use them.
The main reason we are getting these Chromebooks is in relationship to Khan Academy. This is a math resource page where students will be working on additional videos and activities to further develop math skills and also advance at a faster pace if possible. As I am looking to find other ways to use the Chromebooks, I have been researching what they can and can't do. I will discuss some things, include my opinions about it, and ask for your opinions/suggestions as comments.
First, the Chromebook uses the Chrome OS, which essentially is the Google Chrome web browser. I appreciate this browser, and I have been using it since it came out. I believe that it runs smoothly and has a good interface. We have used internet explorer as our main browser on computers, so hopefully there won't be difficulties in transitioning with my 6th graders. What I also love about Google is syncing. There are many Google applications that I use, such as Blogger, Google Docs, Gmail, and others that I can't think of off the top of my head. Students will have one account, and all of this stuff will be synced, making it possible for me to incorporate many of these tools and apps into the classroom. Many times my students have forgotten to save things or they save them into the wrong folder. By having these auto-save features that come with Google Docs, I think that problem will be solved!
The one thing that I am worried about is that it seems like we will be limited, at least in the beginning. I am so used to having programs on my computer. I am so used to the idea of having a hard drive to save things to. I am so used to closing my browser and seeing all of my tools on my desktop. I believe many of my students will be used to this as well, so it may seem like we are limited in what we can do.
For those of you who have used Chromebooks, how do you feel about them? Do you appreciate them more than laptops or other devices? In what ways do you use them in the classroom? What apps or extensions make them more useful?
[Image courtesy of Alex Washburn]
Nathan, first of all, congratulations! It is exciting to have new tools to implement great ideas. My Grade 6 class used Chromebooks quite extensively last year and we loved them!
ReplyDeleteI appreciated that all my class had the same device. They have great battery life and are SO fast to work with. There is very little wait time with a Chromebook!
I had to be creative at first, but we have been able to do most things on our Chromebooks, including video and audio productions, collaborative assignments, and I am looking at some possible tests for next year.
You mentioned Accelerated Reader and even this can be done on the Chromebooks now, as far as I am aware. (They were working on this.)
I use them in every subject area. The Chromebooks were amazing for collaboration and for giving feedback while students worked. My students had e-portfolio websites last year, and we also had KidBlog. We were able to use the Chromebooks for all of these activities.
There are ways to save externally if needed and students can even work off-line (I am still learning about this). They are easy to use and the students become proficient very quickly.
Some of the most useful apps that we tried out included WeVideo, AR Book Finder, Khan Academy, Floor Plan Creator, Chrome Remote Desktop, Audioboo, TwistedWave, Read&Write extension and Simple Highlighter.
There are a quite a few apps that we used that were for content-specific activities as well. Let me know if you need a few suggestions, I'd be happy to share!
Best of luck! It may take a bit of getting used to, but know I am grateful everyday that we have Chromebooks in the classroom.
Thanks for the input, Angela. I think I am definitely going to use them for some creative design aspects, such as video and audio productions. I was wondering about Accelerated Reader. I was reading to see if it could be done, and there is an online site to do it. After taking this class, I am definitely excited to use it for blogging. Thank you for the suggestions on apps. I will be able to see what the Chromebook has to offer in early August.
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