Chromebooks

ChromeBooks Learn It!

media type="custom" key="24228448" Note: to see all the videos in this playlist, click the in the upper left corner. There are FOUR videos on this playlist.


 * Think About It! **

The new Google Chromebook is one of the hottest new devices to hit the computing scene within the past few years. With the new product launch, Google didn’t want to just unveil a “new and improved” version of the same old thing. Instead, they want to truly cause a major disruption in the way we think about laptops, hardware and personal computing. Let's look at some benefits of the Chromebook.

Some important things to know about the Chromebook:
 * 1) Speed! Chromebooks are fast – Chromebooks boot in 8 seconds (from off – they resume from sleep in less than a second) and quickly connect to wifi or broadband so that you can get instantly online and be productive.
 * 2) Long battery life – work all day with a single charge.
 * 3) All you need is the web. These web apps can even run offline!
 * 4) No more patching! Chromebooks are built from the ground-up to be secure. From verified boot each time the OS is fired up to sandboxing each tab of the browser to protect any threats from spreading, Chromebooks promise to save IT folk a lot of headaches – both from preventing users inadvertently infecting machines to saving them the labor or manually patching each machine when a known exploit goes “in the wild.” Chromebooks are always up to date and that includes security updates.



So what does that mean for our schools?

According to the latest statistics about what computers are being used in schools around the country, Google’s Chromebooks account for about 22% of all computers in the classroom. Considering this is an area where Microsoft was previously extremely dominant, that 22% is a pretty significant chunk of the market. In perspective, that accounts for a little over 5000 K-12 schools total.

Microsoft and Google (and even Apple, to an extent) try to compete in schools to help turn students into customers later on in life. Google has become increasingly aggressive in tackling this market recently, especially considering how cheaply Chromebooks are available and Google’s free office suite that competes with MS Office. Microsoft still claimed 58% of the educational market, but they’re on a downward trend from previous years, and Google knows that they need to stay competitive to keep gaining ground in that market. In decade, it’s very possible that Chromebooks will be the norm in school systems.


 * Plan It! **

The first thing to do is to investigate the different categories of apps available. Remember, in order to view these apps you don't need to be on a ChromeBook, but you do need to use the Chrome Browser. If you don't have that on your computer, you can download it here.

The next thing to consider is the CATEGORY of apps. As you read through this list, draw a mental picture of what each of these categories of tools would produce. These are my suggestions: apps || || The next thing to do is to figure out the best apps. Of course, choosing the "best app" is like choosing the "best color"-it depends on what you are doing and what you want to accomplish, who is your audience, how much time you have, how experiences are you...and so on. But we are going to take a stab at it!
 * Slideshow Apps || [[image:http://img.creativemark.co.uk/uploads/images/487/14487/img3File.png width="197" height="149"]] ||
 * Presentation Apps || [[image:http://iteachteacherstech.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/Presentation-Apps.jpg width="200" height="175"]] ||
 * Research Apps || [[image:research-apps.jpg width="242" height="163"]] ||
 * Collaboration Apps || [[image:https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcS6DK9AfRBQMqyejJJbKMsFrI5w1iqTccD1bvvYzoI7PzTnnLaiVaJrgw width="162" height="109"]] ||
 * Image Apps || [[image:imageapp.jpg width="178" height="179"]] ||
 * Drawing Apps || [[image:drawingapp.jpg width="199" height="145"]] ||
 * Writing Apps || [[image:https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcS_MUp6xbugyB7pNTHDICIodK78tnng8QYf58r6JKQRZpM6vyUD width="273" height="184"]] ||
 * Music Apps || [[image:musicapps.jpg]] ||
 * Organizing Apps || [[image:organizing apps.jpg width="260" height="260"]] ||
 * Quiz Apps || [[image:https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTuzLMqr6V1AjhbFqMlLhJICzhXyX5zvLUzbpn1azAK3aWedbgGYQ width="336" height="150"]] ||
 * Graphing Apps || [[image:graphingapps.jpg width="409" height="147"]] ||
 * Creativity Apps || [[image:https://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTMm5CCCsMoWsAOl1pBKLc6-HfjdeShqjiLGGUR--K-iKOXYVhx width="252" height="175"]] ||
 * Timeline Apps || [[image:timelineapp.jpg width="356" height="156"]] ||
 * Comic/Sketch Apps || [[image:https://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSh-AzSeWULQrb0J2f2lOgpmR8gUqr1GHQ1cHdLbRCEPRq458h- width="199" height="195"]] ||
 * Collage Apps || [[image:collage.jpg width="293" height="210"]] ||
 * Map Apps || [[image:https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQLXJgqm63vtdCbr-wHaqlrUYhM4yTvJo-vRtJdA4rD4hOrx2S9TQ width="137" height="183"]] ||
 * Audio Apps || [[image:https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTSbuf2edg3UNfyerchT1PYGe_MKkNY3JSsECl_NS7MGDvQ9UFWcQ width="160" height="160"]] ||
 * Video (movie making)
 * Flashcard Apps || [[image:flashcardapps.jpg width="362" height="225"]] ||
 * Communication Apps || [[image:communication apps width="347" height="211"]] ||

The best place to start your investigation of ChromeApps is in the Chrome Web Store (where else?)





Do It!

You did it! So, once again, here are your assignments for this week (due next Sunday):

On the post page linked below, you will find a "team" you belong to for this assignment. Each team should begin by collaboratively choosing SIX categories of apps. Your task, as a team, is to find a great app (that's for you to decide!) for each category, add it to your Chrome apps page, AND create a product using the app and post it here.

Now, a word of warning: obviously, I haven't explored every app there is, so if you run into any problems, let me know, OK? 