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The Chromebook Classroom Podcast

If you want to use Chromebooks to improve teaching and learning, this is the show for you! I interview teachers and district leaders who are using Chromebooks in creative and inspiring ways, answer your Chromebook questions, and share the best tools and resources for teaching with Chromebooks. Chromebooks are an amazing tool for the classroom, but using them well does require some thought and planning. I’m glad you are here and can’t wait to help you teach with Chrome!
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The Chromebook Classroom Podcast
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Now displaying: Category: Season 3
Jul 3, 2019

The school year is officially done. We did it! Nice job.

The next school year is still a ways away; no need to think about it…not yet anyway!

July is a month to chill, relax, reflect, and recharge! ⛱🍹

The end of the school year also concludes season 3 of the Chromebook Classroom podcast!

But don’t worry, season 4 will start in August!

Rather than bombard you with new ideas for your classroom, I thought I would introduce myself.

I’m the guy behind the microphone!

Here are 10 quick facts about my life that will explain my perspective on education, business, and life!

The show notes for this episode are pretty awesome. You'll get to see 10 photos of my life, including some really old ones! 😂

Show Notes: chrmbook.com/s3e13

Jun 14, 2019

Google has been trying to combine the ChromeOS and Android ecosystems since 2016.

Is this the future of Chromebooks or a bad idea?

While I am a HUGE proponent of Chromebooks, I have been very sluggish to recommend running Android apps on a Chromebook.

Here to change my mind about Android apps on Chromebooks is Tom Mullaney, Digital Learning Coach at Carroll Middle School in Raleigh, NC.

I have been following Tom on Twitter for some time and have seen him putting out a lot of content on his blog and Twitter on how he is using Android apps on his Chromebook.

This should be a solid conversation!

Show notes and links: chrmbook.com/podcast

Jun 6, 2019

As part of my daily routine, I scan dozens of blogs, visit a handful of Facebook groups and skim through Twitter. The goal: find the most helpful resources, tools, and articles that I can share with my teacher friends (that’s you!).

Here are my top 10 links for June 2019!

For show notes and resources on teaching with Chromebooks, visit http://chrmbook.com

May 29, 2019

My guest is Dave Stuart Jr., high school social studies teacher, author, blogger, and father of 4 from Cedar Springs, Michigan.

I sat down with Dave to talk about how he uses Chromebooks to teach social studies, but our conversation quickly grew into a broader conversation about how technology is changing learning and our responsibility as teachers to respond and adjust to these new challenges.

Dave is a deep thinker who truly wants to help students learn and help teachers achieve satisfaction in all consuming profession.

Dave has summarized some key principles he uses in his classroom in his new book, These Six Things: How to focus your teaching on what matters.  

Show notes and links: chrmbook.com/podcast

May 20, 2019

Are you sick of lugging around paper assignments for grading? I may have a solution for you!

Like all English teachers, Jennifer Kipfmiller is faced with the difficult task of grading hundreds of student essays and written assignments. While many ELA teachers are comfortable using technology to assign and receive student work, the grading process usually takes place on paper with a red pen.

Jennifer and the English department at John Glenn high school set out to figure out a way they could provide hand-written feedback to their students electronically.

The solution involves a special Chromebook and the Android version of Google Classroom. Listen in for the full story!

Show notes and links: chrmbook.com/podcast

May 16, 2019

As the school year winds down, it's time to start thinking about closing out the year and preparing for next year. 

In addition to cleaning out your physical classroom, It’s a good idea to organize your digital classroom.

I have selected five quick tips to help you start your digital spring cleaning.

If you want to get serious about organizing your digital life, sign up for my FREE, self-paced online course.

For show notes and resources visit Chrmbook.com/podcast

May 7, 2019

Every six weeks or so Google releases a new version of ChromeOS, the operating system that runs your Chromebook. 

Many of these updates are pretty boring and consist primarily of technical, behind-the-scenes elements that don't have a direct impact on what we do in the classroom. 

That's not the case with ChromeOS version 74 which is rolling out to devices this week. There are four updates that have the potential to impact your classroom: 

  1. External USB camera support
  2. Enhanced search in the Chrome app launcher
  3. Organize files in the "my files" area of your Chromebook
  4. PDF annotation is now built into the browser!

Visit the show notes for this episode for a complete changelog and resources on how to update your devices: http://Chrmbook.com/chromeOS74

May 3, 2019

The Google Certified Educator program is a wonderful way to increase your ability to use tools like Drive, Classroom, Forms, and Calendar in the context of the classroom.

My guest is Lissa Brunan, middle school teacher, adjunct professor, and technology trainer. 

Lissa and I recently took the level 1 and level 2 exams. During this episode, we share our experience, talk about the types of questions we received, and provide practical tips so that YOU can pass your certification test as well! 

If you are interested in becoming a Google Certified Educator, this episode is one you won’t want to miss!

For show notes and links visit https://www.chrmbook.com/s3e9/

Apr 30, 2019

Danielle Kline has been teaching high school math at Cardinal Mooney Catholic School for five years. Danielle has embraced technology in her classroom, taking advantage of tools like Google Hangouts, Pear Deck, Google Classroom and Forms to teach algebra in a blended learning environment.

Math + Technology is hard (but it can be done!)

I have had many conversations with math teachers regarding the integration of technology in the classroom. While I think technology CAN be used in mathematics courses, I pose the question to Danielle to get her perspective.

Danielle has had success using Kahoot, Google Classroom, and Forms with her students. The secret is taking screenshots of graphs and equations rather than having students actually type or draw out the solution to the equation.

Danielle also shares how she grades student work through a combination of digital and paper-based assignments. 

If you teach math (or support math teachers), this is an episode that will provide a TON of value and ideas. 

For show notes and links visit  https://www.chrmbook.com/s3e8/

Apr 4, 2019

Google has been hard at work improving and refining the accessibility features of ChromeOS. In this episode, we take a look at these features and how we can use them to support the needs of our students.

I am joined by Robin Pegg an expert in the field of adaptive and assistive technology who has worked with teachers and students for more than 20 years. 

Together we explore and share ways that you can use the accessibility features of your Chromebooks to remove barriers to learning. 

 

For show notes and links visit https://www.chrmbook.com/s3e7/ ‎

Mar 27, 2019

The internet can be a distracting place...

Recently, a teacher approached Laura Cahill looking for a way to help her students stay focused when working through digital assignments.

Laura had just been granted early access to Google’s new Locked Quiz feature for Google Forms and she decided to see if this feature could be repurposed for a lesson.

Episode Resources: 

Mar 11, 2019

Is a Chromebook tablet a good idea? That’s the question that we will attempt to answer on this episode of the Chromebook Classroom podcast!

My guest is Marcus Mead, director of instructional technology for Glen Lake Schools in northern Michigan. Marcus oversee the Chromebook program in Glen Lake which recently added Acer Chrome Tablets to its existing collection of Chromebooks.

For show notes and links, visit chrmbook.com/podcast

Mar 1, 2019

Google Forms might be my favorite member of the Google family.

  • As a teacher I use forms for quizzes, group projects and school fundraisers.
  • As a principal I use forms for staff surveys, course selections, and quarterly grade reports.
  • As a small business owner I use forms to set follow up reminders, send out invoices, PD certificates, and organize events.

In this episode I am sharing five ways that you can design better Google Forms!

  1. Use validation to collect better data
  2. Make your forms look pretty
  3. Automate with Add-ons
  4. Filter, Sort, and Pivot your data
  5. Auto-grade and lock your quizzes

Are you ready to become a Form Fanatic?

Each spring I teach a 5 week Google Forms masterclass through Google Classroom. This course is for anyone who is familiar with forms and is ready to become a form master! 

Last spring I offered this course for the first time and the feedback was outstanding:

"I was a casual user of Forms, but I was not using the data that I had collected to it's full potential. Now I am writing better Forms so my data is of higher quality and I am better able to analyze the results so I'm making decisions based on data...not just giving surveys." - Laura Foreback, middle school teacher

This course is perfect for classroom teachers, tech coaches, and school administrators!

Head over to chrm.tech/forms for details!

Jan 25, 2019

Audio projects aren’t as common as image or video projects, but that doesn’t mean that audio isn’t a great option! Because they lack a visual element, audio projects are easier to create and require more attention to the core content of the assignment.

Engaging audio requires creative writing and planning, making audio projects a great option for writing focused classrooms.

This episode features classroom ideas and tools for recording, editing, and publishing audio projects in your classroom. 

Featured Tools: 

For more tips and lesson ideas for Chromebook Classrooms visit chrmbook.com

Jan 1, 2019

Over the past 50 years, Bob Gregory has been a school teacher, a church pastor, a school principal and an education resource supplier in Australia and around the South Pacific region. He officially retired in 2015 and in 2016 became the education manager for Transform Cambodia, an NGO dedicated to helping the children of Cambodia escape poverty.

In this episode you'll hear how Chromebooks are being used to give hope to more than 3,000 Children in Cambodia. 

For show notes and links, visit chrmbook.com/podcast

Dec 8, 2018

Google Forms gets "Locked mode" and it's an exclusive Chromebook feature!

Locked quiz mode prevents students from accessing opening new tabs or accessing unauthorized digital content.

In this mini-episode I break down everything you need to know about locked quizzes!

For more details on this new feature, including a video overview, visit http://chrm.tech/lockedquiz

Note: As of December 6, 2018 the locked quiz feature is only available to a small number beta testers. I anticipate that locked quizzes will become available to all G Suite for Education users in January 2019.

Dec 1, 2018
Are Chromebooks good for more than math games and web research?
 
This is one of the topics that I discuss with Andy Losik, elementary STEM teacher, during this episode of the Chromebook Classroom Podcast!
 
Andy Losik (@mrlosik) is a PK-5 STEM teacher at Hamilton Schools in west Michigan. Andy has a rich background as a classroom teacher and technology expert. He is an Apple Distinguished educator, Google Certified innovator and Discover Education Programs Champion, and helpful guy.
 
Show notes: Chrmbook.com/podcast
Nov 1, 2018

With Chromebooks in your classroom, exploring remote and exciting parts of the world has never been easier!

Joining me on this episode of the podcast are Kim Randall and Kelly Kermode, two wonderful and well traveled educators, and authors of Bring the World to your Classroom.

Visit chrmbook.com/podcast for links, resources, and tools mentioned in this episode of the Chromebook Classroom Podcast.

Oct 15, 2018

How do you make math interesting for a middle school student?

Eric Marcos has been helping students create instructional math videos since 2007. These amazing (and entertaining) videos have been watched by more than 1.6 million students and teachers from around the world.

Eric teaches in Santa Monica, California and also runs mathtrain.tv where you can find all of his videos.

Visit chrmbook.com/podcast for links, resources, and tools mentioned in this episode of the Chromebook Classroom Podcast.

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