On March 12, 2020, I was attending a conference when the news broke that the entire state would be under stay-at-home orders for several weeks due to COVID-19.

As someone who is a full time speaker and edTech consultant, this was a terrifying moment as I realized that all of my scheduled school visits and conferences sessions would most certainly be cancelled.

Since that date in March, I began providing virtual PD for schools.

These are some of the lessons I have learned after facilitating more than 150 hours of virtual learning. 

District Webinar Subscription Program

To help schools continue to provide helpful virtual PD, I am offering a district webinar subscription program.

For only $25/FTE your teachers can attend a weekly webinar by me between January 12 and May 21. 

🔗 Program details: http://SowashVentures.com/subscription

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Thanks for tuning into the Chromebook Classroom Podcast! If you enjoyed today's episode, I would appreciate your honest rating and review! 

You can connect with me, John Sowash, on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. I would love to hear your thoughts on the show! 

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 favorite links for December 2020:

1. Google Sites gets custom fonts
2. Google Vault update
3. Cheaters can’t outsmart Google!
4. Improved comment / suggestion modes for Docs
5. Improved “people” directory in the Gmail side panel
6. Computer Science Week
7. Get creative with Chromebooks
8. Five Jamboard templates
9. Funkify
10. Sowash family Christmas tradition

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

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Thanks for tuning into the Chromebook Classroom Podcast! If you enjoyed today's episode, I would appreciate your honest rating and review! 

You can connect with me, John Sowash, on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. I would love to hear your thoughts on the show! 

Google Cloud Print will be shut down at the end of 2020.

If you plan on printing from your Chromebook, you need to find a new solution.

Because students and teachers have been taking Chromebooks home due to COVID, connecting your Chromebook to your home printer is more important than ever. 

We'll also discuss managing district printers using the Google Admin Console. 

For show notes and resources, head over to http://Chrmbook.com/podcast

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Thanks for tuning into the Chromebook Classroom Podcast! If you enjoyed today's episode, I would appreciate your honest rating and review! 

You can connect with me, John Sowash, on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. I would love to hear your thoughts on the show! 

Chromebook wins, frustrations, and strategies

In November 2020 I was invited to be a panelist on the weekly teacher round table hosted by Tim Cavey of the Teachers on Fire Podcast.

Chromebooks was the topic for the November 14 discussion and I was honored to join four other educators to share our Chromebook wins, frustrations, and strategies.

Become a teacher on fire! 🔥

For more conversations like this, make sure you subscribe to the Teachers on Fire podcast.

During each episode, my good friend Tim Cavey highlights a teacher who is crushing it in the classroom.

Each episode is a dose of inspiration and encouragement to continue changing the world, one student at at time.

SUBSCRIBE to the Teachers on Fire podcast:

• On Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/2ozOTRb
• On Google Podcasts: https://goo.gl/iA6swC
• On Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2QkF2KW

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Thanks for tuning into the Chromebook Classroom Podcast! If you enjoyed today's episode, I would appreciate your honest rating and review! 

You can connect with me, John Sowash, on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. I would love to hear your thoughts on the show! 

If you or a family member is in the market for a new computer, black Friday is a great time to make a purchase! 

While specific deals will come and go, I’d like to explain how to spot the best holiday deals on Chromebooks.

I’ll also point you to a few specific deals for the 2020 holiday season.

Teacher device recommendation:

• Acer Spin 713 ($549 at BestBuy)

• HP x360 14c ($499 at BestBuy)

Student device recommendation:

• Acer Spin 11 ($250 at BestBuy)
• HP 11a (11A-NB0013DX) ($169 at BestBuy)

Honorable Mention:

• Lenovo Chromebook Duet ($249 at BestBuy)

Stocking stuffers: 

• Stylus (USI, EMR, other): $20-50
• Chromecast: $19 at Walmart (Black Friday only)
• Roku: $17 at Walmart (Black Friday only)
• External monitor

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Thanks for tuning into the Chromebook Classroom Podcast! If you enjoyed today's episode, I would appreciate your honest rating and review! 

You can connect with me, John Sowash, on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. I would love to hear your thoughts on the show! 

If you or a family member is in the market for a new computer, black Friday is a great time to make a purchase! 

While specific deals will come and go, I’d like to explain how to spot the best holiday deals on Chromebooks.

I’ll also point you to a few specific deals for the 2020 holiday season.

Teacher device recommendation:

• Acer Spin 713 ($549 at BestBuy)

• HP x360 14c ($499 at BestBuy)

Student device recommendation:

• Acer Spin 11 ($250 at BestBuy)
• HP 11a (11A-NB0013DX) ($169 at BestBuy)

Honorable Mention:

• Lenovo Chromebook Duet ($249 at BestBuy)

Stocking stuffers: 

• Stylus (USI, EMR, other): $20-50
• Chromecast: $19 at Walmart (Black Friday only)
• Roku: $17 at Walmart (Black Friday only)
• External monitor

-----------------

Thanks for tuning into the Chromebook Classroom Podcast! If you enjoyed today's episode, I would appreciate your honest rating and review! 

You can connect with me, John Sowash, on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. I would love to hear your thoughts on the show! 

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 favorite links for November 2020:

1. New Quarter, new Class 
2. Background replace for Google Meet 
3. Let everyone into Google Meet 
4. More .new shortcuts! 
5. Admin Google Meet setup guide 
6. Yi Note Extension 
7. Chromebook Black Friday Deals
8. Join me LIVE on Saturday for a Chromebook roundtable 
9. Pixel Art Reveal
10. Breakout room slide template 

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

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Thanks for tuning into the Chromebook Classroom Podcast! If you enjoyed today's episode, I would appreciate your honest rating and review! 

You can connect with me, John Sowash, on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. I would love to hear your thoughts on the show! 

Should your district upgrade to the enterprise edition of G Suite for Education?

That’s the question I would like to help you answer! 

During this episode we will explore the differences between the free and paid versions of G Suite for Education, look at pricing, and try to decide if upgrading is a good fit for your district.

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Thanks for tuning into the Chromebook Classroom Podcast! If you enjoyed today's episode, I would appreciate your honest rating and review! 

You can connect with me, John Sowash, on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. I would love to hear your thoughts on the show! 

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 favorite links for October 2020:

1. Citation for Google Docs
2. Migrate data between Google Domains
3. Introducing Google Workspace  
4. Google Meet gets all the things 
5. Sweet new virtual whiteboard  
6. Virtual parent teacher conferences 
7. Why you should read Edgar Allen Poe
8. Need a Halloween costume? Google can help!
9. Halloween Choice Board
10. Virtual Pumpkin Carving with Slides

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

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Thanks for tuning into the Chromebook Classroom Podcast! If you enjoyed today's episode, I would appreciate your honest rating and review! 

You can connect with me, John Sowash, on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. I would love to hear your thoughts on the show! 

A touchscreen Chromebooks is even better when you add in a digital pen. 

Teaching during the COVID pandemic made this abundantly clear to me...sometimes you just need to write with a pen. 

Only a handful of Chromebooks come with an included digital pen, but that doesn’t mean you can’t add a pen to your Chromebook. 

In this episode you'll learn about three types of digital pens and how the Universal Stylus Initiative (USI) is going to make pens even better for Chromebook users. 

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

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Thanks for tuning into the Chromebook Classroom Podcast! If you enjoyed today's episode, I would appreciate your honest rating and review! 

You can connect with me, John Sowash, on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. I would love to hear your thoughts on the show! 

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 favorite links for September 2020:

1. Background Blur for Google Meet 
2. View everyone in Google Meet
3. New moderator controls for Google Meet
4. Share folders within a Shared Drive
5. Art Zoom Series 2 
6. Smithsonian WWII collection 
7. Doodle for Google finalist for all 50 states
8. Digital pens are coming to Chromebooks 
9. Google is adding screen recording to Chromebooks
10. 5 Ways to get MORE value out of Google Classroom

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

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Thanks for tuning into the Chromebook Classroom Podcast! If you enjoyed today's episode, I would appreciate your honest rating and review! 

You can connect with me, John Sowash, on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. I would love to hear your thoughts on the show! 

Each summer I spend time reviewing the tools that I use in my classroom and that I recommend to teachers like you.

Today I'd like to share my favorite apps, add-ons, and extensions for the ELA classroom. 

This collection of tools will help your students become better readers and writers and will also help you provide better support and feedback on their written work. 

Here's a quick list of the tools I review in this episode: 

• Boom Writer (web app)
• Hemingway Editor (web app)
• Cite this for me (Chrome Extension)
• Grammarly (Chrome extension)
• NewsELA (web app)
• Dogo News (web app)
• Google Dictionary (Chrome extension)
• Immersive Reader (Chrome extension)
• Read and Write for Google (Chrome extension)
• Highlight Tool (Add on for Docs)
• Page Marker (Chrome Extension)
• Mote (Chrome Extension)
• e-Comments (Chrome Extension)

Did I leave out your favorite ELA resource? Send me a Tweet (@jrsowash) or leave a comment on the show notes page to let me know! 

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Thanks for tuning into the Chromebook Classroom Podcast! If you enjoyed today's episode, I would appreciate your honest rating and review! 

You can connect with me, John Sowash, on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. I would love to hear your thoughts on the show! 

In this episode of the podcast, I'm sharing my favorite tech gear! 

This is the gear that I use to record this podcast, produce videos for my YouTube channel, and the gear that I travel with when I visit schools and speak at conferences. 

Hopefully, you'll discover something that will make your life a bit easier and help you prepare for the challenges of remote and blended learning.

Let's dive in! 

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

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Thanks for tuning into the Chromebook Classroom Podcast! If you enjoyed today's episode, I would appreciate your honest rating and review! 

You can connect with me, John Sowash, on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. I would love to hear your thoughts on the show! 

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 favorite links for July 2020:

1. Using Graph Paper to teach art & develop math skills
2. Minecraft is coming to Chromebooks
3. Google Confirms new features for Meet
4. Google Certified Coach Program
5. Link to a specific portion of a webpage
6. The Anywhere School 2020
7. The best ELA tools for your classroom
8. Voice-comments to Google Docs and Classroom
9. Archive last year’s Google Classroom courses
10. Google Earth turns 15

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

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Thanks for tuning into the Chromebook Classroom Podcast! If you enjoyed today's episode, I would appreciate your honest rating and review! 

You can connect with me, John Sowash, on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. I would love to hear your thoughts on the show! 

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 favorite links for June 2020:

1. I just took the Level 1 Google Educator Exam
2. Turning paper assignments into digital activities
3. How virtual desks could change the way you work 
4. Teach with Tech virtual conference
5. New Book: Control Alt Achieve
6. New Gmail layout options
7. Rejoice! The NEW Google Groups has arrived
8. Shared Drive folder sharing now in beta
9. Manage your calendar in the side panel 
10. 5 NEW features for Google Meet (coming soon)

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

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Thanks for tuning into the Chromebook Classroom Podcast! If you enjoyed today's episode, I would appreciate your honest rating and review! 

You can connect with me, John Sowash, on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. I would love to hear your thoughts on the show! 

There are more than 30 million Chromebooks in use around the world. What happens when these devices break or need to be replaced? Where do Chromebooks go to retire? 

Today I am joined by Garry VonMyhr, the CEO and co-founder of Tech Defenders headquartered in Grand Rapids, Michigan. 

One of the unique things that Tech Defenders offers is a Chromebook buyback program that can ear your school money for old, retired devices. 

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

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Thanks for tuning into the Chromebook Classroom Podcast! If you enjoyed today's episode, I would appreciate your honest rating and review! 

You can connect with me, John Sowash, on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. I would love to hear your thoughts on the show! 

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 favorite links for May 2020:

1. Templates for Google Sites 
2. New sharing for Google Drive files
3. Google Meet Updates - Gmail Integration
4. 5 extensions for Google Meet
5. Virtual Meeting Whiteboard
6. 25 Novel Hyperdocs
7. 9 ways that Corona will improve education
8. New life for old Chromebooks?
9. Chromebook tips podcast
10. Get Google Certified This Summer

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

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Thanks for tuning into the Chromebook Classroom Podcast! If you enjoyed today's episode, I would appreciate your honest rating and review! 

You can connect with me, John Sowash, on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. I would love to hear your thoughts on the show! 

For more than a decade Alice Keeler has been sharing innovative ideas for teaching with technology.

After exchanging a string of text messages discussing the impact of the viral epidemic on teachers, students, and school districts, Alice and I decided to record this podcast episode to provide teachers with some encouragement and hope during these challenging times.

Here’s the summary of our conversation: remote teaching is NOT online school.

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Thanks for tuning into the Chromebook Classroom Podcast! If you enjoyed today's episode, I would appreciate your honest rating and review! 

You can connect with me, John Sowash on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. I would love to hear your thoughts on the show! 

From 2011-2013 I taught online and helped open a fully online school.

It was a really challenging experience.

I learned a LOT during those three years.

Teaching online is very different than teaching in a traditional classroom. Here are five quick tips to help make this transition and smooth as possible. 

1. Embrace routine and repetition
2. Encourage connection and discussion
3. Keep it simple
4. Slow down...the pacing is different
5. LIVE lessons are a waste of time 

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Thanks for tuning into the Chromebook Classroom Podcast! If you enjoyed today's episode, I would appreciate your honest rating and review! 

You can connect with me, John Sowash on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. I would love to hear your thoughts on the show! 

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 favorite links for April 2020:

1. All of my remote teaching resources 
2. Much needed updates to Google Meet 
3. Auto translation now available for Android
4. Google Groups is (finally) getting an update 
5. It’s now a LOT easier to work with images in Docs
6. New “shortcut” option for Google Drive
7. “Flatten the curve” Scratch coding project
8. Choice boards for at-home learning 
9. Audience reactions in Google Meet
10. Free virtual epidemiology course from Johns Hopkins

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Thanks for tuning into the Chromebook Classroom Podcast! If you enjoyed today's episode, I would appreciate your honest rating and review! 

You can connect with me, John Sowash, on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. I would love to hear your thoughts on the show! 

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Thanks for tuning into the Chromebook Classroom Podcast! If you enjoyed today's episode, I would appreciate your honest rating and review! 

You can connect with me, John Sowash on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. I would love to hear your thoughts on the show! 

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!).

1. Southwest Family Adventure
2. Google is trying to help schools impacted by Coronavirus - 
3. Tips for engaging students outside the classroom
4. New video editing tool
5. Ask the Google Assistant to read out loud
6. Register for SheetsCon 2020
7. Women's History Month Resources
8. Class Reading Log Template
9. Awesome Cold War Podcast
10. 10 great Geography Games

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Thanks for tuning into the Chromebook Classroom Podcast! If you enjoyed today's episode, I would appreciate your honest rating and review! 

You can connect with me, John Sowash on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. I would love to hear your thoughts on the show! 

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!).

1. Google adds 2 years of life to Chromebooks & raises license cost
2. Rubrics and originality reports now available to all Google Classroom Users
3. Biography Project Templates
4. 62 new emoji icons are coming to your device 
5. Add-ons for Gmail and Calendar 
6. Pedometer PD 
7. Check this neat biome map 
8. They’re filming a movie at my house!
9. Celebrate Black History Month
10. Valentine’s Card Template 

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Thanks for tuning into the Chromebook Classroom Podcast! If you enjoyed today's episode, I would appreciate your honest rating and review! 

You can connect with me, John Sowash on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. I would love to hear your thoughts on the show! 

January 28 is “Data Privacy Day,” an annual event that reminds consumers to review their digital footprints.

I’ve collected 10 different data privacy lessons and classroom activities that you can use to help educate students about data privacy.

Listen in for a quick review of all 10 ideas, or click here to view my blog post with links to everything I discovered.

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Thanks for tuning into the Chromebook Classroom Podcast! If you enjoyed today's episode, I would appreciate your honest rating and review! 

You can connect with me, John Sowash, on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. I would love to hear your thoughts on the show!

When Chromebooks first became a thing back in 2013, the web was very different.

Chrome Apps allowed developers to create an app-like experience for Chromebook users, something websites simply couldn't do at the time. 

Seven years later, the web has matured and can do pretty much everything that you would want in an app, without the need to develop an actual application.

In January of 2020 Google Announced the plan to official shutdown Chrome Apps starting in 2021. 

Listen to this episode to learn more about the timeline and how this announcement will impact education. 

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Thanks for tuning into the Chromebook Classroom Podcast! If you enjoyed today's episode, I would appreciate your honest rating and review! 

You can connect with me, John Sowash, on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. I would love to hear your thoughts on the show!