Get Started with Google’s Applied Digital Skills Curriculum! 

Over the past several years, Google for Education has become a mainstay in classrooms across the world. As these schools integrate the G Suite of tools in their classrooms they have a unique opportunity to really prepare their students for the future workforce. This is an opportunity schools cannot afford to miss. As a recent study by The Economist shows, only 44% of 18-25 year-olds believe their education provided them with the necessary skills needed in the workforce.[1] Likewise, the World Economic Forum predicts that ⅓ of jobs in 2020 will require skills not currently taught in today’s classrooms.[2]  While these numbers are daunting, there…

5 Google Search Tools and Strategies to Cut Through the Clutter 

We use search engines each day to help us search for information. Our biggest hurdle is the amount of information we need to sort through to find exactly what we want.  Knowing how to effectively and efficiently search is part of being informationally literate.  Teaching students to locate, evaluate and effectively use this information should be part of the instructional practices in every school. Google’s search Tools, allow the user to manipulate a search within Google’s main search engine. Learning how to implement these search skills is an important technique we can teach our students to help them cut through the clutter of…

5 Unique Ways to Use Google Classroom 

This post is from EdTechTeacher Instructor Mason Mason follow him on Twitter @EdTechMason When I was a high school English teacher, we were using a proprietary learning management system (LMS) that was not user-friendly. My team and I were searching for something to replace our clunky LMS, and even though Google Classroom is not a full-fledged LMS (yet), its ease of use, and ability to distribute, collect, and organize content quickly became our go-to resource. At the time, Google Classroom was just coming out of beta (just in time for the new school year), and it quickly began to change the way students and…

3 Chrome Extensions to Use Before the End of the School Year 

-Follow our Instructor, Ben Sondgeroth on Twitter @Mr_Sondgeroth One of the most powerful features of Chrome OS is the integration of third-party Chrome extensions. By definition, Chrome extensions extend the power of Chrome and perform functions not built directly into the browser. When extensions are paired with excellent teaching practices, they have great power in the classroom to make student thinking visible. Chrome users can find extensions in the Chrome Web Store, however, the amount of Chrome Extensions in the marketplace can be overwhelming. To make that process easier for you, I describe my three favorite Chrome extensions for you…

Innovative Uses of G Suite Edu in Medfield Public Schools 

EdTechTeacher has been working with the Medfield Public Schools in Medfield, Massachusetts for the past five years through our year-long Teaching for the 21st Century (T21) Program.  Through the development of their 1:1, BYOD and Chromebook cart model, Medfield has increased their adoption of G Suite in a variety of both practical and creative ways.  With the 11th and 12th grade in a 1:1 Chromebook model and Chromebook carts being available in grades 6-10, approaches ranging from digital portfolios to collaborative data collection and virtual travel adventures are being executed with various G Suite tools.  Below are a few highlights of the…

Two Tools for Audio Creation in the Chromebook Classroom 

Want to keep up with where Ben is? Follow him on Twitter: @Mr_Sondgeroth As the Chromebook perforates classrooms across the country, students have the ability to express themselves in ways that may not have been possible in a traditional classroom setting. Chromebooks offer so many ways to engage students creatively and go well beyond word processing. Perhaps one of the most powerful ways that we can allow students to demonstrate their learning and understanding of topics is through voice. When students express themselves verbally they are given a way to connect ideas and concepts they may not otherwise have been able…