On the bright side, our school is looking to purchase an additional cart for our building, but this time filled with Chromebooks. This new cart would potentially be shared between 4th and 5th grade while the netbook cart would stay in the lower grades (hence why my fingers are crossed for Chromebooks!). With the potential addition of more technology into my classroom for this coming school year, I turned to some educators for some advice and pointers. I used Flipboard to find some bloggers and articles regarding GAFE and Chromebooks; this is what I found:
1. Alice Keeler
(alicekeeler.com/2015/12/19/google-classroom-what-do-kids-do-first/)
Alice Keeler has endless posts involving Google Classroom on her blog. I started using Google Classroom with my 4th graders this past spring, but unfortunately we did not have enough technology or time to use it daily. I found Alice's post "Google Classroom: What do Kids do First?" to be helpful because last spring I struggled with where to start and how to introduce Google Classroom. I ended up posting a short, funny video of two dogs with a prompt for students to respond to, which was "what are two questions you have about this video?". This activity familiarized students with Google Classroom while actually completing an assignment that I had created. One thing Alice states on her blog is "we do not teach tech, we teach content with tech" (Keeler 2016). I particularly like that statement because I need to remember that while I'm introducing a type of technology, it is important to make the introduction/lesson relevant to the content, not just relevant to the technology. While introducing Google Classroom to my 4th graders, I had one student who frequently posted silly comments. Alice Keeler talks about how to handle a situation like this in her post under the section "Digital Citizenship." I posted a comment on Alice's blog asking if she follows a framework for digital citizenship concepts; my school is developing a computer curriculum and we are looking for ideas for our digital citizenship content. I have not received a reply yet.
2. Jennifer Schreffer
(jennscheffer.wordpress.com/2015/01/04/a-one-stop-chromebook-shop-resource-guide-for-educators/)
Jennifer is a Google for Education Certified Trainer and has created many resources with information about everything involving GAFE. She has created and shared a Chromebook Guide for Educators which is full of helpful information. Jennifer also hosts trainings with iPad apps. I reached out to Jennifer and asked if she has a preference between Chromebooks and iPads; waiting for a reply.
3. Mike from Using Better Technology
(usingtechnologybetter.com/byod-what-works/)
In his post "BYOD in Schools: What Works?", Mike shares his thoughts on BYOD models in schools. Mike discusses many reasons why BYOD is a great idea, and also gives tips on how to prevent your BYOD model from becoming "BYOD: Bring Your Own Disaster." One idea that Mike stresses is the importance of teacher training when moving to a BYOD initiative. Many teachers are hesitant to hop on the BYOD train due to a lack of confidence. I can relate; my district has a BYOD model, but unfortunately I haven't implemented this into my classroom as much as I would have liked. Mike's post was full of helpful tips for anyone looking for more information about BYOD. In his post, Mike suggested choosing a platform and had given examples such as Apple, Google and Microsoft. Out of curiosity, I asked Mike which platform he preferred, and if he has come across any advantages or disadvantages with Google. Awaiting a reply.
In conclusion, if my wish does come true and I have access to Chromebooks, I feel the resources I have found and reached out to will be very helpful along my journey of implementing GAFE into my classroom on a more frequent basis. And if I don't get Chromebooks, I still have found the motivation to create more opportunities to use the BYOD model that my district has already created. Stay tuned for awaited replies!
References
1. BYOD in schools: What Works? - Using Technology Better. (2016, May 30). Retrieved July 13, 2016, from http://usingtechnologybetter.com/byod-what-works/
2. Google Classroom: What do Kids do First? - Teacher Tech. (2015, December 19). Retrieved July 13, 2016, from http://alicekeeler.com/2015/12/19/google-classroom-what-do-kids-do-first/#comment-12491
3. A One-Stop Chromebook Shop: Resource Guide for Educators. (2015, January 04). Retrieved July 13, 2016, from https://jennscheffer.wordpress.com/2015/01/04/a-one-stop-chromebook-shop-resource-guide-for-educators/comment-page-1/#comment-865