Gabler Sabin's Crushin' It With Chromebooks, Meghan Gabler, Sabin

Wow! Can I just say I wish Chromebooks were around when I was a student! These have made my students so much more interested and intrigued to learn how to maneuver, explore and even research! I will say for the most part my time has been devoted to working with my 5th - 8th graders on their high school research projects. I will get to that in a bit. For right now I want to talk about how helpful these Chromebooks have been in every other aspect of my teaching and classroom.

As I am sure many of you have similar library media schedules, you see the whole building, or nearly all of it. With rearranging and shifting of classes, my classes that once had a computer for every student when needed now leave me shorthanded nearly 10 to 15 computers for roughly half of my classes. Flash forward to my amazing Chromebooks and the ability for me to set-up students right where they are right when I need them to have access to a computer. From Kindergarten through 8th grade I have been able to help reach the needs of all of my students at once if needed. They hold charge throughout the whole day so I don’t have to stress about getting them back into the case when one class is finished. They turn on immediately so those impatient students don’t have to wait long to access the information they are seeking. They are easy to move around so I can strategically place the students and the Chromebooks right where I need them.

Another reason I am thankful for my Chromebooks is due to the rolling out of CPS Connects. The thought of asking my third and fourth graders to sign on to something I am not all that familiar with was daunting. However, I was able to work with them in small groups via my amazing Chromebooks and get them all set up. They were so excited to be working next to one another. They were moving around helping each other and showing their friends what next steps to take. When they are sitting at the desktops in my library it is much harder to talk to their friends and to move around because of the tables. Once again the lack of cords, mice, clunky computers and such made this experience so much easier for my 3rd and 4th graders.

Lastly, my 5th - 8th graders are at the point they get depressed if we have a day when we aren’t using the Chromebooks! They still love the iPad’s and even the desktops. However, they know just what to do with the Chromebooks as for signing on as a guest and beginning their work within Google Drive. They of course still need some work with logging out of their CPS Google accounts, but at least they are pro’s at logging the previous student’s out when it is their time to log in. Overall, I feel having these Chromebooks are giving my students the best chance to be up to date and on pace to keep up with the GAFE tools and skills that I feel they should be taking with them wherever they go. Thank you!

Expanding Horizons Through Chromebooks and Google Maps, Juan Fernandez-Saines, Pickard

To work with Google Maps, I wanted several weeks to pass by before I had my students explore the app.  In learning how to use the Chromebooks we took the process in small steps.  We previewed two short videos to introduce how the devices would function such as this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TVqe8ieqz10 . After watching the videos a Gmail account was created for all of our 4th through 8th grade students and the basic components of Google Suite Apps were learned.  Once I determined that the students had sufficient practice  I wrote two lesson plans that would give all of our students the opportunity to use Google Maps.

During the course of the first lesson, I was amazed how students took to using the program.  The first lesson encouraged my students to explore the neighborhood around them.  They were very eager to learn how Google Maps functioned.  My students could not wait to locate their address and see a photostream of their home.  I was also surprised to see how amazed they were reacting because I had taken for granted their access to this technology.  Our students are well aware of Playstation and XBox games, but when I asked them if they knew about Google Maps they revealed to me that it was their first time ever using the program.

After the initial lesson, the second lesson required for them to find the location of two points.  One of those points had to be our school and the second would need to be a Chicago landmark.  I gave them a list of landmarks and they were required to input the addresses.  One of the fascinating aspects of Google Maps besides being a remarkable technology is that it is a great conversation starter.  To capitalize on this I asked the students to create a narrative or story about the two locations.  I asked them to be creative and described how to get to their destinations.  I also asked them to use any of the Google Apps available through Google Drive.  The two of the most popular apps chosen  for their task were Google Slides and Google Docs.

Upon the completion of their assignment I asked them to Email me their work and share their document with me.  I have created folders for every classroom and as the students send me their work I save it in these folders for easy access.  This is a better way to track the submission of work and it is timestamped. It has been very fascinating to work with the Chromebooks.  Students tend to prefer them over other devices.  We have only begun to touch the “tip of the iceberg” and we can’t wait what other projects we will be able to work on in the coming months.

Lessons from a Fully Stocked Chromebook Library, Eric Currie, Hitch Elementary School

This year, the librarians in the REVITAL Grant are sporting 19 Chromebooks and 10 iPads.  I had access to this last year (though I had 21 CBs).  My school outfitted the Library with chromebooks to increase access to technology in our building, and to get us better prepared for the PARCC technology requirements.  This year, because of the grant, I’m now at 40 CBs.  I’d like to share some of the insights I had from last year (with a limited amount of CBs) and this year (with enough for a classroom set).

Limited Amount:

I enjoyed having the limited amount of CBs.  It forced my hand at centers, which I had wanted to try but wasn’t confident enough in being able to pull it off.  I had a third of the students doing Typing Club, another third usually doing some form of research or an iPad project, and the last third checking out books.  Though hectic, for the most part, it was pulled off nicely.  Everyone used the Guest account which I liked because all the grades could get right on without the fuss of logging in.  However, things got stressful when I had a classes of 35 and I had to scrounge around for ways to get students on (and an iPad wasn’t appropriate).  I also heavily utilized the library page to provide instructions for what students were to do that week.  

Fully Stocked:

Of course everyone would love to have this situation.  However, I have two pieces of advice for CPS librarians who are merging to collections of Chromebooks and getting closer to a classroom set.

1. If you have a collection of unsupervised Chromebooks, get them supervised.  I have only recently done this.  it allows you to use the admin console to push out apps, have a universal experience among the different users.
2. Number the chromebooks and assign them to students.  Create a spreadsheet that you can reference later.  I’ve also recently done this (I previously used a google form to have students sign out their chromebook).  Now, when a keyboard letter goes missing, I know who to speak to about it.  Assigned CBs also mean students can add themselves as users as they will only appear on that specific CB.  

I love having a classroom set of CBs.  Students are able to research more independently and for longer periods of time than before.  However, I do miss the on-the-fly problem solving and spontaneity of having a limited number of chromebooks.

iPad Update:

I find that I only use iPads when I’m doing something that can only be done with an iPad (iMovie, Green Screen, Chatterpix, etc.)  They’re great devices, however, this year I find that I use them only for specific tasks rather than having an entire project “live” on the device.

Smyser Uses Chromebooks to Increase Academic Language Use, Emily Porter, Smyser Elementary School

One added benefit to the library that has come through receiving the Chromebooks is additional jargon associated with the new technology.  Getting used to calling the device a “Chromebook” instead of a laptop has been difficult. One way to break myself of the habit of using the wrong word when teaching students to use the device is to create a simple word wall that contains the terms we need to use.

The students and I researched the definitions online and compiled a list of words to add to our Academic Language display that hangs on a bulletin board in the library. I did this with students in 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 8th grades - all the groups who are currently using Chromebooks for library projects.

Right now, our focus is learning four specific words: Resource, Cloud Storage, Dongle, and Chromebook. I leave the words up indefinitely. It is important to allow students to master the language before adding more words to the list. The students respond to the idea of “sounding smart” when using the correct term for the new technology. It has been a lot of fun for them to correct me when I accidentally

slip and call the Chromebook a laptop… a students’ teachable moment - ha ha!

In addition to increasing our word knowledge, it reinforces the academic language used across the curriculum and establishes common language for our learning community.  For example, I had a very robust discussion with the 8th graders about “Cloud Storage” because they were already familiar with the term, having taken technology in 6th and 7th grade.

The Word Wall isn't only for new technology terms, we also use it to learn research terms and vocabulary related to Common Core. Words and vocabulary are integrated in to all of my library lessons, which become part of year-long Big Ideas in my lesson plans.

Teacher and Librarian collaborate to create Tech PD, Nicole Guevara, Washington High School

A few years ago, Washington invested in three iPad carts specifically for our Argumentative Literacy classes. Our school has a strong focus on close text reading, writing and discussion. Throughout the year we noted how teachers and students were engaging with the technology and after careful consideration, a few changes were made. This year at the same time I was receiving Chromebooks from the REVITAL grant, the school purchased three Chromebook carts available to all classes.

The tech team decided to try something different with our three iPad carts. We really wanted to see iPads bring lessons to life while enhancing curriculum. Using the REVITAL grant application as a template, I created a proposal form to be completed by teachers interested in having sole access to an iPad cart for a semester. Among the winning proposal entrants was science teacher Kyle Leonard. Kyle has been using the iPads in his class every day since the beginning of school. Other teachers took notice of his great work and also of his students’ level of engagement. He shared with me how eager he was to share some of his knowledge and experience. I agreed that is was a terrific idea and offered my assistance. We decided to create a tech series open to all Washington teachers.

Kyle and I met and plotted our course of action. The first step was to create and send a Google Form interest survey to learn about participant interest and needs. Those went out electronically and in paper form. The next step was to synthesize the responses and decide on an agenda and timeline. We decided on a four-part series each with a specific theme. That information then went out electronically and in paper form. We divided roles and responsibilities and began our preparation. Kyle is going to present three of the sessions as they are programs he specifically prefers while I will present the online learning session as well as take care of the administrative tasks. I also requested these sessions to be put in CPS University so that our teachers can get credit for attending which is a nice incentive to attend.

Our “Educational Resources Tech Series” includes:

Part One: Saving Time with Tech

Monday, February 9

Part Two: Increasing Student Engagement with Tech

Tuesday, March 10

Part Three: Online Learning

Tuesday, April 14

Part Four: Communication & Managing Student Behavior

Tuesday, May 12

We recently held our first meeting. Each teacher took a Chromebook and while signing in I shared the presentation with them. Kyle spent an hour showcasing GradeCam, Common Curriculum, Tiny Scan, and EdTechTeacher. Teachers were especially intrigued by GradeCam. Teachers loved that they could save so much time by grading with a camera and even have those grades directly transferred into Gradebook. Our principal, excited about the adult learning, even stopped in to see the presentation. At the end of the Google Slide presentation, I linked a quick exit survey that I created using Google Form. We will use the feedback to inform our next presentation. Judging by the feedback, our next one will have even more tech thirsty participants.

Using Mind Map Apps with Chromebooks, Marcia Mariscal, Goethe Elementary

I have been working on teaching research skills using Kids Infobits with my 4th and 5th graders.  We worked on research grids and were now ready to organize our information visually using mind maps.  I was excited that I would be able to have my students work with google apps for education on the new chromebooks.  Since I have not been able to be added to the Administration console, I had to review the apps CPS allows our students to download.  This would be a real scenario with any teacher trying to work with google apps.  I quickly downloaded some mind maps to help me work through the ease or difficulties my students would face working with these mind maps.  I explored two mind maps:  Mindmeister and Mindmup.

The first one I chose to work with was Mindmeister.  The app seemed very simple to use in terms of adding a main topic, then adding additional topics and subtopics by pressing the + button.  Other features that were easy to use were the three font sizes and various color fonts you could choose from.  At the top right side of the app are seven images that allows you to cut, add, undo, add an arrow, and paste.  I couldn’t figure two of the images and their functionality.  There is also a red arrow that I found serves as a pointer and I couldn’t paste it to point to a picture or a specific text.  On the left side of Mindmeister is the map layout which includes default, text aligned, organized chart and a left and right aligned feature.  In creating a mind map I was able to  attach files, add a URL, and download an image straight from the web.  This is a nice feature since it allows you to download an image directly from the browser instead of having to save the image and then retrieve it from downloads.  Mindmeister also allows you to upload images from their library which contains 60 images.  For an upgrade of between $36 to $90 dollars you can upload your own image or draw your image.  Finally, you can add numbers, flags, smiley faces, votes, completion percentages, due dates, and about 60 other icons.

After reviewing Mindmup and Mindmeister, I decided to use Mindmup to have my student’s organize their information visually.  Mindmup  is a google app that you can download for free.  Like Mindmeister you can keep up to three mind maps for free.  The features that I liked on Mindmup is how easy it was to use the toolbar.  There are icons that allow the student to add topics, subtopics, cut, and zoom in or out.  I absolutely love three functions: the ability to change the node colors, attach additional information with a visual paperclip, and the collapse leaf.  When I was building my mind map I was able to organize my information by color.  You can choose 36 colors or none to have as your background.  This function is not available in Mindmeister.  When students have additional information, so they don’t clutter their mindmap they can attach it by clicking on the paperclip.  Images can also be attached.  Finally, there is a leaf button that allows students to click on and all their information is stacked up like index cards.

I found Mindmup to be easier for my younger students.  It didn’t have too much information to navigate through.  You do have to teach students what is meant by node, parent, child, and siblings. Usually these terms would be main idea, branches and twigs.  Another heads up, when students are adding images, they need to download images, then find them in downloads and select.  These are skills they need to practice before they add images on mindmup.  Also very Important!  The size that appears when students are adding images needs to be changed to between 100-60, then they click on the second box to the right and the size self adjusts.  If they don’t do this the image will take up the whole page.  After I showed them, it was easy for them to remember and apply.  The information on mindmup can also be moved to the right and organized in notecards in a feature called “Storyboard.” this can be arranged to look like an outline, and be exported to become slides.  Finally, Mindmup allows students to collaborate with each other in “Realtime”.  This is important when students are assigned a project to work in pairs or groups.  

In conclusion, in order for me to feel comfortable with google apps, I had to practice and practice so I could anticipate problems.  I didn’t feel comfortable the first time I taught students how to use mindmup, but if there were any difficulties, students picked up on the technology so quickly they were able troubleshoot the problems themselves.  The important thing is that they were exposed to mindmapping and were taught another tool to help them organize their research.  The best part was that it was saved to their google drive, and they were able to work on it at home.  That was pretty cool!

From Form to Drawing, Creating Infographics in Drive, Caryn Mikkelsen, Volta Elementary School

I wanted the seventh graders to learn how to create infographics without having them set up accounts on a public site.  The solution was easy using Google Drive!  

I decided for their first attempt at creating an infographic, I would have the students research a topic they were interested in and had some knowledge about.  Also, I would keep the data limited to just five pieces.  I showed the students a short  infographic video from Kathy Schrock to give the students an overview of what an infographic is.  We also looked at sample infographics.

Students then chose topics and created survey questions along with their response choices in a document.  Next, using their questions, they created a survey in Form and sent the survey to all the students in their class.  I provided the email addresses for the class. Time was given during class for students to answer all the surveys.  Once the data was collected, they went to their spreadsheet, clicked on Form and looked at the summary of responses. They used that data to create their infographics in Drawing.  They customized the size of the drawing in page setup to better fit all the data.  Students added graphics, animations and shapes.  

Not only was this an easy way to introduce them to creating infographics, but they were engaged and really enjoyed the project!