The #Chromebook Classroom

This week I spent a couple of days at the Googleplex in Mountain View, CA learning more about Google's plans for the Chrombook. Joining me were 25 educators and resellers from around the country. It was a good crowd of familiar Google Certified Teachers and Apps Certified Trainers. The Google Apps for Ed team (Dana Nguyen, Jaime Casap, and Cristin Frodella) were our hosts and were awesome as always!

While there are things that I can't share (NDA and all...), there are some big ideas that are worth noting:

1. Google is investing a lot of time, energy, and resources into the the Chrome web browser, Chrome OS, and the Chromebook. Chrome OS will NOT be the next Google Wave!

2. Chrome OS is NOT about the device. The entire goal of Chrome OS is to make the device transparent. In an odd way, Google is not pushing their hardware, they are trying to make hardware obsolete.

3. Google is heavily promoting HTML5 because it is more secure, less dependent on hardware configurations, and can work on a variety of form-factors (tablets, handhelds, laptops, etc). Developers are beginning to see the value in investing in HTML5 because they no longer need to develop apps for iOS, Android, Windows, Blackberry, etc. HTLM5 apps work on all devices.

4. Google listens very intently to its customers. If there is something that you don't like about a Google product, let them know! Google's ability to rapidly update and modify its products is remarkable. Considering their size, Google's customer service is excellent.

There will be some exciting announcements from Google in the coming months. They are intent on providing educators with a device that is affordable, fast, and optimized for learning.

Interested in learning more about the Chromebook and how you can get them into the hands of your students? Contact me to setup a demo or attend a free Chromebook workshop!

Free Chromebook Workshop!

Interested in learning more about the Chromebook, Google's brand new web-powered netbook? Join me for a Free 3-hour workshop at Southfield Christian School in Southfield, Michigan. This event is limited to 30 participants and has been designed specifically for educators and school technology leaders who desire to bring innovative new tools and technologies to their schools and classrooms. Visit http://bit.ly/xXMmm1 to reserve your seat!

Agenda:

• Interact with Chromebooks in hands-on activities.
• Learn the abilities of the Chromebooks units.
• Learn how administrators can change or update setting for an entire set with just a few clicks .
• Get pricing and ordering information.
• Learn about Google Apps Marketplace and the best apps for educators.

Workshop Details:
Date: Monday, February 20, 2012
Time: 9am-12pm (doors open at 8:30am)
Location: Southfield Christian School, 28650 Lahser Road, Southfield, MI 48034
Host: John Sowash, administrator at Southfield Christian School, Google Certified Teacher and Trainer.

Pre-Registration is required for this event. Visit http://bit.ly/xXMmm1 to reserve your seat!

iPad \\ Chromebook Showdown

This past week I presented an iPad vs. Chrombook comparison to a group of librarians and technology specialist in Wayne County, Michigan. 

Thanks to those who provided their thoughts on the device debate. If you have an opinion of your own, please feel free to express it by leaving a comment! 

The Textbook Evolution Has [Finally] Begun!

Apple's announcement that it will begin supporting and encouraging the development of digital interactive textbooks has caused a considerable stir in the educational community. The stir is not just hype as Apple's decision marks an important shift in the publishing industry which has been woefully slow to adapt to and take advantage of emerging technologies.

I am the director of a fully online school. For the past six months I have been researching digital curriculum. I was interested in using digital textbooks instead of the typical self-contained course such as those produced by Florida Virtual School, K12/Aventa, etc. A few publishing companies offered such books, but this is what I discovered:

• Few of these digital texts were truly "interactive." They ranged from PDF documents to websites. 
• No one seemed to have an established pricing model for their ebooks. One company told me that in order to purchase their eBooks I would need to purchase a copy of their traditional textbook and they would throw in the eBook (evidently I was just supposed to store several hundred textbooks in a closet somewhere). 
• None of the sales reps that I spoke with were knowledgeable about their eBook line. At the 2011 Virtual School Symposium, one of the largest textbook companies didn't even have the foresight to showcase their eBook at the conference or bring a sales rep who could speak about the books. 

If left to themselves, the publishing companies would have delayed the move toward digital textbooks at all costs. The similarities between the textbook companies, the music industry, and the newspaper industry is striking. Their lack of innovation and protection of [past] huge profits is disappointing. Here is the result of their "visionary" thinking:

• Apple is now the #1 seller of music in the United States. It essentially controls the music industry. 
• The News industry has seen a drop in everything: subscribers, circulation rates, and advertising revenue. Strong digital competitors like the Huffington Post and the Drudge Report are gaining traction, and significant ad revenue, against traditional outlets. 

Apple is poised, once again, to disrupt a bulwark of capitalism. Clearly, Apple's success indicates that innovation and creativity are more valuable than balance sheets and a love of "tradition."   

While I'm not thrilled at the proprietary nature of Apple's new textbook initiative, I give them credit for pushing the big textbook publishers into the 21st century. Without Apple's clout, it may have been another 12 years before we saw significant improvements in the textbook publishing model.

My hope is that Apple's investment into textbooks will encourage/force other platforms to develop similar ecosystems. Ultimately, I would love to see an open source platform emerge that would allow textbooks to be traded between devices.

Apple has succeeded in accomplishing more for American business and consumers than the federal government or traditional industries. Apple has its bruises, and I  certainly don't want to be a uncritical of a company that makes obscene amounts of money while ignoring unacceptable working conditions in China or being a monopolistic bully in the cell phone market. These faults aside though, I'm grateful that Educators have such a powerful ally in Apple who can move things forward when nothing else can.  

iPad vs. Chromebook [Your Thoughts]

I teach at a school that has a 1:1 iPad program. I am also a Google Certified Teacher and Trainer and have been following the development of the Chromebook closely.

I was fortunate to receive one of the Chrombook Beta devices Google sent to users in early 2011. I am also the owner of a Samsung Chrombook which I use when I am traveling.

Having used both the iPad and the Chrombook extensively, I am torn between the two devices. Each has some awesome features from a beautiful interface and a wonderful app ecosystem (iPad) to powerful collaborative abilities and always available internet connectivity (Chromebook).

Several schools and individuals have asked for my recommendation as they weigh hardware purchases for the coming school year. I'm torn. Which device would you choose?

There are lots of angles to consider these two competing devices on:

1. Ease of use
2. Cost
3. Maintenance
4. Available Apps
5. Owned vs. Shared
6. Portability
7. Battery life
8. Connectivity

Please weigh in! If someone asked you which device they should purchase as a 1:1 device, which would you recommend? What was the deciding factor for you? 

The iPad Loophole

This year my school gave iPads to all of our high school students. We were one of the first in the state. It's been an exciting year full of surprises and learning.

During the first semester some of our creative and talented students found an interesting iOS loophole that gave them unfiltered access to the web. The trouble stems from Apps that, instead of storing their help documentation locally on the device, pull in their help documentation from the web. To the average user there is no difference between the two methods, however some students discovered that by clicking through the help files, they could navigate to a Google search page and then to any website on the internet. Some apps featured only small help screens, while others, such as the Google Earth App, featured a full screen web browser.

Facebook accessed through the Google Earth App

Twitter accessed through the Screen Chomp App

Over Christmas break we were forced to remove the following apps, all of which contained this loophole.

Grace to you
Billy Graham
Touch Bible
Logos study bible
Powerone calculator
Loan calculator
Halftone
Doodle buddy
Showme
Google Earth
Screenchomp
italk
Christianity Today
Word reference
lynda.com
PBS
super 8
Words with friends

It's unfortunate that security and safety frequently conflict with creativity and learning. 

Note: I understand that many educators are advocates of teaching students to browse the web safely instead of blocking access to social media and other potentially useful tools. While this is a noble goal, the reality of life as we know it includes the fact that the majority of schools block Twitter, Facebook, and other potentially useful sites. This post is note meant to be a discussion of internet freedom, but a report on a potential security loophole in iOS devices. 

Comments in Google Docs

When Google updated the Google Docs framework, many new features were added and/or improved. One such feature was the comment or "discussion" feature.

The old comments looked like this (left). They were flat and very ordinary.

The new comments (Google now calls them "discussions") look like this (left). Comments can now be sent to a specific person by adding in their email address. Profile pictures (if you have setup your Google profile) are also added to the comment.

Comments in a document can be very useful. Here are some ideas on how you can use comments to expand the usefulness of Google docs as well as an overview of some commenting features you may not have been aware of.