tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-75429785430852002332024-03-15T02:16:44.593-05:00Leyden TechiesTips, Tricks, and Tools for the Leyden CHSD 212 Faculty and Staff and Other EdTech EnthusiastsAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03366883537261504551noreply@blogger.comBlogger121125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7542978543085200233.post-26986181799164989742017-02-22T14:59:00.000-06:002017-02-22T14:59:18.217-06:00Add Videos from Google Drive into Google SlidesHere's a quick video showing how to add videos from Google Drive into Google Slides:<br />
<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/1trJljt4Vd4" width="560"></iframe><br />
<br />
After you place a video on a slide, you can right-click on the video to get to Video Options which includes the ability to adjust the start and end times, choose autoplay when presenting, and mute audio.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxcaXx3-ynUdVKm8kQbb5Yo4rg4gvL5fAzLenBKciC4FXS35dpVU4kkLzrdUiUAmtQR10sDz27ZapSurtRoeTRnNiWsrZIaySLU_PT5MaZ5D-PXQpTGhZB3x7j_MD3MGDsNNVjAyxDZnCI/s1600/Video+Options+01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="382" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxcaXx3-ynUdVKm8kQbb5Yo4rg4gvL5fAzLenBKciC4FXS35dpVU4kkLzrdUiUAmtQR10sDz27ZapSurtRoeTRnNiWsrZIaySLU_PT5MaZ5D-PXQpTGhZB3x7j_MD3MGDsNNVjAyxDZnCI/s400/Video+Options+01.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOEK-qquJ1k0A4ThjAAFV3nOYU3ZHtXBSP1lt3ACrg8tBVLd7ixuxCb6bHrYEHu087ZJ7ymSdlVmVbsuaFUFxIh6t6HPrNZqpFi6xmI6ELDnWWyOhWmoC2TxbyZsjhLgP-EcLkKgwxmeaK/s1600/Video+Options.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOEK-qquJ1k0A4ThjAAFV3nOYU3ZHtXBSP1lt3ACrg8tBVLd7ixuxCb6bHrYEHu087ZJ7ymSdlVmVbsuaFUFxIh6t6HPrNZqpFi6xmI6ELDnWWyOhWmoC2TxbyZsjhLgP-EcLkKgwxmeaK/s1600/Video+Options.PNG" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br /><div class="blogger-post-footer">This post originally appeared on http://leydentechies.blogspot.com/.
</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03366883537261504551noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7542978543085200233.post-21712378755982058852016-05-17T12:35:00.001-05:002016-05-17T12:35:39.925-05:00Student Reviews of the Asus C202 ChromebookOver the last month, two of Leyden's <a href="http://leyden212.org/TSI" target="_blank">Tech Support Intern (TSI)</a> students have reviewed the <a href="http://leydentechies.blogspot.com/2016/04/student-reviews-of-lenovo-n22-chromebook.html" target="_blank">Lenovo N22</a>, <a href="http://leydentechies.blogspot.com/2016/04/student-reviews-of-hp-11-ee-chrombook.html" target="_blank">HP 11 EE</a>, and<a href="https://leydentechies.blogspot.com/2016/05/student-reviews-of-dell-22-gen-2.html" target="_blank"> generation 2 Dell 11</a> Chromebooks. Below are their reviews of the Asus C202 Chromebooks, the last devices they were asked to review.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOIuhnEvfETKhqEFa2nP7eNst7c5FRvJVpDQHHEHcMBrLobpNBL4ve0kJP_x9-j89Q1zz6Adlo7R8uInULp4_oYqcn0bqe7b8j41iuSDdzYi_7hChLfHXMh2ieVE6bl0zBHnsqFz3ZFhaX/s1600/AsusC202.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOIuhnEvfETKhqEFa2nP7eNst7c5FRvJVpDQHHEHcMBrLobpNBL4ve0kJP_x9-j89Q1zz6Adlo7R8uInULp4_oYqcn0bqe7b8j41iuSDdzYi_7hChLfHXMh2ieVE6bl0zBHnsqFz3ZFhaX/s640/AsusC202.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>Review by an East Leyden Sophomore TSI Student...</i></b></span><br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<div>
When I first saw the Asus C202 I was very impressed with how it looked. It reminded me of a gaming laptop. I also couldn’t believe that I got to test this Chromebook since it was showcased at C.E.S (Consumer Electronic Show) 2016. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The Asus C202 contains pleasing specs. This Chromebook has the Intel Celeron N3060 Processor with two cores which run at 1.60 GHz (note that this device contains a different processor than all of the other Chromebooks I have tested) and 3.8GB of R.A.M. These specs allow for the Chromebook to be used for student tasks such as writing essays and manipulating Google spreadsheets.</div>
<div>
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></div>
<div>
This Chromebook has a great number of benefits, one of them being that it has a reinforced chassis and a rubber bumper with reinforced corners. In addition, it has a scratch resistant exterior finish. Asus claims this Chromebook was designed from the ground up for educational use and that it should withstand bumps, spills, and bruises that students may accidentally cause.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I really liked the keyboard on this device. First, according to Asus, the keyboard is also spill resistant. In addition, the letters, numbers, and other symbols on the keyboard are light blue. For me, this made the keys easy to locate in both dark and bright environments. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Another feature that I found useful are the indicator lights located on the right edge of the keyboard. The first indicator light lets you know when the Chromebook is on. The second indicator light lets you know the charging status of the Chromebook: it turns orange when it is charging and light green when it is finished charging. I found these features to be useful because most Chromebook charging indicators remain the same color while charging and when done charging (such as the current Dell Chromebooks that we have). You never really know how charged your device is unless you open the Chromebook and check the battery status bar.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
A different feature that this Chromebook has to offer is that the screen (like the Dell Chromebook 11 2nd generation) is anti-glare and is 11.6 inches. This is a useful feature because the screen is easy on the eyes.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I also really liked the modular design of the Chromebook. The keys on the keyboard, power socket, and the battery are modular. Asus claims that full dismantling of the device is possible in a few easy steps using only simple tools. This would be a huge benefit for TSI students when it comes to repairing the devices. This could also be a benefit for Leyden students as it may be less expensive the repair the devices. For example, rather than replacing an entire keyboard when a few keys are damaged, we could easily just replace the keys. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Finally, the footprint of the device is smaller than other Chromebooks I have tested. This can either be positive in that the device consumes less space in a backpack or on a desktop or negative in that it can sometimes be harder to work on a smaller device.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
As you can see, the Asus C202 Chromebook has many benefits, but it does have its downsides.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The first downside that I noticed is that this Chromebook only has one U.S.B 2.0 port. This may be a downside to some students because as I have mentioned before, they like to connect multiple things like their phone charger and an external mouse. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The second downside is that the Google Chrome browser starts to lag when only having six tabs open. This may be an issue for some students because they may like to multi-task and have multiple homework assignments open. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Another downside is the battery life. Asus claims that this device only lasts about 8.5 hours, which is less than the other devices I tested. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The final downside that I noticed is that the bottom and top covers are white. After using the device for about a week, the white covers were noticeably dirty. In addition, I had black “skid” marks on the bottom of the device. A quick clean did resolve the issue.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Overall, the Asus C202 Chromebook has a nice design, decent specifications, and a nice rugged exterior which is great for student use. This device has multiple benefits and few major downsides which consumers look for in any electronic device. I think that this Chromebook should be kept in mind when Leyden High School picks the next Chromebook, although I still believe that the Dell Chromebook 2nd Generation is the winner.</div>
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>Review by a West Leyden Sophomore TSI Student...</i></b></span></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<div>
The Asus Chromebook is the greatest “looking” Chromebook I’ve had the pleasure of reviewing. It is mostly grey, with a navy blue rubber borders. It has a bumpy texture to it, the first of the Chromebooks. Inside, instead of keyboard consisting of black keys with white letters, it has blue letters. The screen, also, like the previous Chromebooks I’ve tested, lean all the way back. Aesthetically, it is the most gorgeous Chromebook I’ve ever used, and you can tell that Asus didn’t base their design of their Chromebook on any of the previous generations of Chromebooks.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The Asus Chromebook is the smallest Chromebook of the 4 Chromebooks I’ve used. It fits easily in the black Leyden case and could also easily fit in the tighter original blue case Leyden had given students. In terms of weight, it is also pretty light. The size and weight of the Asus make it easy to carry, especially for students who do not like to use their case when walking around Leyden with it. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The Asus’s Chromebook has a very satisfying to use mechanical keyboard. There is something that just feels right when you tap on a key and it makes a great clicking noise. There’s something rhythmic about it that makes doing classwork more bearable. The touchpad and mouse are also very smooth to use. It moves where I tell it to and it does not flick randomly and in general is very responsive. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Durability wise, it is tough to say with the Asus. The sides of the Asus are rubberized, so if it falls on its side, the rubber will absorb the impact. Chromebooks, from what I’ve seen in TSI, get damaged on their side a lot, and cracks their edges. Rubberized sides would minimize these Chromebooks problems by a lot. It is the only Chromebook of the 4 I’ve tested to have this quality. Besides the rubber sides, however, I don’t think the Asus is all that durable. The top of the Asus is just plastic, and a weak one at that. I can easily push it in with minimal force. If the Asus Chromebook were to land with the all the force on the plastic, I don’t think the Chromebook would survive. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The battery of the Asus Chromebook isn’t amazing compared to the other Chromebooks. At the end of the day, this Chromebook was at 60%, which you might say, isn’t so bad. However, since it’s the end of the year and this is my last week at West Leyden, I haven’t had to use the Chromebook as much. Moreover, if I were using this Chromebook during the middle of the year, I’m sure the battery would be at a much lower percentage at the end of the day, maybe 50%, or even 40%. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Small, extra bits and pieces I want to go over are the speakers and USB ports. In terms of the speakers, it passed the Kung Fu Panda test wonderfully (if you’re confused, please look towards by review of the HP Chromebook). The speakers are the loudest and clearest sounding out of all the Chromebooks. The sound is not muffled and hard to hear like the others. Another one of the good qualities of the Asus Chromebook is the fact that both of its USB ports are USB 3.0s, which allows for faster data transfer speeds than the older USB 2.0. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The Asus Chromebook has an unbeaten physical design, a small form factor, and a satisfying to use keyboard and touchpad. It’s durability is so-so, better than what we have now, but there is still room for improvement. The battery life isn’t so great and I don’t think it’ll last long for students. The speakers and USB ports are an excellent touch though. However, I believe that the Asus Chromebook just isn’t the right fit for Leyden, because durability is a very important factor and Leyden should go with the Chromebook that excels the most in this quality.</div>
</div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer">This post originally appeared on http://leydentechies.blogspot.com/.
</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03366883537261504551noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7542978543085200233.post-54840762779205052592016-05-10T10:15:00.002-05:002016-05-10T10:15:44.144-05:00Student Reviews of the Dell 22 (gen 2) ChromebookIn the last few weeks, two of Leyden's <a href="http://leyden212.org/TSI" target="_blank">Tech Support Intern (TSI)</a> students have reviewed the <a href="http://leydentechies.blogspot.com/2016/04/student-reviews-of-lenovo-n22-chromebook.html" target="_blank">Lenovo N22</a> and <a href="http://leydentechies.blogspot.com/2016/04/student-reviews-of-hp-11-ee-chrombook.html" target="_blank">HP 11 EE Chromebooks</a>. Below are their reviews of the second generation Dell 11 Chromebook.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT7lZqxpbMqFAkXBCqUPtmMq41zjO5CdV4N8gYEEpKANCHFA7F8yUKlUAlrhDpSzIRGXmt1HlWbyZ1PutNzC9fl22DEZ4M3OpwuHUILPXRyYlk6LmcWC5Q-9om62-qTrCSopA-gJiFBrPO/s1600/Dell+11+Gen+2+002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT7lZqxpbMqFAkXBCqUPtmMq41zjO5CdV4N8gYEEpKANCHFA7F8yUKlUAlrhDpSzIRGXmt1HlWbyZ1PutNzC9fl22DEZ4M3OpwuHUILPXRyYlk6LmcWC5Q-9om62-qTrCSopA-gJiFBrPO/s640/Dell+11+Gen+2+002.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<b style="font-size: x-large;"><i>Review by an East Leyden Sophomore TSI Student...</i></b><br />
<b style="font-size: x-large;"><i><br /></i></b>
This Chromebook has a dual core Intel Celeron N2840 running at 2.16ghz, 3.778GB of R.A.M, internal display with 768x1366 resolution, a screen that is 11.6“, and it only weighs 2.74lbs. In addition, the device has front facing speakers, co-molded rubber edges, and the LCD can extend 180 degrees (like the HP G4 EE).<br />
<br />
The first and probably the most beneficial feature of this Chromebook is that the edges are co-molded with actual rubber (unlike the HP Chromebook 11 G4 EE, which was co-molded with plastic). This is a huge plus for students in the event they drop the Chromebook. According to Dell, the device is “specifically built to withstand the abuses inherent to an education environment. It’s purpose-built design means that this notebook should survive drops, water spills, dirt and dust and most things that the harsh academic environment throws at it.” In addition to the co-molding, the device has rubber feet. This allows the Chromebook to grip to desk and table surfaces and helps prevent accidental slippage.<br />
<br />
The second benefit is the battery life. Simply put...the battery life is amazing! Dell claims the battery will last approximately 8 hours. During my time with the Chromebook, I found the battery life to last much longer than that. First I tested the device on low brightness and made sure to have no more than 5 tabs open at a time. Using this criteria and with normal educational usage, the battery lasted for three full school days. Then I tested the device on full brightness and did not limit the number of tabs. Using this criteria, the battery lasted for two full school days. Based on these tests, this Chromebook’s battery life is the best out of all of the Chromebooks I have tested so far.<br />
<br />
An additional benefit to the Dell Chromebook 11 2nd Generation is the anti-glare display. This means that when you are in a bright environment, the display will not reflect the light around you thus making it easier to see what is on your screen. I was extremely pleased with this feature. Most classrooms are really bright and with other devices, I was forced to adjust my screen to an uncomfortable position in order to see it. I did not have to do this with the Dell Chromebook 11 2nd Gen.<br />
<br />
Another great benefit is that the keyboard and the touchpad are spill resistant. Most Chromebooks only have a spill resistant keyboard and not a spill resistant touchpad. I also found the touchpad to be very responsive. The plastic and rubber co-molding on the bottom edge of the trackpad is depressed. This is useful because the user does not have to apply too much force to the touchpad in order to click.<br />
<br />
Another neat feature that this Chromebook has to offer is that it has dual front facing speakers. In my experience, this placement of the speakers makes the audio sound clearer and easier to hear. This is in contrast to the current Dell Chromebook we are using which has bottom facing speakers.<br />
<br />
The final neat feature I noticed about this Chromebook model is the interactive light feature. Located on the left corner of the top cover, this light works nicely with an app that can be installed called Dell Activity Light. When the app is selected a dialogue appears with three icons: raise hand, question, and discussion. When the raise hand icon is selected, the interactive light turns blue which lets a teacher know you need assistance. When the question icon is selected, the interactive light turns red. And finally, when the third icon is pressed, the interactive light turns yellow which lets a teacher know you want to be a part of or start a discussion. Dell suggests using this feature during quiet class moments, such as testing, to prevent distractions. <br />
<br />
Even though the 2nd generation Chromebook 11 has numerous benefits, like all technologies, it does have two negatives that I would like to address.<br />
<br />
The first negative is the Chromebook only has one U.S.B 2.0 port, allowing only one peripheral or external storage device to be connected. This may cause a problem for some students who need to connect multiple devices to their Chromebook such as a wireless mouse, flash drive, or even their cell phone.<br />
<br />
The second negative is that the keys on the keyboard are raised a little too much. Although the keys feels nice and responsive, garbage, food crumbs and dust can easily get under them. I can see this possibly becoming an issue especially if enough debris gets caught under the keys preventing them from working properly.<br />
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span><br />
To conclude, the 2nd generation Dell Chromebook 11 is almost a flawless device. For $250, you get amazing specs and a well protected and designed exterior. In addition, the Chromebook is manufactured by Dell. This is a huge advantage for Leyden as we already have a partnership with Dell. We already have two years experience repairing Dell Chromebooks, following R.M.A(Return Merchandise Approval) procedures, working with Dell’s warranty, etc. I think that Leyden High Schools should keep this Chromebook very close to mind when choosing the next student Chromebook.<br />
<br />
<b style="font-size: x-large;"><i>Review by a West Leyden Sophomore TSI Student...</i></b><br />
<div>
<b style="font-size: x-large;"><i><br /></i></b></div>
<div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Dell Chromebook 11 has many appealing qualities that make it the best fit for the Leyden students. Dell’s design of the Chromebook 11 looks like a revamped version of their original Dell Chromebook. Dell’s new Chromebook is also wider than their last Chromebook, and the difference is big enough that it will no longer fit in the old blue Leyden cases and will now only fit in the newer black cases. </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The best quality of the new Dell Chromebook is the hard new shell. The shell for the Chromebook offers much more protection than the Lenovo, HP, and even the previous Chromebooks we’ve had in the past. This Chromebook, in the time I have had it, has not received one scratch or any sort of damage. This Chromebook can take a beating and could probably even be dropped and receive no damage whatsoever. This characteristic of the Chromebook will be very beneficial to students because they constantly drop and break their them, causing them to be charged massive fines and take loaners. </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Another great quality that not only this Dell, but all the Chromebooks had was the fact that the screens can bend all the way back. Now students can put the screens back to their preference. They also won’t break the screens and cause them to become unhinged from the system. Hinge problems are one of the most prominent reasons for sending Chromebooks back to Dell. The return rate on these Chromebooks can last from weeks to months, causing students to get long-time loaners and lowering the loaner count we have for all the other students. I’m glad these hinge problems will be minimized. </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">One of the unique characteristics of the Dell Chromebook 11 is the little LED light in the front of the Chromebook. By using an app on your Chromebook, you can change the color of the light to either red, blue, or yellow. There are a variety of uses for this little light. For example, when the teacher wants to know when everyone in the class is done with a particular in class assignment, they can ask their students to change the color on their Chromebook to red. A teacher could also divide the classroom into groups of 3 and have each group be a separate color. </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The touchpad on the Dell Chromebook 11 was not as smooth as I hoped. It was more like the original Dell Chromebook, in the way that it didn’t move as easily and sometimes would be unresponsive. I would have greatly enjoys a touchpad and mouse similar to the HP Chromebook. The keyboard on the Dell Chromebook 11 is average at best, it just seems like the everyday keyboard and is not as comfortable to type on as some of the other Chromebooks I have tested out. </span></div>
<b style="font-size: x-large;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-847ab907-9b3a-d283-3c56-76c80fc80c80" style="font-weight: normal;"></span></b><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Dell Chromebook 11 is the best Chromebook so far for the Leyden students and I think that, in the end, it will be the best choice. The fact that it is so durable is one of the biggest reasons to choose it because in the long-run it’ll save Leyden a lot of money. The LED light in the front adds a new layer of innovation that teachers and students alike will benefit from. Even the battery life and speeds from it are not that far off from what we currently have. Although the touchpad and keyboard are average, I think the pros of this Chromebook really make it stand out from the rest of others. </span></div>
</div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer">This post originally appeared on http://leydentechies.blogspot.com/.
</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03366883537261504551noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7542978543085200233.post-69196584957008354012016-04-27T09:05:00.000-05:002016-05-06T14:53:21.626-05:00Student Reviews of the HP 11 EE ChromebookLast week I posted two Leyden <a href="http://leyden212.org/TSI" target="_blank">Tech Support Intern</a> (TSI) students' reviews of the <a href="http://leydentechies.blogspot.com/2016/04/student-reviews-of-lenovo-n22-chromebook.html" target="_blank">Lenovo N22 Chromebook</a>. For the past week, they have been using the HP 11 EE Chromebook and here are their reviews of those devices.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyJ1pnkamienFtdaLYPjhQJpyFN8qNqsVCQgZDUtrwTF2D4LH35Qu5k9HNUxhnA0QD020yIXfkl7qKErEo26d22Kr_L52JEI8BstC1RIlW3qJxTy5x8zK3pajMtG0r0oUZ1bwpFrDZRDRk/s1600/HP+11+EE.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyJ1pnkamienFtdaLYPjhQJpyFN8qNqsVCQgZDUtrwTF2D4LH35Qu5k9HNUxhnA0QD020yIXfkl7qKErEo26d22Kr_L52JEI8BstC1RIlW3qJxTy5x8zK3pajMtG0r0oUZ1bwpFrDZRDRk/s640/HP+11+EE.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>Review by a West Leyden Senior TSI Student...</i></b></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
The HP Chromebook, just from holding it, felt like a better Chromebook than the Lenovo Chromebook (sorry Lenovo). It was much more Dell Chromebook-like in design, not like the Lenovo, which stuck with more of a Samsung Chromebook design. The thickness of the HP was much more slim than the Lenovo Chromebook, so it felt better to carry inside of the the case that Leyden had given us.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
The most satisfying thing about the HP Chromebook is the keyboard. The keys were smoother to type with, and they allowed for faster typing than the Dell Chromebook. I even felt like I wanted to do work in school now with the keyboard that was, in general, much more comfortable to use. Essays became a breeze to type. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
Another thing that I was glad was better in design was the touchpad. When I was using the touchpad for the first time, I was pleasantly surprised to find that it was very responsive. It moved where I wanted it to and it didn’t randomly flick away or not move at all. This was a problem that I, as well as others, have had with the Samsung and Dell and I’m glad that one of the new Chromebooks have finally taken this into consideration and fixing the problem for students. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
The speed of the HP Chromebook was more closely related to that of the Dell. I was glad I didn’t have to put up with Lenovo-like speeds. I didn’t have to wait that long for the Chromebook to power on and connecting to certain websites were not that slow either, maybe even a little bit faster. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
The speakers on the HP Chromebook are not too shabby either. Although I didn’t write it in my Lenovo Chromebook Review, I have been using the song “Kung Fu Fighting” that starred in the hit movie “Kung Fu Panda” to test the speakers. The speakers on the HP were great quality and I could easily hear the music, it was not muffly like the Lenovo’s speakers. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
Now the cons of the HP Chromebook, the biggest being the battery life. Unlike the Lenovo, which would last days, the HP barely lasted 2 days in my hands. I had to constantly charge it, which was a nuisance. The small battery life will lead to more loaner Samsung Chromebooks to be lent out, if the HP was the one you choose. What students need is the bigger battery so that Leyden’s TSI would stop running out of Chromebooks to give to students when they have their uncharged. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
A disappointing characteristic of the HP Chromebook was the number of USB ports. It only had 2 USB ports as opposed to 3, so there if you connect a mouse and a flash drive, you’re limited to just that. For those who want to connect any other peripheral devices will be forced to disconnect their mouse or flash drive. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
From what I have seen thus far, the Lenovo and HP Chromebooks are polar opposites of each other. One has a better trackpad and keyboard, while the other has a better battery. One has a thicker design, while the other, a more slim and compact one. One is modeled after a Samsung Chromebook, the other, a Dell Chromebook. While the HP is a step up from the Lenovo, I feel like it still lacks certain qualities that are needed for it to be the “Leyden’s Next Top Chromebook”. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>Review by an East Leyden Sophomore TSI Student...</i></b></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
The HP Chromebook 11 G4 EE was made for educational purposes hence the EE in the name which stands for Education Edition. The HP 11 G4 EE has numerous upsides and very few downsides. The starting price for this Chromebook is $199 which is a very good price considering the specs: dual core Intel Celeron N2840 running at 2.16ghz; Intel HD Graphics; and 3.778 GB of R.A.M. With these two internal components (dual core Intel Celeron N2840 running at 2.16ghz and 3.778 GB of R.A.M), the Chromebook operates at a high speed without any major problems. While I did experience a few lagging issues here and there while multitasking, this did not impact my productivity and is something I expected based on my past Chromebook experience. Overall, I was very happy with the performance of the device. </div>
<br />
A major benefit of the device is the battery life. HP claims that it lasts up to 9.5 hours on one charge. I used this Chromebook for one full week. During that week, and with normal school usage, the Chromebook lasted for 2.5 days without needing to recharge. <br />
<br />
Another benefit that the HP Chromebook 11 G4 EE has to offer is that the keyboard is spill resistant. According to HP, the “spill resistant keyboard keeps it safe from leaky lunchboxes”. As a TSI student, I have helped many students who come into the classroom having spilled various liquids on their devices. This spill resistance keyboard could be a huge benefit. I do wonder, though, how easily liquids will go through ports and other vulnerable parts of the Chromebook.<br />
<br />
Aesthetically, this Chromebook looks very nice. The first thing I noticed were the edges of the device. The exterior is co-molded with rubber along the edges. According to HP, because of this, the Chromebook passed their 2.3 foot drop tests. This is a pretty neat feature. I also like how thin and light the Chromebook is. The HP G4 EE Chromebook is 20mm thin and weighs 2.7 pounds, which can be a very useful feature for a student because it will not take up too much space in their backpack or weight them down. Additionally, the HP Chromebook 11 G4 EE has the U.S.B 2.0 port, the U.S.B 3.0 port, the headphone jack, and the HDMI port on the right side of the device. The ports being on the right side of the device feel more natural for right handed individuals since they tend to hold items (such as a flash drive) with their right hand. The charging port and the SD card slot are on the left side of the device. <br />
<br />
Another cool feature of the device is that the screen can lay 180 degrees flat. While this is pretty cool and reminds me of tablet devices, this feature can also be useful to students, especially when showing work to another student or teacher.<br />
<br />
Now that I have named the numerous benefits that this Chromebook has to offer, let’s talk about a few downsides of the device. The first downside is that the speakers are on the bottom of the Chromebook which makes the sound a little bit muffled and hard to hear. The sound quality of the speakers are average. While this placement does not lend itself to optimal performance, I do not think it will be too much of a problem considering students who need audio almost always use headphones.<br />
<br />
The second downside that I noticed was that the Chromebook’s exterior consists of a slippery plastic which may cause some students to drop the device. As mentioned above, the Chromebook passed their 2.3 foot drop tests; however, most drops occur from more than 2.3 feet. Also, the Chromebook’s feet seem to be made of the same plastic of the rest of the Chromebook. I used the Chromebook on a wooden desk, a glass desk, and a synthetic countertop. In all three instances the Chromebook easily slid on the surface. In addition, I noticed that smudges show up easily on the plastic.<br />
<br />
Overall, when I was given the HP 11 G4 EE, I thought to myself “this Chromebook looks high end”. After using it for a week I still have the same opinion. The device has great specs and a great battery life all for a good price. I also appreciate that HP had education in mind when developing this Chromebook. I feel that this Chromebook could be a good option for Leyden High School and should be considered for next year.<div class="blogger-post-footer">This post originally appeared on http://leydentechies.blogspot.com/.
</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03366883537261504551noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7542978543085200233.post-35895475005825600002016-04-19T09:36:00.000-05:002016-04-19T09:36:06.704-05:00Student Reviews of the Lenovo N22 ChromebookLeyden High School District 212 is in our fourth year of being fully 1:1 with all students getting issued a Chromebook. The Leyden leadership team has recently decided to purchase new Chromebooks for the 2016-2017 school year. As part of the decision making process, we ask one <a href="http://leyden212.org/TSI" target="_blank">Tech Support Intern (TSI)</a> student at each campus to use the different Chromebook models being considered for about a week. They'll write up reviews for each device and I'll post those here on my blog. Here are the reviews of the Lenovo N22 Chromebook:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRHxPX3t-_xq2G_FVn_czbee77z5P_6NTruFgVSihmNgE6o1KGco61OtmJeqWtw7iGVO2CLZu3BHs15gK4HW9E7G0CfzIVd-_RV5mwTwDPKCCJDXexJZ1JFcUQa75ahbtQA6hQu6Tpfo-0/s1600/LenovoN22.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRHxPX3t-_xq2G_FVn_czbee77z5P_6NTruFgVSihmNgE6o1KGco61OtmJeqWtw7iGVO2CLZu3BHs15gK4HW9E7G0CfzIVd-_RV5mwTwDPKCCJDXexJZ1JFcUQa75ahbtQA6hQu6Tpfo-0/s640/LenovoN22.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<b><i><span style="font-size: large;">Review by an East Leyden Sophomore TSI Student...</span></i></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
The Lenovo N22 was specifically made for educational settings. This Chromebook can be found under $200.00. It has good specs, such as 3.8 GB of R.A.M and an Intel Celeron processor with 2 cores running at 1.60GHz. The Chromebook’s display is 11.6 inches and it’s resolution is just below 1080p HD quality at 1366x768 and it has 133.44dpi(Dots per Inch) which is average for a Chromebook. This average display is adequate since the device is being used for school purposes. But like all other technologies it has it’s downsides. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
The first downside that I noticed is the camera. A user is able to rotate the camera the camera about 180 degrees which allows the user to take pictures at different angles. The first issue with the rotating camera is that I worry it will easily break. Most students use their phone cameras more than their Chromebook cameras due to quality issues; however, I can see students fidgeting with the camera. Eventually this may cause the camera to break off or become loose. It may be hard for the TSI students to fix this issue or for the Tech department to even get parts necessary to fix the issue. Worst case scenario, we might have to replace the Screen entirely. Another issue with the rotating camera is that students can rotate the camera and take pictures of others during class without their knowledge, which is a privacy issue and something students and teachers may be worried about. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
An additional problem with the Lenovo N22 is that it feels cheaply constructed, However the fact that the Chromebook’s exterior is made of plastic makes it sturdy and durable. I think this because the plastic used to construct the Chromebook feels low quality and that plastic is used for most of the Chromebook’s external design.In addition to the Chromebook being made of plastic,. Lenovo claims that the Chromebook is supposed to be sturdy and durable and that is why they constructed the Chromebook using plastic, also I noticed that the plastic was slippery. I feel that students may drop the Chromebook because of this causing it to break. While students are not supposed to carry their Chromebooks while walking in the hallways during passing periods (especially outside the provided carrying case), they still do. I can see it already...a Chromebook slips out of a student’s hand, it falls to the floor, gets kicked around by a few students and stepped on by another.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
Another issue I found with the Lenovo N22 is that when the Chromebook restarts or is booted up after being turned off for a while, it logs in slowly and it takes almost 2 whole minutes to be able to fully load tabs even on high speed internet. In addition the battery life on the Lenovo N22 is average for a Chromebook since it gets up to 10 hours of battery life, which can easily be made to last a student 2-3 days if they do not multitask too much and only keep required tabs open because otherwise the Chromebook will most likely only last 36 hours since the battery will drain faster.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
Enough about the downsides of this Chromebook, let’s talk about some of the benefits of the Lenovo N22. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
The first upside I will mention is that it never overheated meaning the device was never hot to the touch when multi-tasking and or having a lot of tabs and windows open although it did slow down, the fan did not make noise when being used as so.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
An additional upside to the Lenovo N22 is that on the back of the Chromebook it has a handle so that it can be carried like a briefcase which is the biggest and most useful feature of the Lenovo N22. I can imagine a lot of students would find this feature useful because if they are in a hurry they do not have to pack their Chromebook into their backpack, they can just carry the Chromebook via handle.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
Another aesthetic feature I liked about the Chromebook is the fact that the keyboard is spill resistant to liquids, the keys peel off which will make it easier for T.S.I students to repair keys if a student spills a liquid on their Chromebook making it a faster repair process.I can imagine this feature being a big help to a lot of students because there are a lot of students who spill some sort of liquid or drink on their Chromebook since they use it during lunch.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
An alternate useful part about the Lenovo N22 is the way that the letter keys and number keys on the keyboard are positioned, it is useful because they are slightly positioned to the left but still centered like most laptops which will make typing easier and feel more natural since most likely students will be used to how the keyboard feels because of their computer at home so this feature will definitely help students make less mistakes.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
The final upside to the Lenovo N22 is the sound quality. The speakers are much louder than most Chromebooks and the highs and lows on the audio is normal for a Chromebook. Since the speakers are placed on the side of the Chromebook it sounds clearer and louder because they are not muffled by any surfaces or materials.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
Altogether, when I first received the Lenovo N22 it seemed like it was built for rough environments, which I thought would be perfect for a student Chromebook because a lot of students drop their Chromebook and end up breaking their L.C.Ds, but after actually testing the Chromebook the specifications felt like they would not be good enough for the circumstances in which students need it for. For a Chromebook in its price range the specs definitely felt like a low end computer when it was being used because since it only has 2 cores running at 1.60 GHz, it was not able to handle multiple processes such as numerous windows and tabs which students sometimes need to leave open and running in the background to work on later or multi-task with different assignments.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<b><i><span style="font-size: large;">Review by a West Leyden Senior TSI Student...</span></i></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
This past week I had the pleasure of using the Lenovo N22 Chromebook for school as opposed to my regular Dell Chromebook. Right away when I saw it, I knew that Lenovo had leaned their design of the Chromebook towards the Samsung Chromebook. The Lenovo Chromebook is about the same size as the Dell Chromebook, so the jump from the Dell to Lenovo would not affect many students in terms of keyboard size. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
From what I had noticed, the Lenovo Chromebook is slower than the Dell Chromebook. When turning on the Lenovo, it takes a few seconds more to turn on than the Dell. Opening websites such as my student email and my Google Drive would also take longer to load than usual. However, the change in speeds did not affect me so much in my daily use of the Lenovo. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
The battery of the Lenovo was one of the best features I enjoyed. At a full 100 percent, the battery lasted me a long time, about 4 days. My brightness was not low either, so I didn’t have to sacrifice anything to get the longer battery life. This would greatly help students who constantly forget to charge their Chromebook when they need to. The charging did take longer than the Dell, but for the extra hours of battery life, I think it’s worth. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
An interesting feature of the Lenovo Chromebook is the swivel camera. The camera, by default, faces forward, towards the user, however, you can turn the camera the other way around to take pictures away from the user. This is a cool feature, but ultimately useless. I only used it the first time I got the Lenovo, just for the sake of trying it. In truth, the camera bought more negatives than positives to the table. For example, if you try lifting the screen from the middle, where the camera is, you’ll just end up turning the camera, and makes the screen awkward to grab. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
Another cool feature of the Lenovo is that it comes with a built-in handle. As opposed to just carrying the Chromebook in your arm as most students who don’t like the cases do, they would now have the option to carry it by the handle. I used it a few times and enjoyed it, however, when I let my friend try it, I discovered that he found it awkward and tight because his hand was bigger than mine, so students with bigger hands probably won’t be using it as much. Another thing to take into account is that, if you use the handle, your Chromebook will not be in its case, meaning that it is free to hit anything and have nothing to protect it. I could see quite a few Chromebooks becoming damaged as a result of swinging the Chromebook too far and hitting the stairs or wall or even another student. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
The Lenovo Chromebook has its strengths, such as the battery life, which will be better for students who forget to charge their Chromebooks, and the form factor, which will make the jump from Dell Chromebooks to Lenovo Chromebooks, if the Lenovo was the final decision, that much easier. The speed of the Lenovo may be slower, but for a Leyden student, the difference isn’t that big that it will cause a huge change in their learning. However, the weaknesses, such as the handle and camera, will cause more hardware problems in the long run, costing both East and West Leyden high schools and its students more money. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<br /><div class="blogger-post-footer">This post originally appeared on http://leydentechies.blogspot.com/.
</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03366883537261504551noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7542978543085200233.post-69084131322811708002016-02-11T16:27:00.000-06:002016-02-11T16:27:06.887-06:00Student Tech Leadership Summit<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDg0jpRdvXaNf92KtP888cCHZjkbJn7qOFqE7snpqDPKfNahSF396lJvhtUTyO3gXwBjqJMXgJq2lXPcGtQyQzcKo-jzgEaqnb_94mn9WYoza4u0yuHHiHYgwHbq3X43A_XT-0K_tVs1Vl/s1600/logov2.2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDg0jpRdvXaNf92KtP888cCHZjkbJn7qOFqE7snpqDPKfNahSF396lJvhtUTyO3gXwBjqJMXgJq2lXPcGtQyQzcKo-jzgEaqnb_94mn9WYoza4u0yuHHiHYgwHbq3X43A_XT-0K_tVs1Vl/s320/logov2.2.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
Calling all student technology leaders! There is now a conference just for you.<br />
<br />
<b>What?</b> Student Technology Leadership Summit<br />
<br />
<b>When?</b> Friday, April 22, 2016 from 9:00 AM - 2:30 PM<br />
<br />
<b>Where?</b> Maine East High School in Park Ridge, IL (<a href="https://www.google.com/maps/place/Maine+East+High+School/@42.0378567,-87.8595415,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m2!3m1!1s0x880fc8166f3cce0d:0x141790bd025b9d2c" target="_blank">map</a>)<br />
<br />
<b>Who?</b> Student technology leaders<br />
<br />
<b>Website? </b><a href="http://bit.ly/STLS16">bit.ly/STLS16</a><br />
<br />
<b>Hashtag?</b> #STLS16<br />
<br />
<b>Hosts? </b>Evanston Township High School District 202, Leyden High School District 212, Maine Township High School District 207, and Niles Township High School District 219<br />
<br />
<br />
This event includes a keynote presentation by Jaime Casap, Google's Chief Education Evangelist, three breakout sessions run by students, and a closing panel. Both registration and the call for presentations are currently open. Please visit the <a href="http://bit.ly/STLS16" target="_blank">website</a> for more details.<div class="blogger-post-footer">This post originally appeared on http://leydentechies.blogspot.com/.
</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03366883537261504551noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7542978543085200233.post-72891450408946279852016-01-12T12:55:00.000-06:002016-01-12T14:25:30.810-06:00Leyden's First Robot Student... Wait, what?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbRd3hBeyAohZR6wCaMhuKdcGE67DsX60OLcqTcJmi4CirjvsipinXZX43SKqdJw5MjrLzlZwoOO-QEzaMeUvNcrJdd1TrjxhvsCqWtc_mlvHG2QB0XLsht-KHgCDSt72-d_gpo7NsWn-f/s1600/double.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbRd3hBeyAohZR6wCaMhuKdcGE67DsX60OLcqTcJmi4CirjvsipinXZX43SKqdJw5MjrLzlZwoOO-QEzaMeUvNcrJdd1TrjxhvsCqWtc_mlvHG2QB0XLsht-KHgCDSt72-d_gpo7NsWn-f/s640/double.jpg" width="360" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Say hello to, well, I'm not sure it has an official name yet. I've heard options like R2D212 (my personal favorite), C3CMe (another good one), or maybe just Double. Whatever the name ends up being isn't nearly as exciting as the opportunities this unit provides. Thanks to <a href="http://www.doublerobotics.com/" target="_blank">Double Robotics</a>, Leyden now has a Double 2 telepresence robot that can simply become the physical presence for a student that cannot attend school. Think video hangout on wheels. The student uses either a web interface or iPad/iPhone app to drive the robot around (yep, even from class to class), uses the cameras and microphone/speaker to interact with teachers and other students, and has the ability to take photos or share a website. This robot allows students that would otherwise be disconnected from school to fully participate in most of the daily activities.<br />
<br />
We don't have a specific student user in mind just yet as we are still learning how to operate and maintain the robot. Our East Leyden Tech Support Intern (TSI) students are currently experimenting and learning as much as they can. Once we get the hang of it, we'll determine how to best implement the robot and who might qualify to use it. I'm confident it will become a valuable tool that does more than make appearances on <a href="http://blog.doublerobotics.com/double-robotics-to-be-featured-on-abcs-the-bachelor" target="_blank">The Bachelor</a> and <a href="http://abc.go.com/shows/modern-family/video/pl5520993/VDKA0_8xko2dee" target="_blank">Modern Family</a>.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
I do have to admit that when we first started looking at this robot, it was hard not to think about how cool it would be to have one for myself. I mean, I could finally be in two places at one time. That dream quickly dissipated after we watched the following case study from Sebasticook Valley Middle School, which put the focus back to where it should always be, on our students:</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/aln1V0rtCkE/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="366" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/aln1V0rtCkE?feature=player_embedded" width="520"></iframe><br /><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aln1V0rtCkE">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aln1V0rtCkE</a><span id="goog_722308148"></span><span id="goog_722308149"></span><a href="https://www.blogger.com/"></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Stay tuned for more posts on how the robot gets used at Leyden, and what we eventually name it. In the meantime, check out the <a href="http://stories.doublerobotics.com/" target="_blank">Double Robotics Customer Stories</a> page for more interesting case studies and usage stories.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer">This post originally appeared on http://leydentechies.blogspot.com/.
</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03366883537261504551noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7542978543085200233.post-28921866957028359532016-01-05T12:51:00.000-06:002016-01-05T13:02:38.286-06:00E-Learning Days at Leyden<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1s3pfouuqg2xGiaYSTqG60qmfS5Lm19BYa9Ofe01nLtRNBH1LSHZBE16RwSyeY_C7H8VfEIRi_7qToj8bY7mSXpKMEk64HHbX_H-BwFm-Nfnc2suAOQ1kAaOfmMilZLbqabBRHdhItC_K/s1600/Real+Genius.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="324" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1s3pfouuqg2xGiaYSTqG60qmfS5Lm19BYa9Ofe01nLtRNBH1LSHZBE16RwSyeY_C7H8VfEIRi_7qToj8bY7mSXpKMEk64HHbX_H-BwFm-Nfnc2suAOQ1kAaOfmMilZLbqabBRHdhItC_K/s640/Real+Genius.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>scene from the 1985 movie Real Genius</i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<b><i>Disclaimer:</i></b> We are not replacing teachers with computers or other electronic media.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
However, when snow accumulates to impenetrable depths or temperatures plummet to dangerous levels or for other reasons that may have required Leyden schools to close in the past, a new opportunity is now available. Leyden High School District 212 has been chosen as one of three districts in the state of Illinois to pilot E-Learning days.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
</div>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.leyden212.org/cms/lib010/IL01904787/Centricity/Domain/645/District%20212%20to%20participate%20in%20the%20E-Learning%20Day%20Pilot.pdf" target="_blank">Press Release</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.isbe.net/career/pdf/e-learning-rfa.pdf" target="_blank">IL Public Act 99-194</a> (see Section 10-20.56)</li>
<li><a href="http://www.isbe.net/rules/archive/pdfs/ONEARK-EMERGENCY.pdf" target="_blank">ISBE Rules and Guidelines</a> (see Section 1.422)</li>
<li><a href="http://www.isbe.net/career/pdf/e-learning-rfa.pdf" target="_blank">ISBE Application</a></li>
</ul>
<div>
The overall goal for Leyden's participation in this pilot is to allow courses to keep moving forward without needing to make up days at the end of the school year. With state testing windows, AP tests, graduations, and other activities being locked into our schedules, the ability to utilize E-Learning days becomes extremely helpful to keep everyone on track. Because Leyden has been a 1:1 district since 2012-2013 where every student gets issued a Chromebook and through the evolution of the activities implemented by our teachers that appropriately utilize various technologies, E-Learning days are a natural fit in District 212. In many cases, an E-Learning day will almost be business as usual for our teachers and students, just outside the physical classroom space (which is already occurring on a regular basis at Leyden).</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
So, how will E-Learning days work at Leyden? Here's a brief outline of our plan:</div>
<div>
<ol>
<li>If it can be determined that school needs to be closed by 8:00 PM of the day prior to the closing, the Leyden Superintendent can enact an E-Learning day.</li>
<li>Multiple methods of communication regarding an E-Learning day replacing a regular school day will take place. These include the following: notice on the district's website; automated phone calls to parents and guardians; and posts on social media.</li>
<li>Every teacher will send an email to their students by 9:00 AM on an E-Learning day that will outline the instructional goals for the day, provide the necessary resources for the learning activities, identify the evidence the students will need to produce to demonstrate their learning, and clearly communicate how the students will be assessed. The email will also include a link to an online Google Form that students must fill out by 1:00 PM on an E-Learning day to be counted as "present" in their class. This means each student will need to review emails from each of their teachers and fill out a separate attendance form for each of their classes.</li>
<li>Teachers will review the Google Form submissions and enter their attendance information into the regular attendance system before the end of the day.</li>
</ol>
<div>
That's really about it. Teachers and students will not be following the traditional bell schedule. There is no requirement of teachers and students to work synchronously together, however teachers are encouraged to identify times during the day that they can be available to answer questions, provide feedback, or interact with their students. There is no mandate as to the learning platform that must be utilized. E-Learning days really boil down to teachers designing effective lesson plans that can be distributed electronically, that implement various technologies to support the learning process (Google Apps tools, Hapara's Workspace, online LMS, YouTube, EDpuzzle, VoiceThread, Discovery Education, Socrative, Blogger, and so many more), and provide the opportunity for Leyden students to communicate, collaborate, think critically, and create.</div>
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
An essential component to being able to run a successful E-Learning day is, of course, ensuring that all Leyden students have Internet connectivity in their homes. We solved that challenge earlier this school year when we started distributing Sprint mobile hotspots to those students that need them (read my previous <a href="http://leydentechies.blogspot.com/2015/10/closing-connectivity-gap-for-leyden.html" target="_blank">Closing The Connectivity Gap For Leyden Students</a> blog post).</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Here's a great video put together by a few administrators and students that was shared with all students to explain E-Learning days at Leyden:</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/4wuhYL7WkzE/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="366" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/4wuhYL7WkzE?feature=player_embedded" width="520"></iframe></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Stay tuned for other blog posts that I'll share with details on how any E-Learning days play out.</div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer">This post originally appeared on http://leydentechies.blogspot.com/.
</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03366883537261504551noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7542978543085200233.post-38864905798622567852015-10-15T15:32:00.000-05:002015-10-16T15:31:12.194-05:00Closing The Connectivity Gap For Leyden Students<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSt8BGj4Xbxj0agrgGwf9UmKc_HZCNo3VU640BT7jUgWplb4H4biJA_TKfQXMb4bVDr9Shy9jBGHmyi8y1OHcmlGiH6PauKYTYBQHnNWY2PBeLhGtAtYXgACqvJh0CnGR6Z-byAbjBI-Pt/s1600/WiFi+at+Home.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSt8BGj4Xbxj0agrgGwf9UmKc_HZCNo3VU640BT7jUgWplb4H4biJA_TKfQXMb4bVDr9Shy9jBGHmyi8y1OHcmlGiH6PauKYTYBQHnNWY2PBeLhGtAtYXgACqvJh0CnGR6Z-byAbjBI-Pt/s1600/WiFi+at+Home.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<a href="http://leyden212.org/" target="_blank">Leyden High School District 212</a> is now in its fourth year of being fully 1:1. Every student is issued a district-owned Dell Chromebook to use both at school and at home. The students even keep their devices over the summer. We've learned and grown a lot over the past four years and have been happy to share our experiences with anyone interested (check out some of our resources and events <a href="http://leydentechies.blogspot.com/p/11-at-leyden.html" target="_blank">here</a>). One obstacle that we had not decided to eliminate, until now, was the lack of connectivity for some of our students when they are at home. We certainly knew going into our first year of 1:1 that some of our students didn't have connectivity at home but chose to apply some band aides like extending our school library hours, compiling a list of free WiFi locations in our communities on a Google Map, encouraging students to visit the local libraries, pushing the low-cost <a href="https://apply.internetessentials.com/" target="_blank">Comcast Internet Essentials</a> program for free or reduced lunch students, and training students about Google Drive's offline access on their Chromebooks. This seemed to be adequate for a while, but we recently decided that adequate was no longer good enough. Over the last 6 months or so, we have been researching permanent solutions to close the connectivity gap for our students. Through the <a href="http://ecenter.custhelp.com/app/landing_page/ConnectED_lp" target="_blank">Sprint ConnectED grant</a>, we are moving forward with issuing mobile hotspots to those students that do not have connectivity for their Chromebooks in their homes.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://ecenter.custhelp.com/app/landing_page/ConnectED_lp" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXLTppWxVLhtlv9LNw6F0Y9WRLy_EmdP75Hu-a3_gHzCtXW2drbRn02XompZQjuSAGeJYiW5UiiN-RK0CahzyPGGXoNCePZNz5B4MM1ABWRlyyAJSRjTYTBAoXpgQmMXiSoIWSLPqJSCIu/s320/ConnectED.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Here's how we are finally closing the connectivity gap for Leyden students:</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
</div>
<ul>
<li>We applied and got accepted into the <a href="http://ecenter.custhelp.com/app/landing_page/ConnectED_lp" target="_blank">Sprint ConnectED grant</a>.</li>
<li>We asked all students to fill out a Google Form to indicate if they can connect their Chromebooks to the Internet when they are at home. The results came back suggesting that just over 17% of our students do not have connectivity at home.</li>
<li>We mailed a letter to the parents/guardians of the self-identified students describing our goals and plans for closing the connectivity gap and informing them about mandatory meetings during our parent/teacher conferences to learn more, validate their student's response to not having connectivity at home, and to sign off on a contract to allow their student to receive a mobile hotspot.</li>
<li>The technology department reviewed the available devices through the ConnectED grant and chose a device that will allow us to pair each hotspot with one student Chromebook and disable the ability to manually reset those devices. This will prevent the family and friends of the students from using the hotspot and gobbling up the allotted monthly data. This should also prevent the possibility for families with Internet access to cancel their accounts in order to get a hotspot from Leyden.</li>
<li>We do not have to worry about any extra content filtering as all of our Chromebooks are already filtered everywhere they go. A CIPA-approved filter would be available through the hotspots if we need it.</li>
<li>As the parent/guardian contracts get signed and the devices begin to arrive, we will start contacting the students with instructions to bring their Chromebooks to a location to have a hotspot linked to their Chromebook and officially checked out.</li>
<li>Should a student with a hotspot need to turn in his/her Chromebook for service, we will either ask that student to bring in his/her hotspot to link it to the loaner Chromebook he/she gets assigned or possibly just issue a loaner hotspot with the loaner Chromebook. We are still thinking about this one and may experiment with both options.</li>
</ul>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
With all of the time and effort the Leyden teachers and students have put into adapting to Leyden's 1:1 digital teaching and learning environment, this next step of closing the connectivity gap for our students when they are at home is the right move for District 212. We are excited to see how this plays out!</div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer">This post originally appeared on http://leydentechies.blogspot.com/.
</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03366883537261504551noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7542978543085200233.post-2794276545347180132015-05-15T14:45:00.001-05:002015-05-15T14:48:28.706-05:00Another 39 West Leyden Faculty/Staff Become Google Educators<div style="text-align: center;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6Wo5J6AVvbFrJCvbFs0G_HsQPF8-uWfKR1kBkMjYxoWAXhp6Oz7SPZaoBiZq2XwpGi_s36qG91hMrw6vrAtdbnaV_q0wqEsKHK4serwwWNBUAQ3aJIPMMyNqzzyFZ4un15lQPsTlZnq12/s1600/Google+Educator.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6Wo5J6AVvbFrJCvbFs0G_HsQPF8-uWfKR1kBkMjYxoWAXhp6Oz7SPZaoBiZq2XwpGi_s36qG91hMrw6vrAtdbnaV_q0wqEsKHK4serwwWNBUAQ3aJIPMMyNqzzyFZ4un15lQPsTlZnq12/s320/Google+Educator.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span id="goog_1113965465"></span><span id="goog_1113965466"></span><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
A few months ago, a first group of West Leyden faculty and staff completed their 4-month journey to becoming <a href="https://www.google.com/edu/training/get-certified/?utm_referrer=https:%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2F">Google Educators</a> (<a href="http://leydentechies.blogspot.com/2015/03/36-new-google-educators-at-leyden.html">blog post here</a>). With the success of that program, it was decided to immediately run it again but with an accelerated timeline. As of today, 39 more West Leyden faculty and staff have become <a href="https://www.google.com/edu/training/get-certified/?utm_referrer=https:%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2F">Google Educators</a>. Here is some info from West Leyden librarian Janine Asmus (<a href="https://twitter.com/asmusj">@asmusj</a>), one of the organizers and leaders of this program:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>"The educators and Support Staff members listed below committed to a whirlwind professional development experience! They attended 10 Lunch and Learn sessions that began in early April and ended today. They became <a href="https://www.google.com/edu/training/get-certified/?utm_referrer=https:%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2F">Google Educators</a> by studying independently and reviewing with us. They took detailed exams on Gmail, Docs/Drive, Calendar, Sites and the Chrome browser. They earned an 80% or better on each test. </i></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>Upon reflection, what made this professional development opportunity work so well was the willingness of our participants. They were eager to learn more about the tools they use daily. Moreover, we enjoyed the collegiality and camaraderie we experienced. Having a technology coach and a librarian partner to deliver much-needed content was a win/win."</i></blockquote>
</div>
<table border="1" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" dir="ltr" style="border-collapse: collapse; border: 1px solid #ccc; font-family: arial,sans,sans-serif; font-size: 13px; table-layout: fixed;"><colgroup><col width="185"></col><col width="190"></col><col width="176"></col></colgroup><tbody>
<tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Admin"]" style="font-weight: bold; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Admin</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Math"]" style="font-weight: bold; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Math</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"SPED"]" style="font-weight: bold; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">SPED</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Rick Mason"]" style="background-color: white; font-size: 100%; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Rick Mason</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Terie Colletti"]" style="background-color: white; font-size: 100%; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Terie Colletti</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Jill Ethridge"]" style="background-color: white; font-size: 100%; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Jill Ethridge</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 21px;"><td style="padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"></td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Nadia Ruiz-Lopez"]" style="background-color: white; font-size: 100%; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Nadia Ruiz-Lopez</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Pete Karamitos"]" style="background-color: white; font-size: 100%; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Pete Karamitos</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Art"]" style="font-weight: bold; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Art</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Aysha Shedbalkar"]" style="background-color: white; font-size: 100%; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Aysha Shedbalkar</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Jessica Kelly"]" style="background-color: white; font-size: 100%; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Jessica Kelly</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Lynette Rosen"]" style="background-color: white; font-size: 100%; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Lynette Rosen</td><td></td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Shelia Kraft"]" style="background-color: white; font-size: 100%; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Shelia Kraft</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 21px;"><td style="padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"></td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Music"]" style="font-weight: bold; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Music</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Laura Moran"]" style="background-color: white; font-size: 100%; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Laura Moran</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Business Ed"]" style="font-weight: bold; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Business Ed</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Patrick Baker"]" style="background-color: white; font-size: 100%; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Patrick Baker</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Rosanne Orsi"]" style="background-color: white; font-size: 100%; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Rosanne Orsi</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Eric McFadden"]" style="background-color: white; font-size: 100%; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Eric McFadden</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Stacy Cunningham"]" style="padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Stacy Cunningham</td><td></td></tr>
<tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Tim Murphy"]" style="background-color: white; font-size: 100%; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Tim Murphy</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Michelle Vazquez"]" style="background-color: white; font-size: 100%; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Michelle Vazquez</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Support Staff"]" style="font-weight: bold; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Support Staff</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 21px;"><td style="padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"></td><td></td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Frank Bavone"]" style="background-color: white; font-size: 100%; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Frank Bavone</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"English"]" style="font-weight: bold; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">English</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"PE"]" style="font-weight: bold; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">PE</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Louise Jarke"]" style="background-color: white; font-size: 100%; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Louise Jarke</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Kerri Kennedy"]" style="background-color: white; font-size: 100%; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Kerri Kennedy</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Mark Valintis"]" style="background-color: white; font-size: 100%; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Mark Valintis</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Juli Kasper"]" style="background-color: white; font-size: 100%; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Juli Kasper</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Steve Marten"]" style="background-color: white; font-size: 100%; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Steve Marten</td><td></td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Mary Kelly"]" style="background-color: white; font-size: 100%; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Mary Kelly</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"John Rossi"]" style="background-color: white; font-size: 100%; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">John Rossi</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Science"]" style="font-weight: bold; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Science</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Lilli Kruml"]" style="background-color: white; font-size: 100%; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Lilli Kruml</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Karen Schumpp"]" style="background-color: white; font-size: 100%; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Karen Schumpp</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Pat Godziszewski"]" style="padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Pat Godziszewski</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Isabelle Pouliot-Kunca"]" style="background-color: white; font-size: 100%; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Isabelle Pouliot-Kunca</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Georgia Stavroulias"]" style="background-color: white; font-size: 100%; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Georgia Stavroulias</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Hina Patel"]" style="background-color: white; font-size: 100%; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Hina Patel</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Stephanie Ramirez"]" style="background-color: white; font-size: 100%; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Stephanie Ramirez</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 21px;"><td style="padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"></td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Melissa Pregler"]" style="background-color: white; font-size: 100%; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Melissa Pregler</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Kim Rentner"]" style="background-color: white; font-size: 100%; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Kim Rentner</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Ind Tech"]" style="font-weight: bold; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Ind Tech</td><td></td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Keith Rogers"]" style="background-color: white; font-size: 100%; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Keith Rogers</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Frank Holthouse"]" style="background-color: white; font-size: 100%; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Frank Holthouse</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Social Studies"]" style="font-weight: bold; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Social Studies</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Daina Shuipys"]" style="background-color: white; font-size: 100%; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Daina Shuipys</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 21px;"><td style="padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"></td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"David Rose"]" style="background-color: white; font-size: 100%; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">David Rose</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Jasmina Sleimovic"]" style="background-color: white; font-size: 100%; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Jasmina Sleimovic</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 21px;"><td style="padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"></td><td></td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Caryn Thomas"]" style="background-color: white; font-size: 100%; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Caryn Thomas</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
A big congratulations goes out to all of the Leyden faculty and staff that have become Google Educators this year! We are hoping to expand this program to even more people next year. In the meantime, I'd appreciate hearing from the newest Leyden Google Educators about their experience and why this became a goal of theirs. Please leave a comment on this post.</div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer">This post originally appeared on http://leydentechies.blogspot.com/.
</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03366883537261504551noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7542978543085200233.post-24871534433451443172015-03-10T08:05:00.000-05:002015-03-11T14:29:16.808-05:0037 New Google Educators at Leyden<div style="text-align: center;">
<img height="320" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-b-yyJieQTis/AAAAAAAAAAI/AAAAAAAAC_0/Fx2jg-fllWQ/photo.jpg" width="320" /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
For the past 5+ years, Leyden High School District 212 teachers and students have been using Google Apps for Education. In 2012-2013, when the district went 1:1 by issuing Chromebooks to all 3,400 students, the Google Apps tools quickly took center stage and started a transformation that permeated the district's teaching and learning environment. Recently, I learned that a number of educators at the West Leyden campus decided to take their knowledge of the powerful suite to the next level. Led by librarian Janine Asmus and instructional tech coach Todd Veltman, 34 certified staff and 1 administrator started meeting in mid-November and formed a study/support group to take on the challenge of becoming certified <a href="https://www.google.com/edu/training/get-certified/?utm_referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2F">Google Educators</a>. They met a number of times during their lunch periods to learn together and quiz each other on the information needed to pass the series of tests to become certified. The <a href="https://www.google.com/edu/training/get-certified/?utm_referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2F">requirements for becoming a Google Educator</a> include passing the four core exams (Gmail, Calendar, Sites, and Docs and Drive) and one elective exam (Chrome Browser, Chromebooks, Google Play for Education, or Android Tablets for Education). Together, the motivated and courageous teachers put in their time, did the studying, and worked toward their goal. After passing the four core exams, they invited me to their last meetings to help them learn more about the Chromebook management configurations and settings before tackling the last exam that stood between them and their certifications. I am thrilled to announce that they completed that exam yesterday and have fulfilled the requirements to become certified <a href="https://www.google.com/edu/training/get-certified/?utm_referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2F">Google Educators</a>. It is with some serious #leydenpride that I'd like to congratulate the following Leyden teachers on becoming documented experts of the tools they use everyday with their students to transform education and hope this begins a trend for other teachers to follow. I’d really enjoy hearing from these teachers in the comments as to why they embarked on this journey and what they learned from it.<br />
<br />
<table border="1" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" dir="ltr" style="border-collapse: collapse; border: 1px solid #ccc; font-family: arial,sans,sans-serif; font-size: 13px; table-layout: fixed;"><colgroup><col width="206"></col><col width="187"></col><col width="162"></col></colgroup><tbody>
<tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Admininstration"]" style="font-weight: bold; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Admininstration</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Modern Languages"]" style="font-weight: bold; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Modern Languages</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Special Education"]" style="font-weight: bold; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Special Education</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Andrew Sharos"]" style="font-size: 100%; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Andrew Sharos</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Kojo Clarke"]" style="font-size: 100%; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Kojo Clarke</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Marianna DeFillppis"]" style="font-size: 100%; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Marianna DeFillppis</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 21px;"><td style="padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"></td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Anne Gruettner"]" style="font-size: 100%; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Anne Gruettner</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Sonja Kosanovic"]" style="font-size: 100%; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Sonja Kosanovic</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Business Education"]" style="font-weight: bold; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Business Education</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Catherine O' Rourke"]" style="font-size: 100%; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Catherine O' Rourke</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Ryan McSherry"]" style="font-size: 100%; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Ryan McSherry</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Michael Haworth"]" style="font-size: 100%; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Michael Haworth</td><td></td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Kristen Navar"]" style="font-size: 100%; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Kristen Navar</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Shannon O'Connor"]" style="font-size: 100%; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Shannon O'Connor</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Music"]" style="font-weight: bold; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Music</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Katie Talsma"]" style="font-size: 100%; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Katie Talsma</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 21px;"><td style="padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"></td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Bryan Miller"]" style="font-size: 100%; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Bryan Miller</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Rick Van Roeyen"]" style="font-size: 100%; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Rick Van Roeyen</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Family & Consumer Sciences"]" style="font-weight: bold; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Family & Consumer Sciences</td><td></td><td></td></tr>
<tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Valarie Berger"]" style="font-size: 100%; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Valarie Berger</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Physical Education"]" style="font-weight: bold; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Physical Education</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Student Services"]" style="font-weight: bold; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Student Services</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Laurie Foss"]" style="font-size: 100%; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Laurie Foss</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Byron Benion"]" style="font-size: 100%; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Byron Benion</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Karin Dewey"]" style="padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Karin Dewey</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 21px;"><td style="padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"></td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Kevin Brockway"]" style="font-size: 100%; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Kevin Brockway</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Marijana Uremovic"]" style="background-color: white; font-size: 100%; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Marijana Uremovic</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Literacy"]" style="font-weight: bold; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Literacy</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"William Cordts"]" style="font-size: 100%; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">William Cordts</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Javier Vasquez"]" style="background-color: white; font-size: 100%; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Javier Vasquez</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Jane Hyink"]" style="font-size: 100%; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Jane Hyink</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Joe Fezzuoglio"]" style="font-size: 100%; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Joe Fezzuoglio</td><td></td></tr>
<tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Kara Kennedy"]" style="font-size: 100%; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Kara Kennedy</td><td></td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Student Supports"]" style="font-weight: bold; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Student Supports</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Jennifer Lazar"]" style="font-size: 100%; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Jennifer Lazar</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Science"]" style="font-weight: bold; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Science</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Janine Asmus"]" style="background-color: white; font-size: 100%; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Janine Asmus</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 21px;"><td style="padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"></td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Jamie Litzhoff"]" style="font-size: 100%; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Jamie Litzhoff</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Julie Krueger"]" style="background-color: white; font-size: 100%; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Julie Krueger</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Math"]" style="font-weight: bold; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Math</td><td></td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Todd Veltman"]" style="background-color: white; font-size: 100%; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Todd Veltman</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Jeremy Babel"]" style="font-size: 100%; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Jeremy Babel</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Social Studies"]" style="font-weight: bold; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Social Studies</td><td></td></tr>
<tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Marian Volenec"]" style="font-size: 100%; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Marian Volenec</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Frank Diebold"]" style="font-size: 100%; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Frank Diebold</td><td></td></tr>
<tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Matt Young"]" style="font-size: 100%; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Matt Young</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Christopher Lange"]" style="font-size: 100%; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Christopher Lange</td><td></td></tr>
<tr style="height: 21px;"><td style="padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"></td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Sandie Leonard"]" style="font-size: 100%; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Sandie Leonard</td><td></td></tr>
<tr style="height: 21px;"><td style="padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"></td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Kevin Pluchar"]" style="font-size: 100%; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Kevin Pluchar</td><td></td></tr>
<tr style="height: 21px;"><td style="padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"></td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Lisa Ripley"]" style="font-size: 100%; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Lisa Ripley</td><td></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer">This post originally appeared on http://leydentechies.blogspot.com/.
</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03366883537261504551noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7542978543085200233.post-84715803448689799582015-02-10T10:59:00.000-06:002015-02-10T11:04:29.303-06:00Leyden at the 2015 ICE Conference<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNB1xHxCtyU2ofujHs0hEsL7gMA_kXwfjJOtx7QMKJrkiuNIpwqh6yNkD6d3QAPRHcIn8T0tAI6Ay2MG7nyl2kW5aZj7onc8Xkgc_ZIsNJxwdlobbR5yK6Yo5iex-zfBStLIQFt28SyT7j/s1600/ICE_2015.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNB1xHxCtyU2ofujHs0hEsL7gMA_kXwfjJOtx7QMKJrkiuNIpwqh6yNkD6d3QAPRHcIn8T0tAI6Ay2MG7nyl2kW5aZj7onc8Xkgc_ZIsNJxwdlobbR5yK6Yo5iex-zfBStLIQFt28SyT7j/s1600/ICE_2015.png" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
Here is a list of the presentations that Leyden faculty are running at the <a href="http://www.iceberg.org/ice_conference">2015 ICE Conference</a>:<br />
<br />
<b>Title:</b> Using Technology in The Physics Classroom - The Do's and Don'ts (workshop)<br />
<b>Presenters:</b> Joe Ruffolo and Todd Veltman<br />
<b>Date:</b> Tuesday, February 24<br />
<b>Time:</b> 8:30 AM to 3:30 PM<br />
<b>Room:</b> TBA<br />
<div>
<br />
<b>Title:</b> Empowering Student Voice<br />
<b>Presenters:</b> Andrew Sharos and Leyden students<br />
<b>Date:</b> Thursday, February 26<br />
<b>Time:</b> 11:00-11:45 am<br />
<b>Room:</b> Main Stage Amphitheater<br />
<br /></div>
<b>Title:</b> Panel Discussion - Thinking about going 1:1? Get strategies, best practices, and policies that have worked for these successful districts that have gone 1:1 with iPads, Chromebooks, and Android Tablet devices.<br />
<b>Presenter:</b> Panel including Bryan Weinert<br />
<b>Date:</b> Thursday, February 26<br />
<b>Time:</b> 2:45-3:30 PM<br />
<b>Room:</b> Augusta I/II<br />
<br />
<b>Title:</b> Women in Technology<br />
<b>Presenter:</b> Amy Gorzynski<br />
<b>Date:</b> Friday, February 27<br />
<b>Time:</b> 10:00-10:45 AM<br />
<b>Room:</b> Salon III<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Title:</b> The Online Learning Environment<br />
<b>Presenter:</b> Eric McFadden<br />
<b>Date:</b> Friday, February 27<br />
<b>Time:</b> 2:45-3:30 PM<br />
<b>Room:</b> Sapphire<br />
<br />
<br /><div class="blogger-post-footer">This post originally appeared on http://leydentechies.blogspot.com/.
</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03366883537261504551noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7542978543085200233.post-16646101868371235022015-01-28T12:57:00.002-06:002015-01-28T12:57:32.941-06:00More Great Updates to EDpuzzle<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2yN25VrZ1vzRXzycUXmlDKwISQ_5wsRPRSIeH7kxa4O9wIghi8cmkYFwrCsKCVpiZeQOF8-lF9fM9JsU1m9i3auFBVdrxn8lhwpEjZHKDoKS0wyova2Y0ETAkROh4bEkqIVQm_kyUslDi/s1600/edpuzzle_logo.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2yN25VrZ1vzRXzycUXmlDKwISQ_5wsRPRSIeH7kxa4O9wIghi8cmkYFwrCsKCVpiZeQOF8-lF9fM9JsU1m9i3auFBVdrxn8lhwpEjZHKDoKS0wyova2Y0ETAkROh4bEkqIVQm_kyUslDi/s1600/edpuzzle_logo.png" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
I just received the following email from EDpuzzle about some new updates:<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">
Short email to share a few improvements that we built in <a href="http://www.edpuzzle.com/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">EDpuzzle</a> this week: </div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">
<b>- Upload image. </b>Add an image to your questions directly from your laptop or tablet. </div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">
<b>- Full screen mode for students.</b> Students can have a better experience focusing, just on the video-lesson. </div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">
<b>- Android users</b>: "Chrome browser + Full screen = Awesome results". It's almost like an App.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">
Video-summary (90seconds): <a href="http://quick.as/5BkAczv8" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">http://quick.as/<wbr></wbr>5BkAczv8</a></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">
Have a great day and let us know if there is anything else we can do.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">
Kind regards,</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">
Quim</div>
</blockquote>
<br />
And here's an email from a few weeks ago:<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">
Short email to explain the new improvements in <a href="http://edpuzzle.com/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">EDpuzzle</a>:</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">
1. New landing page: easier for the students and teachers.<br /><br />2. New editing page: Clean, beautiful and easy to use. Everything is saved automatically and you can drag and drop the questions.<br /><br />Here is a short video that gives you a quick tour through the new improvements: <a href="http://quick.as/31qzupqe" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">http://quick.as/<wbr></wbr>31qzupqe</a><br /><br />Give it a try and share it with other teachers! The more the merrier! :)</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">
Have a wonderful weekend,</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">
Quim</div>
</blockquote>
<br />
I still think <a href="http://edpuzzle.com/">EDpuzzle</a> is one of the greatest free tools that teachers can use for teaching and learning. I even think there could be some value for professional development opportunities and plan to try it out for that purpose. Here are links to me previous posts about <a href="http://edpuzzle.com/">EDpuzzle</a>:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><a href="http://leydentechies.blogspot.com/2014/02/supercharge-and-personalize-videos-for.html">Supercharge and Personalize Videos for Your Students with EDpuzzle</a> (2/7/14)<br /></li>
<li><a href="http://leydentechies.blogspot.com/2014/02/edpuzzle-gets-better.html">EDpuzzle Gets Better</a> (2/14/14)</li>
</ul>
<br />
<br />
Enjoy!<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
</blockquote>
<div class="blogger-post-footer">This post originally appeared on http://leydentechies.blogspot.com/.
</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03366883537261504551noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7542978543085200233.post-56612508568207393752014-12-16T15:12:00.000-06:002014-12-16T15:20:25.388-06:00Merge Table Cells In Google Docs Now Available<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I've been waiting for this one for a long time and it's finally available. You can now merge cells inside tables in Google Docs. After inserting a table, simply highlight the cells you want to merge, right-click on the selected cells (2-finger click on Chromebooks) or choose the Table menu, and choose Merge Cells. Let the custom formatting begin!</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSQGWHEPFJu_d6anAgvGXcxQEXdwHJD90BR-ftxuN6XbUWfAynmsTz_fEfMIH-BnTIDDOHrYciuH15iTAZP72jRsvyqZUz5JmOymaW77WuBAR5K9Ru4P9WHa3gssHxGJ66WSy4ItETeevR/s1600/Table+Cell+Merge.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSQGWHEPFJu_d6anAgvGXcxQEXdwHJD90BR-ftxuN6XbUWfAynmsTz_fEfMIH-BnTIDDOHrYciuH15iTAZP72jRsvyqZUz5JmOymaW77WuBAR5K9Ru4P9WHa3gssHxGJ66WSy4ItETeevR/s1600/Table+Cell+Merge.gif" /></a></div>
<br /><div class="blogger-post-footer">This post originally appeared on http://leydentechies.blogspot.com/.
</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03366883537261504551noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7542978543085200233.post-68626240403523286992014-12-04T10:30:00.000-06:002014-12-04T10:30:29.909-06:00No Tech Can Revolutionize Education, Just RelationshipsEarlier this morning, while reading a post on the <a href="http://www.teachthought.com/trends/will-revolutionize-education/">te@chthought</a> blog, I learned about the video <a href="http://youtu.be/GEmuEWjHr5c">This Will Revolutionize Education</a> recently posted on the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHnyfMqiRRG1u-2MsSQLbXA">Veritasium</a> YouTube channel. I really enjoyed the video and agree with most of the points made, especially the statement "The job of a teacher is not to deliver information. It is to guide the social process of learning. The job of a teacher is to inspire, to challenge, to excite their students to want to learn."<br />
<br />
There is no single tool, application, or other technology that will ever revolutionize education. It will always be about relationships. The relationships between the students and their teachers, between students and their peers, between the educators and their colleagues, and between all the stakeholders and the leadership. I wholeheartedly believe that the district I work for gets this and that is one of the many reasons that moving to a 1:1 teaching and learning environment over two years ago has found so much success at Leyden. Because it's not about the tools. It's about relationships.<br />
<br />
One topic not covered in the video, that I have certainly witnessed at Leyden over the past 2+ years, is how effectively used technology can foster those ever important relationships and improve the guidance of the "social process of learning". Our 1:1 environment has connected everyone far beyond what can be accomplished in a single 50-minute class period or 7-hour school day. From the always available digital presence of a class in our content learning system to simple email communications, everyone is connected to information, resources, and each other. In addition, the synchronous and asynchronous collaborative tools that we all use provides an opportunity for everyone to be a part of the process of learning and working instead of evaluators and reviewers of products.<br />
<br />
While no single technology can revolutionize education, the collection of effectively integrated technologies can certainly strengthen relationships and maybe, just maybe, that will lead to a revolution.<br />
<br />
Here's the video:<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/GEmuEWjHr5c" width="560"></iframe></div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer">This post originally appeared on http://leydentechies.blogspot.com/.
</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03366883537261504551noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7542978543085200233.post-35388693851523508412014-11-07T09:08:00.000-06:002014-11-07T09:08:23.436-06:00Proud To Be A Public District On The List<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://gettingsmart.com/2014/11/100-schools-worth-visiting/"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbwRC5I8BhnT6SqoEMiu7S0i4ilLNZzjzl7K3gWistEmNLaTBrXLuQiOnQODdwDwt3ZtQCC0nkS-pLXw9T8wuRKLRRjkhLtg3kCRoa0G-5CK4ELie53JFKrICgDFW-BqZFvfueZcqBYoLp/s1600/100school.jpg" height="473" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRT5LjEw4Y4Dz0Cd4DIr82C5uogvHmWcNn-DRQlfA_t6hDGoZDZT-RuQj9JQ11bADFtmPD9UCZruJXZOK8BPr3ro23yxD2XVMXXK6bLd-P_OI1yybBo7Pbgt8WaOStArwqYnmmhLAtLTMX/s1600/100schools_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRT5LjEw4Y4Dz0Cd4DIr82C5uogvHmWcNn-DRQlfA_t6hDGoZDZT-RuQj9JQ11bADFtmPD9UCZruJXZOK8BPr3ro23yxD2XVMXXK6bLd-P_OI1yybBo7Pbgt8WaOStArwqYnmmhLAtLTMX/s1600/100schools_2.jpg" height="44" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
It was a real honor to find Leyden High School District 212 on Tom Vander Ark's (<a href="https://twitter.com/tvanderark">@tvanderark</a>) <a href="http://gettingsmart.com/2014/11/100-schools-worth-visiting/">100 Schools Worth Visiting</a> post on <a href="http://gettingsmart.com/">GettingSmart.com</a> today. What I am most proud of is that Leyden is one of the few truly public school districts on this list. That is a huge testament to the Leyden Board of Education, the administration, the faculty, staff, community, and most certainly the student body. We are now in our third year being fully 1:1 with all 3.400 students getting issued Dell Chromebooks and have been happy to share our story with thousands of educators around the country by way of opening our doors for site visits, hosting a 3-day 1:1 summer symposium each of the last two summers (and doing it again next summer), participating in webinars, sharing at conferences, and much more.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
I have been attempting to archive as many resources as I can remember to add to the <a href="http://leydentechies.blogspot.com/p/11-at-leyden.html">1:1 at Leyden</a> page on this blog. You can also access this list using <a href="http://bit.ly/Leyden1to1Resources">bit.ly/Leyden1to1Resources</a>. I hope you find something there that helps and please feel free to reach out with questions. I am always happy to share and learn from others, as well.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer">This post originally appeared on http://leydentechies.blogspot.com/.
</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03366883537261504551noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7542978543085200233.post-70667884026845254932014-10-20T10:21:00.000-05:002014-10-20T10:21:12.178-05:00Shade Alternate Rows in Google Sheets<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
A few days ago I learned about shading alternate rows in a Google Sheet using the =ISEVEN(ROW()) formula in the Conditional Formatting tool from the Digital Inspiration blog: <a href="http://www.labnol.org/internet/alternate-color-rows-in-google-sheets/28701/" style="text-align: center;">How to Color Alternate Rows in Google Sheets</a>.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_TZbgbdSmd9XOspOBISCJA9eGBZ62Vy9qJSnlMluGubJns1ed1QbhtQ0us-lESdElTMxdqrdbUAyG3bNEBDoE7Ie3900bVpTULexMplJ_BsKvJdMkhmG2iTuol2wZpNqAp8NeA0o2iTao/s1600/alternat_rows.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_TZbgbdSmd9XOspOBISCJA9eGBZ62Vy9qJSnlMluGubJns1ed1QbhtQ0us-lESdElTMxdqrdbUAyG3bNEBDoE7Ie3900bVpTULexMplJ_BsKvJdMkhmG2iTuol2wZpNqAp8NeA0o2iTao/s1600/alternat_rows.png" height="411" width="640" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
I followed the steps and put together a screencast:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='520' height='366' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/jGu327kTnvA?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer">This post originally appeared on http://leydentechies.blogspot.com/.
</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03366883537261504551noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7542978543085200233.post-84588638460513304522014-09-19T11:58:00.001-05:002014-09-19T11:58:18.457-05:00Tech Orientation for New/Transfer Students During the Year<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHocR3NiVuyCe7X-Qy5c0h8VW7cX9KnNf9S754B5hv6x5nItHNaZrkaSUIYdApEmjwNGjmZVeL8i7235o6lEEBfgIK-AOFrMQ3B45w-UX-WDVFjRhH90PccQUxlZI4PdcppXlmYZBy9rpe/s1600/new+students+in+TSI.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHocR3NiVuyCe7X-Qy5c0h8VW7cX9KnNf9S754B5hv6x5nItHNaZrkaSUIYdApEmjwNGjmZVeL8i7235o6lEEBfgIK-AOFrMQ3B45w-UX-WDVFjRhH90PccQUxlZI4PdcppXlmYZBy9rpe/s1600/new+students+in+TSI.jpg" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
There are so many positive components to our Tech Support Internship (TSI) class here at Leyden. Those of you following our 1:1 digital evolution over the past 2+ years may already know that TSI is our Level 1 tech support for the entire district and all of the students work on learning pathways when they are not actively engaged with a support ticket. Yet another way that TSI is used is to provide a tech orientation for every new/transfer student that arrives throughout the school year. Here's a list of what gets covered:<br />
<ul>
<li><b><i>Proper Chromebook Usage & Care</i></b></li>
<ul>
<li>Storing/carrying the Chromebook (case usage)</li>
<li>Preventing screen damage</li>
<li>Preventing charging port damage</li>
</ul>
<li><b><i>Introduction to the Chromebook</i></b></li>
<ul>
<li>Logging into the Chromebook</li>
<li>Capabilities of the Chromebook</li>
<li>Finding files/downloads</li>
</ul>
<li><b><i>E-Mail</i></b></li>
<ul>
<li>Sending, replying to, and forwarding emails</li>
<li>Organizing emails into folders/labels</li>
<li>Using tasks to stay organized</li>
</ul>
<li><b><i>Google Drive</i></b></li>
<ul>
<li>Creating a document, spreadsheet, and presentation</li>
<li>Sharing Docs (view vs. edit permissions)</li>
<li>Creating new folders</li>
<li>Using/accessing automatic class folders (set up by Teacher Dashboard)</li>
</ul>
<li><b><i>Google Calendar</i></b></li>
<ul>
<li>Creating new calendars</li>
<li>Accessing automatic class calendars (set up by Teacher Dashboard)</li>
<li>Adding events to a calendar</li>
</ul>
<li><b><i>Chrome Apps & Extensions</i></b></li>
<ul>
<li>Accessing the Chrome Web Store</li>
<li>Extensions vs. Apps</li>
<li>Adding extensions and apps</li>
<li>Common educational extensions and apps</li>
</ul>
<li><b><i>Chromebook Troubleshooting</i></b></li>
<ul>
<li>Shutdown vs. sleep mode</li>
<li>Clearing the history/cache</li>
<li>Deleting extensions</li>
<li>Accessing the Internet at home</li>
</ul>
<li><b><i>Home Access System</i></b> (our student management portal)</li>
<ul>
<li>Logging into HAC</li>
<li>Grade checking and other features</li>
</ul>
<li><b><i>OpenClass</i></b> (our content/learning management system)</li>
<ul>
<li>Purpose of OpenClass</li>
<li>Accessing classes in OpenClass</li>
</ul>
</ul>
<div>
Sure, this may take an entire period to complete, but the new/transfer students walk out of TSI connected to our critical systems and with a general understanding of how we operate in our 1:1 environment. It's an invaluable service offered by our TSI students and it provides them with additional ownership over what we're doing here at Leyden. The best part of all... this service was completely thought up, designed, presented, and implemented by the students and teachers!<br />
<br />
Leyden TSI rocks!</div>
<br />
<br /><div class="blogger-post-footer">This post originally appeared on http://leydentechies.blogspot.com/.
</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03366883537261504551noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7542978543085200233.post-55321141619026560122014-06-26T08:43:00.000-05:002014-06-26T10:53:16.815-05:00Leyden at ISTE 2014 = The Recharge I Need<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm34D9roWJkuiknMwmVcwqDAsvEMo6ieO02FPJdtiuwibWm9DtW28o0xCPD8N09pOaD9lusuC87wv6eUS47voYazUIp1f4cTThLBAY2v_sB2nSfQV9dtdUE3iEdW4Qkrc1tiWBK4Bo-6gF/s1600/origin_3763411614.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm34D9roWJkuiknMwmVcwqDAsvEMo6ieO02FPJdtiuwibWm9DtW28o0xCPD8N09pOaD9lusuC87wv6eUS47voYazUIp1f4cTThLBAY2v_sB2nSfQV9dtdUE3iEdW4Qkrc1tiWBK4Bo-6gF/s1600/origin_3763411614.jpg" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
photo credit: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/thetechbuzz/3763411614/">thetechbuzz</a> via <a href="http://photopin.com/">photopin</a> <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/">cc</a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
Every year at this time I need a recharge. While most are enjoying their summer break, I am submersed in closing out/rolling over about half a dozen of our systems; putting together and uploading files into our state database; setting up and managing systems for summer school; managing big summer projects like getting new Chromebooks for all of our students and setting up a new VOIP phone system; preparing for our 1:1 Summer Symposium; running a multi-day technology orientation for our new teachers; overseeing new laptops being set up for about one fifth of our faculty and summer maintenance for the rest; planning for and executing the upgrade to a few of our curriculum specific computer labs; and trying to find time to write evaluations for my team members. I often find myself staring at my extensive to-do list, or adding to it, and not knowing where to begin. I need a recharge!<br />
<br />
Enter stage right, the ISTE conference.<br />
<br />
I enjoy lots of conferences from the perspective of both presenter and learner, but there is something special about ISTE. Yes, the keynotes and sessions can be informative and inspiring. Yes, the workshops provide some great takeaways. Yes, you can connect with members of your PLN in person to create lasting memories. Yes, you can even expand your PLN with new contacts. Yes, you can feel like a kid in a candy store in the exhibit hall. Yes, you can get a rush from delivering a presentation that others find helpful. Yes, yes, and yes. But for me, honestly, ISTE is special because I get to bring teachers from my district with me. Some of them have never even attended a conference. Hands down, my biggest thrill comes from seeing the excitement in their eyes, witnessing them connect with others, watching them present, and learning about the fires that get lit under them. That is exactly the recharge I need!<br />
<br />
Here is the Leyden group that will be attending ISTE 2014 and a few of the places you can find them. I hope some of you that are reading this and attending the conference will get a chance to connect with them.<br />
<br />
<h3>
The Group:</h3>
<ul>
<li>Mike Fumagalli (<a href="https://twitter.com/mfumagalliELHS">@mfumagalliELHS</a>) - Science teacher</li>
<li>Maura Gavin (<a href="https://twitter.com/MauraGavin">@MauraGavin</a>) - Social Studies teacher</li>
<li>Marisa Kapinos (<a href="https://twitter.com/KapinosELHS">@KapinosELHS</a>) - Science teacher</li>
<li>Michelle Marchese<b> </b>(<a href="https://twitter.com/MsMarchese1">@MsMarchese1</a>)- English teacher</li>
<li>Justin McCabe<b> </b>- Special Education teacher (hopeful that a Twitter account is in the near future)</li>
<li>Stephanie Zeppetello<b> </b>(<a href="https://twitter.com/SZeppetello">@SZeppetello</a>) - Math teacher</li>
<li>Todd Veltman<b> </b>(<a href="https://twitter.com/leydenateam">@leydenateam</a>) - Instructional Technology Coach</li>
<li>Mikkel Storaasli (<a href="https://twitter.com/LeydenASCI">@LeydenASCI</a>) - Asst. Superintendent for Curriculum & Instruction</li>
<li>Jason Markey (<a href="https://twitter.com/JasonMMarkey">@JasonMMarkey</a>) - East Leyden Principal</li>
<li>Anita Huffman (<a href="https://twitter.com/MsAHuffman">@MsAHuffman</a>) - New East Leyden Assistant Principal starting July 1</li>
<li>Me, Bryan Weinert<b> </b>(<a href="https://twitter.com/LeydenTechy">@LeydenTechy</a>) - Director of Technology</li>
</ul>
<h3>
The Presentations:</h3>
<div>
<ul>
<li><b><i>Student empowerment, choice and voice: Authentic learning, making and leadership</i></b><br />Poster session by Anita Huffman<br />Sunday, June 20, 8:00-10:00 am<br />GWCC Murphy Ballroom Galleria, Table 29</li>
<li><b><i>Principal leadership for digital age schools</i></b><br />Listen and Learn Panel including Jason Markey<br />Monday, June 30, 10:45-11:45 am<br />GWCC B303</li>
<li><b><i>Writing in the Cloud: Best Practices for Student Feedback/Virtual Writing Conferences</i></b><br />Google Playground Presentation by Jason Markey and Michelle Marchese<br />Monday, June 30, 2:00-2:30 pm<br />GWCC Building A, Level 3 (near Room A313) - Stage B</li>
<li><b><i>Teacher Dashboard: The Missing Piece to Our 1:1 Puzzle</i></b><br />Booth Presentation by Bryan Weinert and TBD<br />Monday, June 30, 2:30-3:00 pm<br />Exhibit Hall booth #3014</li>
<li><b><i>Using Google Apps to implement Next GSS in 1:1 environment</i></b><br />Poster session by Mike Fumagalli<br />Monday, June 30, 4:00-6:00 pm<br />GWCC Murphy Ballroom Galleria, Table 20</li>
</ul>
</div>
<div>
<ul>
</ul>
</div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer">This post originally appeared on http://leydentechies.blogspot.com/.
</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03366883537261504551noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7542978543085200233.post-57314589946750110172014-05-15T09:01:00.001-05:002014-05-15T09:01:07.624-05:00Our End-of-Year Chromebook Procedures<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2JWXV33j3Cs6YexPjkpdTo9qUjFrrkXbW83UW-ygiClkSZQqHkhHUgLtfaUkuZRRGkhZMne2T8nQn33FHVjrN9pSOQDapGW20maEd3_EOY_kozRMDG6_9MP5766uZqBFciVDYhTJdkbUN/s1600/end_of_year_2014.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2JWXV33j3Cs6YexPjkpdTo9qUjFrrkXbW83UW-ygiClkSZQqHkhHUgLtfaUkuZRRGkhZMne2T8nQn33FHVjrN9pSOQDapGW20maEd3_EOY_kozRMDG6_9MP5766uZqBFciVDYhTJdkbUN/s1600/end_of_year_2014.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
I still can't believe it! It's May 15 and today is the last day for our seniors. This year, like most, has just flown by. I thought I'd share how we are ending our year and transitioning to new Dell Chromebooks for the 2014-2015 school year. If you've been following my blog, you may recall that at this time last year we were gearing up to collect the Chromebooks from all 3,400 of our students (<a href="http://leydentechies.blogspot.com/2013/05/chromebook-check-in-at-leyden.html">Chromebook Check In at Leyden - 5/23/13</a>). Things have certainly changed this year. Here's an overview of what we're doing:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<ul>
<li>All students are being given the opportunity to purchase their assigned Samsung Series 5 Chromebook (and only their assigned device) for the low price of $25.00.<br /></li>
<li>Seniors are being required to stop by a designated location at their home campus after their last final exam today to check-in their Chromebook and charger (we're letting them keep their cases) and either purchase their device or turn it in.<br /></li>
<li>All Freshmen, Sophomores, and Juniors are being allowed to keep their Samsung Series 5 Chromebooks over the summer. When the new Dell Chromebooks arrive, we'll send out some mass communications and allow the students to stop by our summer school Tech Support Intern (TSI) room to either purchase or turn in their Samsung and check-out their new Dell. If students don't stop by over the summer, they will complete this process the week before school begins during our traditional registration/book pick-up event.<br /></li>
<li>We set up a web-based system for students to access in order to verify the serial numbers of the Chromebook and charger that are assigned to them or look-up the owner of the equipment they may have in their possession if it's not theirs.<br /></li>
<li>We put together the following check-in form for our students:<br /></li>
</ul>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqqQZ8E6GWaihywPGv8nfgL0L4QK78cR3xFoRbMCx9aijfEJNZ4jq8Acr6dTwlFEOryVXJgCpnV00oU6WIT39wFW33bn9IPijZRuqBSlufCYKBjNEc6LaLJxN3X-N0mj5UalpKWCrqI5lI/s1600/chromebooke_checkin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqqQZ8E6GWaihywPGv8nfgL0L4QK78cR3xFoRbMCx9aijfEJNZ4jq8Acr6dTwlFEOryVXJgCpnV00oU6WIT39wFW33bn9IPijZRuqBSlufCYKBjNEc6LaLJxN3X-N0mj5UalpKWCrqI5lI/s1600/chromebooke_checkin.jpg" height="632" width="640" /></a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>Any Samsung Series 5 devices that are not purchases will either become loaner devices next year, put on our district bid-list for community members to purchase, or sold off for parts.</li>
</ul>
<div>
<br /></div>
</div>
<div>
Well, it's 9:00 a.m. and I've got to go start the training for our staff that is going to run the senior check-in. And so it begins... or ends.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer">This post originally appeared on http://leydentechies.blogspot.com/.
</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03366883537261504551noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7542978543085200233.post-17538260340350968912014-04-10T21:02:00.001-05:002014-04-15T12:17:38.889-05:00The New Chromebook For Leyden Is...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_pisGcjr9xyvsR760NEMdJsQxBSB3x6SqmLC_oekCGZiQJ3n0Vwe4yQxkeaAgrz7nSoXZmTqM5TgFHcqDIvoJ7sGDyx-nNqrYdyOZLJAAApxc3QsaGiNAQkrPlxSW3Zn8LPNSV2Y25qRn/s1600/ring_2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_pisGcjr9xyvsR760NEMdJsQxBSB3x6SqmLC_oekCGZiQJ3n0Vwe4yQxkeaAgrz7nSoXZmTqM5TgFHcqDIvoJ7sGDyx-nNqrYdyOZLJAAApxc3QsaGiNAQkrPlxSW3Zn8LPNSV2Y25qRn/s1600/ring_2.png" height="372" width="640" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
Leyden High School District 212 is currently in our second year of being fully 1:1 with all 3,400 students getting issued Chromebooks. Our current device is the original Samsung Series 5. For the past few months we have been evaluating the new models that have hit the market (HP 11, HP 14, Acer C720, Acer C720P, Dell 11, and Toshiba 13) with the hope of selecting a new device for next year. Here is the process we used to evaluate the new models:
<br />
<ul>
<li>Purchased two of each new model as soon as it became available.</li>
<li>A few administrators and I used the new devices for a couple weeks.</li>
<li>Two of our Tech Support Intern students used the new Chromebooks as their primary devices for 7-10 days and wrote up a review that I posted on my blog (<a href="http://leydentechies.blogspot.com/2013/11/student-reviews-of-hp-11-chromebook.html">HP 11</a>, <a href="http://leydentechies.blogspot.com/2013/12/student-reviews-of-hp-14-chromebook.html">HP 14</a>, <a href="http://leydentechies.blogspot.com/2013/11/student-reviews-of-acer-c720-chromebook.html">Acer C720</a>, <a href="http://leydentechies.blogspot.com/2014/01/student-reviews-of-acer-c720p.html">Acer C720P</a>, <a href="http://leydentechies.blogspot.com/2014/02/student-reviews-of-dell-11-chromebook.html">Dell 11</a>, and <a href="http://leydentechies.blogspot.com/2014/03/student-reviews-of-toshiba-chromebook.html">Toshiba 13</a>). FYI... Our Tech Support Intern class acts as the Level 1 support for all tech-related issues in our district, including the repair of Chromebooks. Here are their websites: <a href="http://www.leydentsi.org/">East Leyden TSI</a> and <a href="http://tsi.leyden212.org/">West Leyden TSI</a>.</li>
<li>My tech department team then disassembled and reassembled each device and took notes about the support of each device.</li>
<li>Our Tech Support Intern classes were then asked to disassemble and reassemble the devices and provide feedback through a Google Form.</li>
<li>My team read as many reviews about each model as possible.</li>
<li>My team spoke with all the vendors and asked them lots of questions.</li>
<li>We analyzed all the information.</li>
</ul>
Some of the variables we took into consideration when evaluating the devices included the following: cost, projected durability, ease of repairs, size, user experience, and vendor support systems. The two models that made it to our final round were the Acer C720 and the Dell 11 (both 4GB versions). Here's how they measured up with regards to our key factors:<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<table align="center" border="1" style="width: 500px;">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td align="center" width="137"></td>
<td align="center" width="151"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Dell 11</span></b></td>
<td align="center" width="90"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Acer C720</span></b></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><b><i>Cost</i></b></td>
<td><div style="text-align: center;">
Note: The Dell 11 is no longer that much more than the Acer C720. Contact your rep. </div>
</td>
<td><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBdq7x8ur0Bbi51vW9r_D5C3S1dg63BcFVEplN2fDesEI1VI5JArg0r7KN0yqxEhpJ2kEcozpJw1agix8rdLG33BjJ1bE-d72YR-ZIxTxSSWmdDhAmXvjGlGXORgH3odAuWeo7SBXWtWrM/s1600/check.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBdq7x8ur0Bbi51vW9r_D5C3S1dg63BcFVEplN2fDesEI1VI5JArg0r7KN0yqxEhpJ2kEcozpJw1agix8rdLG33BjJ1bE-d72YR-ZIxTxSSWmdDhAmXvjGlGXORgH3odAuWeo7SBXWtWrM/s1600/check.gif" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><b><i>Projected Durability</i></b></td>
<td><div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbKRRSyQBAm5LmS54iKowaPE5g5vxKdsL-xBIwhgMf-ayxJCeL2_PLgu1K6tZArXMpxL4gUJVwbPTAkuw-SozNBEmgt4DFTdJCeMlhJDleFTGWeMcKL7wZy-75azY25PVhVUu7ymZ7Kjtd/s1600/check.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbKRRSyQBAm5LmS54iKowaPE5g5vxKdsL-xBIwhgMf-ayxJCeL2_PLgu1K6tZArXMpxL4gUJVwbPTAkuw-SozNBEmgt4DFTdJCeMlhJDleFTGWeMcKL7wZy-75azY25PVhVUu7ymZ7Kjtd/s1600/check.gif" /></a></div>
</td>
<td></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><b><i>Ease of Repairs</i></b></td>
<td><div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbKRRSyQBAm5LmS54iKowaPE5g5vxKdsL-xBIwhgMf-ayxJCeL2_PLgu1K6tZArXMpxL4gUJVwbPTAkuw-SozNBEmgt4DFTdJCeMlhJDleFTGWeMcKL7wZy-75azY25PVhVUu7ymZ7Kjtd/s1600/check.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbKRRSyQBAm5LmS54iKowaPE5g5vxKdsL-xBIwhgMf-ayxJCeL2_PLgu1K6tZArXMpxL4gUJVwbPTAkuw-SozNBEmgt4DFTdJCeMlhJDleFTGWeMcKL7wZy-75azY25PVhVUu7ymZ7Kjtd/s1600/check.gif" /></a></div>
</td>
<td></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><b><i>Size</i></b></td>
<td><div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbKRRSyQBAm5LmS54iKowaPE5g5vxKdsL-xBIwhgMf-ayxJCeL2_PLgu1K6tZArXMpxL4gUJVwbPTAkuw-SozNBEmgt4DFTdJCeMlhJDleFTGWeMcKL7wZy-75azY25PVhVUu7ymZ7Kjtd/s1600/check.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbKRRSyQBAm5LmS54iKowaPE5g5vxKdsL-xBIwhgMf-ayxJCeL2_PLgu1K6tZArXMpxL4gUJVwbPTAkuw-SozNBEmgt4DFTdJCeMlhJDleFTGWeMcKL7wZy-75azY25PVhVUu7ymZ7Kjtd/s1600/check.gif" /></a></div>
</td>
<td><div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbKRRSyQBAm5LmS54iKowaPE5g5vxKdsL-xBIwhgMf-ayxJCeL2_PLgu1K6tZArXMpxL4gUJVwbPTAkuw-SozNBEmgt4DFTdJCeMlhJDleFTGWeMcKL7wZy-75azY25PVhVUu7ymZ7Kjtd/s1600/check.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbKRRSyQBAm5LmS54iKowaPE5g5vxKdsL-xBIwhgMf-ayxJCeL2_PLgu1K6tZArXMpxL4gUJVwbPTAkuw-SozNBEmgt4DFTdJCeMlhJDleFTGWeMcKL7wZy-75azY25PVhVUu7ymZ7Kjtd/s1600/check.gif" /></a></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><b><i>User Experience</i></b></td>
<td><div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbKRRSyQBAm5LmS54iKowaPE5g5vxKdsL-xBIwhgMf-ayxJCeL2_PLgu1K6tZArXMpxL4gUJVwbPTAkuw-SozNBEmgt4DFTdJCeMlhJDleFTGWeMcKL7wZy-75azY25PVhVUu7ymZ7Kjtd/s1600/check.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbKRRSyQBAm5LmS54iKowaPE5g5vxKdsL-xBIwhgMf-ayxJCeL2_PLgu1K6tZArXMpxL4gUJVwbPTAkuw-SozNBEmgt4DFTdJCeMlhJDleFTGWeMcKL7wZy-75azY25PVhVUu7ymZ7Kjtd/s1600/check.gif" /></a></div>
</td>
<td></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><b><i>Vendor Support</i></b></td>
<td><div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbKRRSyQBAm5LmS54iKowaPE5g5vxKdsL-xBIwhgMf-ayxJCeL2_PLgu1K6tZArXMpxL4gUJVwbPTAkuw-SozNBEmgt4DFTdJCeMlhJDleFTGWeMcKL7wZy-75azY25PVhVUu7ymZ7Kjtd/s1600/check.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbKRRSyQBAm5LmS54iKowaPE5g5vxKdsL-xBIwhgMf-ayxJCeL2_PLgu1K6tZArXMpxL4gUJVwbPTAkuw-SozNBEmgt4DFTdJCeMlhJDleFTGWeMcKL7wZy-75azY25PVhVUu7ymZ7Kjtd/s1600/check.gif" /></a></div>
</td>
<td><div style="text-align: center;">
The Acer support seemed very good. One of the reasons we gave the edge to Dell is because we have been using their support system for years and have been very pleased with it.</div>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
<br />
In the end, especially after some very aggressive pricing provided by our Dell rep, we have decided to select the 4GB Dell 11 as our Chromebook for the 2014-2015 school year. Earlier tonight, I made a final presentation to the Leyden Board of Education and they agreed to move forward with the purchase and refresh our entire fleet of 3,400 Chromebooks for next year!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhueU3_QHXjQSD-apxV9OWQt5gK6oJB-0mOr5GMsiEd8UvtISoRLD2fMW1g4o3avQYQk0WUUrF5zMxESJ0ZTSosfQ-cZW9rIAo23azx06voFJCa4uuoGdCutZPt-ltFPmQQ-36QdK1j1b_P/s1600/Dell_winner.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhueU3_QHXjQSD-apxV9OWQt5gK6oJB-0mOr5GMsiEd8UvtISoRLD2fMW1g4o3avQYQk0WUUrF5zMxESJ0ZTSosfQ-cZW9rIAo23azx06voFJCa4uuoGdCutZPt-ltFPmQQ-36QdK1j1b_P/s1600/Dell_winner.png" height="188" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
The tech-infused culture of teaching and learning in Leyden High School Distirct 212 marches on!</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
If you'd like to learn more about what we are doing here at Leyden, please consider joining us for our <a href="https://sites.google.com/a/leyden212.org/lhs1to12014/">1:1 Summer Symposium from July 31 - August 1, 2014</a>.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<br /><div class="blogger-post-footer">This post originally appeared on http://leydentechies.blogspot.com/.
</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03366883537261504551noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7542978543085200233.post-28802715440335934552014-03-24T08:42:00.000-05:002014-03-24T08:57:34.380-05:00Student Reviews of the Toshiba ChromebookFor the sixth and probably last time this school year, I have asked the same two Leyden Tech Support Intern students to use another new Chromebook as their primary device for a little over a week and then write up their reviews. This time it's the Toshiba Chromebook. If you haven't already read their previous reviews you can check them out here:<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://leydentechies.blogspot.com/2013/11/student-reviews-of-hp-11-chromebook.html">HP 11</a> | <a href="http://leydentechies.blogspot.com/2013/12/student-reviews-of-hp-14-chromebook.html">HP 14</a> | <a href="http://leydentechies.blogspot.com/2013/11/student-reviews-of-acer-c720-chromebook.html">Acer C720</a> | <a href="http://leydentechies.blogspot.com/2014/01/student-reviews-of-acer-c720p.html">Acer C720P</a> | <a href="http://leydentechies.blogspot.com/2014/02/student-reviews-of-dell-11-chromebook.html">Dell 11</a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Now, on to the Toshiba reviews...</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7idoX1CEyLVuPOj38xxtljITveIM_VAmB-4A-bcT908QgktlRUqXrbpUc1_ETfi5gM6MBMWmJZdWrq0ufzTh7SOHeI-ZDgL8uwbox1GLm2JCmQYA56z-CtDhP3f1yBHOfexAr-hFQjc4j/s1600/Toshiba_collage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7idoX1CEyLVuPOj38xxtljITveIM_VAmB-4A-bcT908QgktlRUqXrbpUc1_ETfi5gM6MBMWmJZdWrq0ufzTh7SOHeI-ZDgL8uwbox1GLm2JCmQYA56z-CtDhP3f1yBHOfexAr-hFQjc4j/s1600/Toshiba_collage.jpg" height="400" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<div style="line-height: 1.15;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: inherit; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b style="line-height: normal;"><i>Student 1 - An East Leyden Senior</i></b></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 1.15;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b style="line-height: normal;"><i><br /></i></b></span></div>
<span style="line-height: 18.399999618530273px;">Hello. I am Bryn, a junior at East Leyden high school and a first year Technical Support Intern. Over the last few months I have tested multiple Chromebooks including the HP 11, HP 14, Acer C720, Acer C720p and Dell 11. This review will be dedicated to the Toshiba Chromebook and will highlight the Toshiba’s speed, battery life, and aesthetics. </span><br />
<span style="line-height: 18.399999618530273px;"><br /></span>
<span style="line-height: 18.399999618530273px;">To start things off I will be discussing the speed of the Toshiba Chromebook. When it comes to using a Chromebook in an educational setting, this is one of the most important factors. On the Toshiba website, they state that the Chromebook “start(s) up in seconds” and has a “reliable Intel® Celeron® processor”. While they do not provide a specific boot up time, I found that the Chromebook booted up very fast, allowing me to get to work quickly. I was also easily able to multi-task and navigate through multiple tabs at a rapid rate.</span><br />
<span style="line-height: 18.399999618530273px;"><br /></span>
<span style="line-height: 18.399999618530273px;">Toshiba claims that this Chromebook has a 9 hour battery life. As a student who uses the Chromebook to complete assignments using Google Drive, listen to music and watch YouTube videos, I found this to be true. In fact, the Chromebook lasted a full two days without needing to be charged. When it did need to be charged, it took approximately 90 minutes to reach 100%. </span><br />
<span style="line-height: 18.399999618530273px;"><br /></span>
<span style="line-height: 18.399999618530273px;">While many other reviews on the Toshiba Chromebook mention its lack of visual/design appeal, I actually found the Chromebook to be very appealing. The silver color is enhanced with a slight dot design on the top cover that makes the Chromebook look very sleek and sort of futuristic. The Chromebook is significantly lighter than other models (3.3lbs) and the screen is large at 13.3 inches. In other Toshiba Chromebook reviews, it was mentioned that the resolution of the screen (1366 x 768) leaves a little to be desired; however, it was not an issue for me especially since the device is being used for educational purposes. The overall size of the Chromebook is larger than other models (aside from the HP 14) and makes the device feel like a more traditional laptop computer. I did not mind that is was larger because it was so light in weight. The Chromebook has two 3.0 USB ports, HDMI output port, headphone jack, built-in webcam, security lock and SD card slot. </span><br />
<span style="line-height: 18.399999618530273px;"><br /></span>
<span style="line-height: 18.399999618530273px;">One interesting thing that I noticed about the Toshiba Chromebook was the warning that was displayed in both English and Spanish on the underside of the device: “Caution: PC base can become hot! Avoid prolonged contact to prevent heat injury to skin.” Having never seen a warning on any other Chromebook, I was immediately curious and extra aware of the heat while using the Toshiba device. While I did not experience any significant “hot” heat from the Chromebook, it did feel warm to the touch at times. I did not find this to be an issue while using the device and did not notice any negative effects on the performance of the Chromebook.</span><br />
<span style="line-height: 18.399999618530273px;"><br /></span>
<span style="line-height: 18.399999618530273px;">Overall, I think this Chromebook could be a good choice for a school’s 1:1 environment. One of the best selling points is it’s long battery life. Of all the Chromebooks tested, the Dell Chromebook is still my favorite for use in educational settings.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><i>Student 2 - A West Leyden Senior</i></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Toshiba 13 Chromebook is the latest, and probably last, new Chromebook model I tested in school. It mostly resembled the HP 14 that I tried some months ago, and the HP 14 looked like a MacBook; therefore, the Toshiba looks like a MacBook. I even had some students and teachers ask me if it was MacBook. As always, they asked me if those would be the ones they would get next year.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I was surprised by the weight of the Toshiba Chromebook. The last Chromebook I tried was the Dell 11, and they felt about the same in weight even though the Toshiba is larger.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Compared to the color of the flamboyant, sparkly pink HP 14, this Toshiba was much more neutral. It seems that metallic gray is the only color choice for this Chromebook, but it would be a good choice for an educational setting.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The startup and loading speed was no surprise. It takes no more than seven seconds to boot. Websites like YouTube only take about five seconds to load, and simpler webpages like our district homepage appear in no time. The speed was much like the HP 14.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The battery life is what stood out to me the most. One day I set the brightness to the max and forgot about it. I also forgot to charge the Chromebook. Surprisingly, the Chromebook lasted two days on full brightness and volume without needing a charge.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The webcam was actually quite decent compared to those in other Chromebooks. Movement was not too blurry, and video looked sharp. I do not know if these qualities remain when streaming via Hangouts or other video call services because they are blocked.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Like almost all other Chromebooks, the Toshiba has two USB 3.0 ports, HDMI, SD slot, headphone jack, charging port, and a lock port. There is an orange/green light that shows when the Chromebook is charging/done charging.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">One problem that occurred while using the Toshiba Chromebook was that it spontaneously restarted. I had not pressed any buttons, and there were no pending updates. I think the more likely culprit would be the Chrome OS software -- or at least the version that was installed when it happened.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Another thing to be aware of is the durability and rigidity of the device. As I inspected the Chromebook while writing this review, I noticed some scratches and dents on the side that usually touches the ground in my backpack. As the tester of new Chromebooks, I have been and am very careful with the devices, so in the hands of other students, the wear and damage may be worse. The size of it would definitely require different cases than the ones we have already.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Toshiba Chromebook most closely resembles the HP 14. The size of the Toshiba screen is only about an inch smaller, but the speed is about the same. The only thing that really set it apart from the other choices was the battery life, but even so, the HP 14 had a fairly large battery pack. In fact, in my experience all Chromebooks have lasted at least until the end of the school day. This Chromebook did not offer anything special that would make it superior to the HP 14 or the Dell 11 that I had previously elected as the best choice. Nevertheless, it was a better device than the good ol’ Samsung Series 5.</span></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">This post originally appeared on http://leydentechies.blogspot.com/.
</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03366883537261504551noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7542978543085200233.post-32219863147547503112014-02-26T16:32:00.000-06:002014-02-26T16:32:24.785-06:00Student Reviews of the Dell 11 ChromebookFor the fifth time now, I have asked the same two Leyden Tech Support Intern students to use a new Chromebook as their primary device for about a week and then write up their reviews. This time it's the Dell 11 Chromebook. Here are their previews reviews:<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://leydentechies.blogspot.com/2013/11/student-reviews-of-hp-11-chromebook.html">HP 11</a> | <a href="http://leydentechies.blogspot.com/2013/12/student-reviews-of-hp-14-chromebook.html">HP 14</a> | <a href="http://leydentechies.blogspot.com/2013/11/student-reviews-of-acer-c720-chromebook.html">Acer C720</a> | <a href="http://leydentechies.blogspot.com/2014/01/student-reviews-of-acer-c720p.html">Acer C720P</a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
It's looking like the possibility of upgrading the Chromebooks for all of our students next year just may happen. My team and I are currently analyzing all of the available devices and will certainly be using the reviews of our students to help make our decision.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP06Nu0TeWrHWpmw9XEp64vBczk4tY8uL-f6b539KEKN0AnthjVG_lYcdyBL6iEdDzzptdU3qLVnYnJiWxu1DyD8t-ZkgEeWPIdQN7nHJ6rrSrmcDDanBAHAGiBhqGfe70y26XfB_0Jiqi/s1600/DellCollage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP06Nu0TeWrHWpmw9XEp64vBczk4tY8uL-f6b539KEKN0AnthjVG_lYcdyBL6iEdDzzptdU3qLVnYnJiWxu1DyD8t-ZkgEeWPIdQN7nHJ6rrSrmcDDanBAHAGiBhqGfe70y26XfB_0Jiqi/s1600/DellCollage.jpg" height="400" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<b><i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Student 1 - An East Leyden Junior</span></i></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<b><i><br /></i></b></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My name is Bryn and I am a Junior at East Leyden High School. I am also a first year student in the Technical Support Internship course. During the year, I was given the opportunity to test new model Chromebooks So far I have tested five with the Dell Chromebook 11 being the fifth.</span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<b id="docs-internal-guid-24e8770e-7041-a4c7-27ec-b667b9b928f0" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span></b></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">All the Chromebooks I have tested have performed better than the Samsung Chromebook (our current Series 5 model) and this Chromebook is no exception. In this blog post, I will specifically be discussing the Dell Chromebook’s speed, battery life, accessories & aesthetics.</span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span></b></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I was unable to find any information from Dell on the Chromebook’s boot up time; however, in my experience it took approximately 8 seconds to boot up after complete shutdown and 4 seconds to boot up from sleep mode. With a processor speed of 1.4 GHz, I was able to load pages and work in Google Docs at a quicker speed than my fellow classmates.</span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span></b></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">According to Dell, the Chromebook has a 10 hour battery life. On my first day of using the device, I made an attempt to drain the battery by using it as much as possible at school and at home in the evening. The Chromebook lasted for an entire day of use and then some. The device has a considerably good battery life and a quick recharge time. While charging, a white LED light on the bottom right of the device was illuminated. The light turned off to indicate a full charge. I did notice that the device did get really warm at times. This may be due to the location of the air vents.</span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span></b></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The accessories on the Chromebook are nice. They include a charging port similar to a Dell laptop port, a HDMI port, two 3.0 USB ports, and a headphone jack. Like all other Chromebooks, the device also has a webcam. The Chromebook itself is a little larger than the Samsung Series 5 but not as large as the HP 14. Aesthetically, there is nothing exciting about the Dell Chromebook. In truth, I found it rather plain and bare-looking; however, it is nicer looking than both previously tested Acer models. It has smoother edges and a more sleek design.</span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span></b></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Dell Chromebook definitely seems like a more reliable device than the Samsung Chromebook. I don’t like this particular Chromebook as much as the HP14 Chromebook (my favorite thus far), but it is more convenient due to its smaller size. I think this device would be a nice option should Leyden decide to change devices in future years.</span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /><span style="font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<b><i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Student 2 - A West Leyden Senior</span></i></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<b><i><br /></i></b></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This week, I tried out the Dell Chromebook 11. It is a simple, elegant, yet durable-looking device. It’s black with a glossy Dell insignia on the front cover and has a glossy screen. The keyboard and area around the keyboard are made of a rubbery material. The trackpad and keyboard are responsive and clicky. The Dell gave me a good first impression. Even its charger set itself apart from the others, with a neat light at the tip of the cable.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.15; white-space: pre-wrap;">HDMI, USB 2.0, USB 3.0, SD, and headphone ports seem to be the standard on new Chromebook models, including the Dell. Since a lot of classroom equipment lacks HDMI input, an HDMI-VGA adapter may be needed to connect the Chromebook to the projector, monitor, etc.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.15; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.15; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Chromebook starts up very quickly in around five seconds. In terms of speed of startup and loading pages, the Dell may be one of the fastest I’ve tried. It is on par with the speed of the Acer C720/P. It lets me start searching almost right after booting up.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.15; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.15; white-space: pre-wrap;">I had a few problems when using the Dell. One time, it seemed to have frozen at the login screen. There was no backlight, and I could barely see the picture and password field. I tried pressing buttons and clicking, but it did not wake up. I also tried restarting it, but pressing the power button did not work either. I brought it to the attention of Mr. Weinert, and he managed to restart it by pressing and holding the power button for a while.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.15; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.15; white-space: pre-wrap;">The second problem also involved the Chromebook freezing. It happened at home while I was doing homework and listening to music. The Chromebook just stopped responding and I could not click on anything, though I could move the mouse. Restarting it worked, but because the administrator settings (at Leyden) force the enrolled devices to load certain tabs on startup, the tabs I was working on went away.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.15; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.15; white-space: pre-wrap;">The sleeves/jackets that we have now (for the Samsung Series 5) do not fit the Dell Chromebook very well. It is possible but difficult to put the Chromebook in, and it requires stretching the jacket. Electing this device to refresh the 1:1 system may also require new cases.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.15; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.15; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Dell Chromebook 11 was a great device in my experience. Albeit it had some issues, they were not significant enough to make me completely say no to it as a choice. In fact, all things considered, I may have to say that the Dell Chromebook seems like the best contender for an educational setting. It feels more solid than any other Chromebook; it is faster than most other Chromebooks; and it is as responsive and smooth with the same capabilities as the other Chromebooks.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer">This post originally appeared on http://leydentechies.blogspot.com/.
</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03366883537261504551noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7542978543085200233.post-33205137465793316112014-02-19T15:11:00.001-06:002014-02-19T19:28:19.393-06:00Leyden at ICE 2014Here is the schedule of <a href="https://www.iceberg.org/ice_conference">ICE 2014</a> presentations by Leyden teachers and administrators:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.iceberg.org/ice_conference" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk86ZX2h9SRJsRmoQHi0K_8f-N8TDt8LcsFiCmo0OBTFR0EBtLoqNT0tT4PzWue0yp97TvPc4BqKblAQWWVD3ZriZjV9owPUuvYQiHBZeQL-Pxd5NzU0bg3mEtz6HF3roIFiRxrV82Y8Yn/s1600/ice_2014.jpg" height="320" width="245" /></a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>WORKSHOP</b></div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>Thursday, February 27</li>
<ul>
<li>10:00 am - 12:30 pm<br />How to Build a Student Run 1:1 Help Desk<br />by <a href="https://twitter.com/tonypecu">Tony Pecucci</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/laurenmartire">Lauren Martire</a></li>
</ul>
</ul>
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>BREAKOUTS SESSIONS</b></div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>Thursday, February 27</li>
<ul>
<li>10:00 am - Salon I<br />Empower Your Students Through 1:1 Access<br />by Digital Principal of the Year, <a href="https://twitter.com/JasonMMarkey">Jason Markey</a> and a few special guests</li>
<li>11:00 am - Salon I<br />Who is Telling Your Story?<br />by Digital Principal of the Year, <a href="https://twitter.com/JasonMMarkey">Jason Markey</a></li>
<li>1:00 pm - Exhibit Hall Spotlight Stage<br />Empower Your Students Through 1:1 Access (repeat of 10:00 am session)<br />by Digital Principal of the Year, <a href="https://twitter.com/JasonMMarkey">Jason Markey</a> and a few special guests</li>
<li>1:00 pm - Ruby<br />A Panel Discussion: Examining Different Approaches to 1:1 Initiatives<br />Leyden's Director of Technology, <a href="https://twitter.com/LeydenTechy">Bryan Weinert</a>, will be a member of the panel</li>
</ul>
<li>Friday, February 28</li>
<ul>
<li>12:45 pm - Salon III<br />Using Web-Based Resources to Enhance Digital Education<br />by <a href="https://twitter.com/CSkrabacz">Chuck Skrabacz</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/AndrewSharosAPT">Andrew Sharos</a></li>
</ul>
</ul>
</div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer">This post originally appeared on http://leydentechies.blogspot.com/.
</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03366883537261504551noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7542978543085200233.post-61705758535546574192014-02-14T13:35:00.000-06:002014-02-14T13:35:05.613-06:00EDpuzzle Gets Better<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbrvtvglDeL-wCf3uK-yovWImrr-M2-Huci70DHUubN6RecbfyN4ZcTxeMKjMwNs8nVvP34Qv-z80-9qrv97gc2Ldm4YTNUqzQrjlt3VEMuiQEQuQlpwbRIcnhCVFuHtcNVth3HyQpvutK/s1600/EdPuzzle.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbrvtvglDeL-wCf3uK-yovWImrr-M2-Huci70DHUubN6RecbfyN4ZcTxeMKjMwNs8nVvP34Qv-z80-9qrv97gc2Ldm4YTNUqzQrjlt3VEMuiQEQuQlpwbRIcnhCVFuHtcNVth3HyQpvutK/s1600/EdPuzzle.png" /></a>Last week I blogged about EDpuzzle (<a href="http://leydentechies.blogspot.com/2014/02/supercharge-and-personalize-videos-for.html">Supercharge and Personalize Videos for Your Students with EDpuzzle</a>). Since my original post, I have learned about two new fantastic updates:<br />
<br />
<ol>
<li>New feature: "Project Based Learning" - Teachers can assign a project to their students and the students are the ones that use the video editing tools to create a lesson. Then the teacher receives (privately) all the videos and gives feedback and grade each video. Finally and the coolest part of all, the teacher can save the best lessons and assign them to the rest of the class.<br /></li>
<li>Now available as a <a href="https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/edpuzzle/aibecpgimejiilcodkhopfpbelohhppf">Chrome App</a></li>
</ol>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I really think this could be a tremendous tool to be used with students, especially in a 1:1 teaching and learning environment and to expand learning opportunities beyond the classroom walls. Anyone using it yet? What do you think?</div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer">This post originally appeared on http://leydentechies.blogspot.com/.
</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03366883537261504551noreply@blogger.com0