Interesting idea - Chromebook + Nexus 7 instead of just an iPad

At EdcampCT this past week, I was chatting with Greg McVerry (@jgmac1106) about devices, 1-1 and BYOD and he made an interesting comment. Instead of a school purchasing an iPad and keyboard for all the students, what about a Chromebook and Nexus 7 for each student?

I like this idea for a lot of reasons. An iPad starts at $500 and then add the case for $50 and keyboard for around $50 and you are at $600 for one device. Then add in any apps that are not free. A Chromebook starts at $300 and the Nexus 7 starts at $200. Add in a case for the Nexus 7 at $20 and you get two devices for just over $500. That's a great deal.

Account management is very easy with the Chromebooks and Nexus 7 using Google accounts for each student. Google Apps for Education would also be a great way to utilize these devices and provide excellent resources for the students and faculty and staff.

I would have the Chromebooks stay at school. Less for students to carry, less risk of damage or theft. Their data and files are all online so they can still access them anywhere. The Nexus 7 tablets could go home with the students. They are small, light, easy to use, and can be used at home for assignments, research, communications, and more. By having the two devices, students have backup. If they forget the Nexus 7 at home, it doesn't matter because they have the Chromebook at school.

One of the big concerns I have for 1-1 programs is that if students have one device, what happens when they lose it, have it damaged or stolen, or forget it somewhere?

Google apps and these two devices also making it easy, and very inexpensive, to do all the things students need to do. There is minimal support needed for the Nexus 7 from school staff and practically no support needed for the Chromebooks.

I'm a big fan of this idea and will be sharing it with my district.

What do you think?


Related:

New Chromebooks and Chrome OS - great for education

Google for Education Resources

Android for Education Resources

On device apps/software vs. web apps - which is better for schools?

Read More

EdCampCT Reflections and Resources

EdcampCT 2012 was held this past Friday at the Ethel Walker School in Simsbury, CT. Hats off to the planning/hosting team for another great event. And, of course, hats off to the food service team for the awesome lunch and those incredible homemade potato chips!

For those who don't know, Edcamp is a great series of free, unconferences for educators. The Edcamp model is unique in that attendees set the agenda the morning of the conference and the sessions are not led by one person, but are rather a collaboration of both the facilitator and attendees. It is a great way to learn, share, and connect with other educators. They are held all over the world.

The first session I attended was "Twitter as a PLN". This was started by a teacher who wanted to know more about Twitter and it's use in education. Most of the participants were non-Twitter users or new to Twitter. Dan Callahan and I shared our experiences, tips, and ideas on how best to use Twitter as an educator and part of a PLN, as well as some great resources, like Cybraryman's (Jerry Blumengarten) site. Many of the teachers left the session ready to get going on Twitter and expand their PLN.

This year, I facilitated a discussion on Evernote and it's use in education. There were about 25 people in the room and we had a great discussion. Participants ranged from never heard of or used Evernote to some who were experts in it's use. We discussed Evernote and it's use by teachers, administrators and students in school, features and products, tips and ideas, and much more. It was a great session.

The conversations continued during lunch and I made a bunch of notes and connections while eating.

The next session was on layered curriculum, a way of differentiating for different levels of students. A good resource was www.help4teachers.com.

The last session I went to was on Learning Management Systems, specifically Schoology and Edmodo. The discussion was all about best practices, what people have done, how they implement them in their class and much more.

The day wrapped up with a raffle for some prizes and a smackdown, were participants came up and had 2 minutes to share a resource with the group. You can see a list of all of the resources shared during the smackdown here.

Some other resources that were talked about that I'm going to look into in more depth include Pixlr, We Video and Freely.

It was a great day, filled with fun, learning, discussions, connections, and meeting some members of my PLN in person finally. I highly recommend Edcamps!

Related:

Edcamp - teacher run, awesome, free educational conferences

Professional Development for Educators needs to change

Professional Development Sourcebook - free PD resources for teachers

11 steps to planning Professional Development

Discouraged by colleagues who won't go to PD without CEUs.

Jason T. Bedell - Professional Development 2.0

Read More

EdCamp CT is Aug 10th. I'm going. Are you? You should be!

Edcamp is a great series of free, unconferences for educators. The Edcamp model is unique in that attendees set the agenda the morning of the conference and the sessions are not led by one person, but are rather a collaboration of both the facilitator and attendees. It is a great way to learn, share, and connect with other educators.

EdCamp is coming back to Connecticut this summer. EdCampCT will be held August 10th, 2012. You can register here. (remember, it's FREE!). It will be held at the Ethel Walker School in Simsbury, CT again, which is an absolutely beautiful school.

  I attended the first EdCampCT last year and it was awesome. It is so nice to be able to learn about topics you want to learn about in a relaxed, discussion format. It's also nice to know that if you find a session doesn't meet your needs, you can just get up and go to another one and no one's feelings are hurt because that is the model. I learned and shared my knowledge with others. It was a great day.

If you haven't been to an EdCamp yet, you need to get to one! See the related link below for more information about other upcoming EdCamps near you.


Related:

Edcamp - teacher run, awesome, free educational conferences

Read More

EdCampCT is Aug 10, 2012 - registration now open - free, awesome PD

EdCamp is a great series of free, unconferences for educators. The Edcamp model is unique in that attendees set the agenda the morning of the conference and the sessions are not led by one person, but are rather a collaboration of both the facilitator and attendees.

EdCamp is coming back to Connecticut this summer. EdCampCT will be held August 10th, 2012. You can register HERE. It will be held at the Ethel Walker School in Simsbury, CT again, which is an absolutely beautiful school.

I attended the first EdCampCT last year and it was awesome. It is so nice to be able to learn about topics you want to learn about in a relaxed, discussion format. It's also nice to know that if you find a session doesn't meet your needs, you can just get up and go to another one and no one's feelings are hurt because that is the model. I learned and shared my knowledge with others. It was a great day.

If you haven't been to an EdCamp yet, you need to get to one! See the related link below for more information about other upcoming EdCamps near you.

Registration link for EdCampCT - http://edcampct.ticketleap.com/2012/ 

Related:

Edcamp - teacher run, awesome, free educational conferences

Read More

Edcamp Livebinder - info, resources, links and descriptions

Edcamp is a great series of free, unconferences for educators. The Edcamp model is unique in that attendees set the agenda the morning of the conference and the sessions are not led by one person, but are rather a collaboration of both the facilitator and attendees.

Carolyn Jo Starkey has created an excellent Livebinder about Edcamp.

In the Livebinder, she has binders on what Edcamp is, how to plan one, how to finance one, presentations about and from Edcamps, participant feedback and links to articles, blogs, and webpages about Edcamp and improving professional development for teachers. It's a great resource for anyone wondering about, attending, or planning an Edcamp (or other PD ).

Upcoming Edcamps:

April 14, 2012 edcamp Vermont
April 19, 2012 edcamp Luleå
April 21, 2012 edcamp COEDTech
April 21, 2012 edcamp NC
April 28, 2012 edcamp Boston
April 28, 2012 edcamp Denver
April 28, 2012 edcamp Prince George
May 3, 2012 Upper Valley edcamp
May 5, 2012 edcamp Bham
May 5, 2012 edcamp Detroit
May 5, 2012 edcamp NYC
May 6, 2012 edcamp Saskatoon
May 12, 2012 edcamp Milwaukee
May 12, 2012 edcamp Okanagan
May 12, 2012 edcamp Wine Country
May 19, 2012 edcamp Philly

Related:

Livebinders - Organize Materials in Online Binders / Notebooks

Social Learning Summit - free virtual conference April 21, 2012

Professional Development for Educators needs to change

Professional Development Sourcebook - free PD resources for teachers

11 steps to planning Professional Development

Discouraged by colleagues who won't go to PD without CEUs.

Jason T. Bedell - Professional Development 2.0

Read More

EdCamp CT is 8-10-2012! Great, free PD for educators

Edcamp is a great series of free, unconferences for educators. The Edcamp model is unique in that attendees set the agenda the morning of the conference and the sessions are not led by one person, but are rather a collaboration of both the facilitator and attendees.

EdCamp is coming back to Connecticut this summer. EdCampCT will be held August 10th, 2012. You can sign up here to be notified when registration opens. It will be held at the Ethel Walker School in Simsbury, CT again, which is an absolutely beautiful school.
 

  I attended the first EdCampCT last year and it was awesome. It is so nice to be able to learn about topics you want to learn about in a relaxed, discussion format. It's also nice to know that if you find a session doesn't meet your needs, you can just get up and go to another one and no one's feelings are hurt because that is the model. I learned and shared my knowledge with others. It was a great day.

If you haven't been to an EdCamp yet, you need to get to one! See the related link below for more information about other upcoming EdCamps near you.

Related:

Edcamp - teacher run, awesome, free educational conferences

Read More