The Evolution of Classroom Design: How to Create Engaging and Collaborative Learning Spaces

As we shift further away from the days of a one-size-fits-all education, the classrooms of the past– rows of uniform, neatly spaced desks facing a teacher poised at a blackboard– are being phased out, too. As school districts and educators move towards an educational model that emphasizes inclusion, acknowledges learning differences and balances technology with opportunities to practice social-emotional learning and soft skills, classroom design is evolving, too.

Technology

Rapid technological advances are changing the way we live our everyday lives, and education is no exception. Emerging technology such as Artificial Intelligence, Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality are likely to play an important role in classrooms of the future. The immersive nature of virtual reality provides an invaluable way for students– and educators– to learn about subjects that were previously abstract or inaccessible. From lowering the yuck factor in biology class by using virtual reality programs instead of having students dissect real frogs, to simulating travel to other countries and even planets, the possibilities for more engaging, immersive learning are infinite.

Technology has also helped increase accessibility. Students, teachers and parents can stay connected during times when they can’t meet in person. For instance, some districts continue to offer virtual parent-teacher conferences, which could help encourage participation among working parents.

Gamification is another increasingly popular tool in education. While teaching through play isn’t a new concept– as anyone who can recall playing the Oregon Trail game in the 1980s can attest–as the sophistication of technology increases, gamification becomes a more engaging and valuable way for students to learn.

Flexible classrooms

It’s estimated that between 15 - 20% of the population is neurodivergent– an umbrella term that acknowledges that people think, learn and process information differently. Autism, ADHD, dyslexia and other learning differences are all considered to be neurodiverse conditions.

Many educators are already incorporating more expansive seating options as they discover that some students learn better if they’re able to bounce on a balance ball, while others find it easier to focus if they’re positioned away from other students. Classrooms of the future are likely to continue to include flexible seating options such as wobble chairs, wiggle stools and bean bags.

Modular tables, desks or other types of workstations allow teachers to divide students into small groups for collaborative projects or to simply change up seating arrangements so students can get to know their peers.

Outdoor classrooms

To meet the unprecedented challenges of the Covid pandemic, educators were forced to think outside of the box. For many school districts, outdoor classrooms emerged as a way for students and teachers to gather more safely.

As it turns out, the benefits of incorporating outdoor classrooms go far beyond the pandemic. Spending time in nature has been shown to improve students’ focus, reduce stress and improve cognitive performance. Densely populated schools could benefit from using the outdoors as an extension of the classroom. Outdoor learning can also provide the opportunity for students to learn about environmental stewardship as well as skills like gardening and growing food.

Cleaning up your Classroom Tech for Summer Break

Cleaning up your Classroom Tech for Summer Break

As the academic calendar winds down, it’s natural for educators and administrators to daydream about their summer plans. But before you leave your classroom behind for the summer, you might devote some time to do some digital decluttering of your devices. Think of it as the virtual version of wiping a chalkboard clean—it takes a little time now, but you’ll appreciate it when you return to the classroom next school year. Here are a few things to consider as you prepare for the summer break.

Decide on a strategy

Are you a dive-in-and-do-it-all-in-one-day type? If so, get out your calendar and schedule a day to spend on digital clean-up. On the other hand, if the thought of spending hours on end sorting through your devices makes your eyes cross, try setting aside smaller chunks of time. Spending just 15 minutes before or after each school day sorting through files can make the task more manageable. 

Delete, delete, delete

With the school year still fresh in your mind, it’s the ideal time to spring clean your devices. Are apps you or your school no longer use taking up space on your devices? Do you have saved parent email lists, photos, or lesson plans from previous school years that you no longer need? Go through and purge any apps, files, bookmarks, emails, and folders that you know you won’t need for the next school year. 

File it

“What if I might need it later?” is a common refrain when decluttering. If you’re finding you have a lot of files, apps, or lessons that you think you might need in the future, it might be helpful to create a “maybe” or “decide later” folder. You could even put a reminder in your calendar now for a date a few months into the next school year to review your “maybe” file.

Reflect. 

Let’s face it—the last few years have been incredibly challenging for educators. You’ve made it through another school year, enduring difficulties your professional training never could’ve prepared you for. Take a moment to acknowledge the wild ride it’s been, full of rocky moments and silver linings. You could even write yourself a short note summing up aspects of the school year that went well and those that didn’t.

Enjoy your well-earned summer break! 

EdTech and the Metaverse: What Could it Look Like?

EdTech and the Metaverse: What Could it Look Like?

Technological innovation is constantly evolving. The newest frontier in the digital landscape is the metaverse: a collection of universes in which the digital and the physical overlap. With technology and education being well immersed, it’s safe to assume that the metaverse will have an impact on schooling; the question is, how?

What is the metaverse?

Simply put, the metaverse is a digital space in which users can interact in a variety of ways. These can include communicating, gaming, and experiencing virtual reality. 

How will the metaverse change instruction?

1. DIFFERENT LEARNING SPACES

   With the immersion of the metaverse, the classroom itself is no longer limited in location. The redesigned structure, allowed by technological feats, will have students traveling outside the walls of their schools and into new worlds. Students will be able to use Virtual Reality headsets to explore other countries, historical eras, or even outer space. Augmented Reality glasses could revolutionize the field trip experience. Mixed Reality technology will work to make learning come alive.
   

2. CHANGES IN GAMING

   Educators understand that gamifying lessons adds fun and increases engagement. The combination of gaming and the metaverse only works to make the activities more life-like. Students can be challenged to rack up points by answering questions and completing assignments, and can “cash in” their points with some metaverse prize or opportunity. The creative incentives are limitless.  
   

3. ACCESS TO ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

   One of the most thrilling possibilities of metaverse for educational use is the opportunity to interact with artificial intelligence. This futuristic feature will undoubtedly excite students. Learners will be able to receive answers to commonly asked questions via digital avatar. Over time, the avatars could become more developed in their expertise, and possibly able to act as tour guides in the digital world.
   
   The educational metverse is full of potential to engage and excite students. With limitless creative potential, the metaverse could transform our understanding of traditional classroom learning. 

Tips for Transitioning Back to School After Winter Break

For everyone in the academic world, winter break is a happily anticipated time. It’s two weeks filled with much-needed relaxation and recreation. But after the days of presents, family traditions, and delicious baked goods, it’s difficult to return to the classroom, and to the mental demands of full-time schooling.

Coming back from break is inevitable, but feeling bummed about it doesn’t have to be. Check out our tips for successfully transitioning back to the classroom, and help get your students prepped and excited for a new semester.

Give Your Classroom a Refresh

A classroom, like a home, needs an occasional reset. Use this new semester as a chance to give your environment a little bit of a spruce up. Start with restocking community supplies, dusting surfaces, and perfecting bulletin boards.  Then, take a closer look at items that might need to be replaced, such as worn-off nametags, book covers, or old bathroom passes. Giving your classroom some TLC is certainly time-consuming (#teacherlife), but creating a fresh, happy environment is worth it.

This is also a good time to assess your storage options and electronic care. Take a look at our recommendations for organizing all of your important tech gear. 

Allow Students an Opportunity to Share

Most students, especially younger ones, will be excited to reconnect with classmates and will be anxious to share some of their winter break adventures with the group. For teachers, the challenge is to not have winter break stories interrupt instruction time. Meet them halfway by allowing students to share a break highlight with the class. Use this randomizer to call on participants, adding some extra fun to the activity. 

If you’re a middle or high school teacher, think about beginning the class with a pressure-free icebreaker. Oftentimes, students are shuffled into different class periods at the start of a new semester; some new students could be joining the school as well. In any case, it’s helpful to give everyone a fair shake at getting acquainted. Check out our ideas for easy, fun icebreakers here.

Practice Procedures

It might go by in a flash, but two weeks is a long time to be out of the everyday routine. If you neglect to re-teach procedures, students will create their own. Don’t let this happen to you! Go over your expectations for pivotal classroom transitions, such as: what to do when the bell rings, dismissal to and re-entrance from recess, passing in homework, needing to use the restroom. Taking the time to get on the same page will save you time (and frustration) moving forward.

Review, Review, Review

Teachers have a lot of content to cover- but as tempting as it is- don’t simply proceed as usual. If you have cumulative content, or if the break occurred in the middle of a unit, make sure to work in some review time. Consider beginning with a review game or engaging activity to get those brain juices flowing. This will ease students back into the swing of things and help ensure that fundamental understanding is there. 

Bethany at Teaching with Technology compiled an incredible list of tech-friendly, fun activities to excite your students.

With the help of these ideas, we think you and your students might even be excited to return to the classroom. Best wishes for a productive second half of the school year!

Why Tablets Are Great for K-12 Learning

Many households see laptops as tools for work and tablets for fun. But using tablets for learning just makes sense.

Benefits to Tablets

Ideal for K-3: Tablets are great for young learners. Similar to phones or other mobile devices, tablets are tech that kids are likely already familiar with. They have easy-to-use interfaces that make navigating them a snap, even for the littlest learners.

Easy on the Budget: Tablets can also be cost-effective. Most elementary school students aren’t quite adept at using keyboards yet so buying this modification isn’t necessary until at least middle school. 

Ultra-Portable: Tablets can easily be transported around the classroom or building. Tablets are generally much lighter, many weighing about one pound, so they’re easy to carry. A tablet can go from the desk, to the floor, to the library without a special carrying case.

Great App Integration. Tablets are ideal for utilizing apps as many don’t work off an operating system like a laptop. For example, Google Workspace for Education offers free collaboration tools like Classroom, Docs, Sheets, Slides, Forms and more, which all can be downloaded as apps.

Other Perks: There are other pros to using a tablet for learning as well. Tablets don’t take up a lot of room and have a long battery life. A tablet’s screen also makes it easy to write notes on or draw. But as with any tool, there’s always a couple of cons.

Downsides to Tablets

Using a Touchscreen Keyboard: Touchscreen keyboards have their issues. They don’t offer a keyboard feel, which can not only take some getting used to but can lead to inaccuracies. Typing on one all day isn’t as productive as a standard laptop keyboard. Researchers found the average typing speed on a touchscreen keyboard is only 25 words per minute compared to 63 on a traditional keyboard.

Not as Durable as Laptops: One of the biggest benefits to using tablets, their portability, can make them more susceptible to breakage. Kids can easily carry laptops from desk to library to lunchroom leading to more opportunities for damage. Tablets are also much thinner than most laptops so drops and bangs can easily cause damage. Investing in a shockproof case is a good solution as well as training on how to care for tablets.

A 2 in 1 Chromebook is a great solution that offers the accessibility of learning apps, like Google for Education apps, but the durability that a laptop provides. 

Popular 2 in 1s for Education

Lenovo 300e Gen 3

The Lenovo 300e Chromebook Gen3 is an 11.6-inch, flexible, 2-in-1 education laptop. Students can simply tap, scroll and swipe with a finger or use the optional garaged stylus, just like they would on a tablet. But, because it’s a 2-in-1, there’s also a full-sized keyboard. And because it is made for education, it features a tough-as-nails Corning® Gorilla® Glass panel, which allows it to stand up to scratches. It is pretty light as well, only weighing about 3 pounds. It also has multiple ports and boasts an all-day battery life. WiFi 6 connects fast and easy and with an optional 4G/LTE, it’s great for in-class and virtual learning.

Dell 3100 2-in-1

The Dell 3100 2-in-1 Chromebook is designed for interactive learning. Not only does it offer multiple ways to learn, but it is also designed to last all day and resist whatever K-12 students can dish out. It’s tested to survive 5,000 free fall micro-drops and 30-inch drops onto steel, while rubberized edges minimize impacts from drops and bumps. The spill and tamper-resistant keyboard withstands up to 12 ounces of liquid. The touch screen is also made of Corning® Gorilla® Glass which delivers eight to 10 times higher scratch resistance. The 3100 also weighs about three pounds. 

Making decisions about what EdTech will work best for you school is easier with a trusted partner. Arey Jones has been working with K-12 educators for the past three decades. We know EdTech and we’re here to help. Contact us today.

The Ten Best Apps for Education

Among the challenges of the 2020-2021 academic school year will undoubtedly be the need for teachers to implement creative forms of instruction. Luckily, the technological world is brimming with interesting and effective resources. Below are ten of the best, most effective educational apps; there’s something for every age and every subject.

• Google Classroom is one element of Google’s G Suite for Education. It provides teachers with an easy to use and very well organized forum, and students enjoy the ability to easily view and access assignments and other resources. Discussion forums and teacher-student messages provides an opportunity for collaboration or extra help.
  

• Let little ones learn through play with Kids Academy app. The app, created by experts in early education, is aimed at children pre-K to third grade. The features include handpicked interactive activities, plenty of entertaining game-like lessons, and weekly performance reports.
  

• Khan Academy is a robust, free, personalized learning resource for students between Grades 3-12. The engaging instructional videos and practice exercises allows students to study at their own pace. In addition to test preparation (such as SAT, Praxis, and even the LSAT), subjects include math, science, computing, history, and art history.
  

• Designed to strengthen communication and connection, Edmodo’s learning app helps teachers reach their students while achieving better educational outcomes. Parents are also able to create accounts, giving them the opportunity to check on their child’s assignments, grades, and calendars.  
  

• The preschool curriculum by ABCmouse focuses on skills in Reading, Math, and a Social Studies and Science combination called World Around Us. Each game or interactive activity is intended to strengthen knowledge and understanding of basics, such as sounds, numbers, shapes, and alphabet. Parents and kids love the fun that ABCmouse has to offer.
  

• ShowMe Interactive Whiteboard is perfect for teachers who may be instructing remotely or with a hybrid model in this upcoming school year. It allows teachers (and students) to create presentations and share them- either individually or to an audience. In the presentation, the user can record helpful voiceover, making it simple for students to follow along.
  

• Nearpod lets teachers design interactive lesson plans, presentations, and assessments. The lessons themselves are composed of slides, which the teacher creates; these can include text, video, websites, polls, and other features. This gives students the option of using their own devices on their own time, or teachers can lead a synchronized session in real time. This app is ideal for middle or high school students.
  

• Quizlet offers 21st century students a modern way to study. Choose an existing Quizlet, or you can create your own to perfectly fit the content. Kids can compete for high scores and play study games. It’s a great way to encourage collaboration at a distance.
  

• Introduce your students to another world with NASA App. They’ll navigate the universe through photos, videos, live feeds, and unlimited text information. Whether the topic is Mars, the International Space Station, or Black Holes, young astronomers are sure to find what they’re looking for.
  

• Duolingo is a highly rated English language app for beginners. It’s friendly and gamified, giving users a fun and non-intimidating setting for learning a new language. The lessons are twenty minutes long, and are created around a topic and seven related vocabulary words.

Which apps do you love to use with your students? Leave us a comment below.

The Device to Upgrade in 2020

The beginning of a calendar year means that it’s time for out with the old and in with the new. In the educational and business worlds, the adage applies to the ongoing need to assess the efficacy of technologies. Although most quality devices are designed to last for several years, it’s still prudent to evaluate how well they are meeting the user’s needs. 

For teachers, middle-of-the-year technological changes (especially to their own device) can be difficult to integrate. When the year is in full swing, lesson planning and grading take precedence over navigating a new gadget. Because of this, it’s best to consider implementing the upgrades at the close of the school year. Summer will provide some time to become familiar with the upgraded technology, allowing for comfort and confidence in the new device just in time for school to begin.  

As you’re looking ahead and preparing for the upcoming year, take stock in the efficacy of your computer. If it’s not meeting the needs of yourself or your staff, here is the upgrade we recommend for 2020. 

The Elite Desk 705 is the latest and greatest desktop model from HP’s Z Lineup. Its lag-free performance allows for more productivity in shorter time. And just like teachers, the Elite Desk 705’s strength is multitasking. Windows 10 Pro3 with advanced security, collaboration, and connectivity helps the user effortlessly power through the day. 

With students’ interests in mind, its multifaceted capabilities are designed to handle the best STEM software including SolidWorks, AutoDesk AutoCAD, and AutoDesk REVIT. And with the potential to expand to more bays and slots, it’s the perfect investment that will meet the needs of the upcoming decade. 

Discover more about the Elite Desk 705 and the entire Z by HP Lineup here. 

Clean Out Your Electronic Files Like A Pro

When spring finally arrives, it’s not just classrooms, lockers and bookshelves that need a good cleaning but electronic devices as well. Just because a laptop case can be closed and a desktop shutdown, doesn’t mean the clutter magically disappears. The good news is the same principles that apply to cleaning physical spaces work in digital ones just as well.

Create a space for everything and put everything in its place.

A well thought-out organization system keeps all your digital files in order. Create new folders in storage spots that you can easily access from anywhere. Google Drive offers free cloud storage for up to 15 GB.

Consider organizing your files in bulk by year, and clearly label each file and folder with its exact contents to save stress and energy. The more accurate your labeling now, the easier the file will be to find next year.

Once you’ve created a system to keep you organized, stick to it. A great organizational system can only save you time and enhance productivity if you use it. 

Open and sort all your mail.

Start cleaning your inbox and then move on to your other folders. Gmail and Outlook both offer lots of ways to sort your email. Set rules to automatically sort emails from your teachers into a specific folder so they’re easier to sort through. Learn how here.

Stock up on cleaning tools.

Microsoft’s operating system comes with a host of cleaning tools, like Disk Cleanup. There are other options available for download, like Microsoft’s Total PC Cleaner, from the Microsoft Store. Google Chrome also offers extensions that can help clear cache and delete browsing history. Try this handy guide if malware or viruses are a problem.

Use the trashcan and use it often.

Don’t forget to trash the files you’re not using anymore. A cluttered desktop is distracting and hard to use efficiently. Random files in their different formats are easily glossed over or even missed. And the icons for PDFs, Word docs and images don’t always show what’s inside. Keep this rule in mind, if you don’t want to store it, don’t keep it! Save only the items you need to find quickly or things you use every single day. Rely on your filing system for the others. Delete the rest.

Arey Jones works with the best partners that provide the latest edtech solutions for your school. Read more about who we are here.

Our Favorite Tech Updates in 2018

The next few months will likely be spent looking forward at all the great tech and updates rolling out in 2019, that we wanted to take a breath and look at all the updates we loved in 2018.

• Lenovo VR. The Lenovo VR Classroom started shipping out to schools last June. The VR headset allows students to go on virtual field trips anywhere at any time, no permission slips or bus rides required. The kits include everything administrators need to introduce this type of immersion learning to students. The entire VR system is easy-to-use, easy-to-clean, highly-durable and offered in 3-, 10- and 24-student kits, but adaptable for up to 30 students. And it’s backed by support and a one-year warranty.

• G Suite for Education. In January 2018, Google announced it was making this product even better with security updates for G Suite for Education and a new edition, G Suite Enterprise for Education, an expanded version built specifically for large educational institutions. Its new capabilities included mobile device management, cloud search, Gmail logs analysis in BigQuery, a security center and the ability to record meetings and save them to Drive.

• Microsoft Teams for Education. This popular software ushered in its sophomore with some big news, it’s free for educators, and also some new updates that helped make it even better for those users. These included page locking in OneNote, being able to mute students, join codes and reusing existing teams as templates.

• Flipgrid joining Microsoft. In 2018, Microsoft Teams integrated Flipgrid into its Microsoft Teams for Education. Flipgrid is a video discussion platform for educators and students. It allows students to share their ideas, wonderings, projects and questions in new and creative ways. This social learning app is now supported by OneNote, Microsoft’s digital notebook. Teachers add the topics, students respond with short videos, and everyone engages.

• G Suite Allowing Comments. In a February 2018 update, Google Drive started to allow users to leave feedback on Microsoft Offices files, PDFs and images bypassing the need to convert them into Google Docs, Sheets or Slides. With this update, you can now comment on those files in Drive the way you’re used to in Google Docs. In the Drive preview pane, comment, assign tasks or mention coworkers and the people you work can reply back, even if they’re not using G Suite.

These are some of our favorite updates in educational technology in 2018 — and some of them, we carry as part of our services.

What will the Classroom Look Like in the Future?

Do you remember a time when classrooms didn’t have laptops or the Internet? Technological advances such as these have become such a huge part of our daily lives that most of us can’t remember life without them, or even want to. But, believe or not, there was a time when photocopiers and handheld calculators were the height of educational technology. Thankfully most classrooms in the United States have graduated to bigger (or smaller), faster, more efficient technology. It begs to ask the question then, what will the classroom look like in the future? 

Here’s what we think:

Virtual Reality

Virtual Reality (VR) offers the ultimate immersion learning experience. It provides students with unbelievable, even otherworldly, experiences they can’t get anywhere else - all without leaving the classroom. The benefits are many, including helping to develop empathy as students can personally witness communities in crisis or by allowing students to experience different careers through the eyes of a surgeon, soldier or other professional fields, plus it promotes curiosity and wonder. This technology is already available in classrooms. The Lenovo VR Classroom is being shipped out to schools across the country. The kit includes everything administrators need to introduce this type of immersion learning to students. We think it’s just a matter of time before more classrooms catch on and VR becomes as common as a Chromebook.

Paperless Classrooms

Classrooms are quite possibly the one area where paper is still widely used, especially for younger students; but as apps and software improve, paper will disappear. Take Microsoft OneNote, which eliminates the need for handouts as it creates notebooks for each class, offers a collaboration space and holds all the content students need, like assignments and calendars. It even offers opportunities to communicate with parents. Don’t forget Google Forms which take the place of worksheets, quizzes and paper tests. And, if your school isn’t already sending newsletters electronically, we guarantee it will in the future.

Global Capabilities

The world is opening up to schools, both with speakers and knowledge networks. Classroom speakers are no longer regulated by who is available locally. With Skype in the Classroom, students in Indiana can hear from a speaker in Egypt about an archeological dig. Or students can questions directly to the author of the book they’re reading. There are also several global learning networks that connect students by collecting and sharing data internationally about issues like The Globe Program and The National SEED Project. These global capabilities show students just how much in common they have with others across the world and we think it is destined to become commonplace in all classrooms.

What do you think will be a “must have” in classrooms in the future? Let us know in the comments.

Introducing … The Lenovo Virtual Reality Classroom

Imagine being able to take your students on a field trip to the African jungle, the solar system and even back in time to the creation of planet Earth. It’s possible with the Lenovo Virtual Reality Classroom. 

The Lenovo VR Classroom is now shipping out to schools across the country. The kit includes everything administrators need to introduce this type of immersion learning to students. The entire VR system is easy-to-use, easy-to-clean, highly-durable and offered in 3-, 10- and 24-student kits, but adaptable for up to 30 students.

The Specs

At the heart of the Lenovo VR Bundle is the Daydream VR headset. No cables, no PCs and no smartphones are needed to use it. Everything your teachers need is right in the headset. The Daydream VR also offers WorldSense™ motion tracking with a 110-degree field of view. And, bonus, the face and head cushions can be sanitized.

The Lenovo VR kit also includes:

• The Tab 4 10 Plus which connects to the student’s headsets, without disrupting the experience, and guides instruction to monitor student focus.

• The Bretford Mobile Cart offers secure storage for the headsets and includes integrated device charging. It’s made of sturdy steel, constructed in the United States and is certified for safety. Note - it is only included with the 10- and 24-student kits.

• The Ruckus R510 Access Point gives stunning, enterprise-grade Wi-Fi performance. It makes sure there’s a strong connection between teacher and student devices and is included with all kits.

Optional accessories are also available, like the Mirage camera with Daydream. This accessory allows teachers and students to create their own content that can be seamlessly uploaded to YouTube and Google Photos.

The Software

Virtual field trips go anywhere at any time, without the need of permission slips and bus rides, with experiences from Google Expeditions and The Wild Immersion with Jane Goodall.

The free Google Expeditions app has more than 700 virtual field trips. These can be integrated into included Scholastic STEM lesson plans that meet next gen Common Core standards. The environments support nearly every other subject as well.

The Exclusive Wild Immersion videos give students breathtaking views of Africa, Asia, the Amazon and more. Additional content is available from the Daydream OS store.

The Support

Rest assured, Lenovo has your back. Value-added services are included with every kit. Including:

• A one-year school-year warranty that can be upgraded to two years.

• Advanced Exchange for quick, no-hassle equipment swaps.

• Premier Support with one direct number to call.

• Device connection, testing, and access point provisioning all built in.

• Full setup so you can open the box and go right away.

Virtual reality not only helps students keep up, but stay ahead in a world that’s learning faster every day. Lenovo is leading the way with solutions to fit your school’s needs. Contact us to see how we can help put this new technology into your teachers’ hands.

Top Chrome Extensions For The Google Classroom

Google Classroom has been instrumental in changing the way education looks today. It streamlines assignments, boosts collaboration and fosters seamless communication to help make teaching more productive. There’s also the advantage of being able to integrate hundreds of Chromebook apps and extensions that save teachers and students time and make it seamless to share information. Extensions enhance the browsing experience by tailoring Chrome’s functionality towards individual needs and preferences. 

Here are some of our favorites.

Grammarly

Grammarly is an online editor that gives all of your text the once-over before you send it to colleagues, parents or students. It’s a free extension that revises the text you type in Chrome, Facebook, Gmail, Twitter, Linkedin and anywhere else on the web. It suggests corrections based on both spelling and grammar, and it explains alternative options because we call all still learn.

Screencastify

Screencastify is a great tool to use when you need to create a quick demonstration or instructional video. It is a screen recorder that allows you to capture, edit and share videos in seconds. It can tell a story in just a couple of clicks.

CheckMark by EdTechTeam

This extension is designed to give teachers the ability to provide students with feedback quickly and easily. When a teacher highlights text in Google Docs, an overlay pops up with quick shortcuts to frequently-added comments such as “Spelling” or “Check Punctuation,” or “Evidence needed.” CheckMark has both comments related to grammar as well as concepts, citations and more.

Shareaholic

Shareaholic gives you the ability to share and bookmark great content, without stopping what you’re doing on Chrome. It works with Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and more than 200 other services. It makes all your shared links searchable in one place and won’t slow down your Google Chrome.

Alice Keeler – Teacher Tech

This extension gives you quick access to Alice Keeler’s Teacher Tech blog – which covers all things classroom and Google Classroom. A quick click on the extension pulls up a list of her most recent posts. Topics include: 50 Things You Can Do With Google Classroom, A Tour Of Google Classroom and Google Slides, Create a Drop Shadow on Text.

LastPass: Free Password Manager

This handy extension saves all your usernames and passwords in one spot. It gives you secure access and will autologin to your websites and sync passwords. Plus, anything you save on one device is instantly available on all your other devices. Slick.

We'd love to know your favorites on Chromebooks, too.

30 Educational Technology Tips in 30 Days

We all want to be more productive, rested, calm, collected, alert, and generally amazing. Here are 30 tech tips that can help you leave the month better than you found it.

1. Learn how to make SMART goals.

2. Drink your coffee from a spillproof mug. Trust us.

3. Work in 90-minute intervals.

4. Show your Chromebook (or laptop) some love.

5. Schedule breaks into your schedule to do something fun on purpose.

6. Add a calming picture to your desktop screen.

7. Then hang a pretty picture in your office, about 20 feet away. Looking up at every 20 minutes for twenty seconds can prevent eye fatigue.

8. Color-code your Google Calendar.

9. Silence notifications to minimize distractions.

10. Use Microsoft Word’s Gridline tool to keep your document in line.

11. Dedicate a set time each day to read and respond to emails, and stick to it.

12. Drive the above message home by adding a statement to your email signature like, “I check emails every morning and will respond by 10am.”

13. Follow these hashtags on social media.

14. Set an out-of-office message for after-hour emails that reminds senders you don’t take work home with you. Remember. Those who need to contact you for true emergencies will likely have your cell phone.

15. Create embedded links in a Google Doc by clicking CTRL+K and searching for the content within the pop-up menu. No more extra tabs!

16. Use Microsoft OneNote in your next meeting for amazing notetaking.

17. Organize your desktop files into folders.

18. Empty your trash.

19. Commit these quick keys to memory.

20. Schedule coffee with a friend via a calendar appointment, so you both remember.

21. Treat yourself to a new laptop or phone case. It will feel like a brand new machine at a fraction of the cost.

22. Organize your GDrive or Cloud files.

23. Follow Arey Jones on Facebook.

24. Add these tips to your OneNote vocabulary.

25. Put a seven-minute workout app on your phone and challenge yourself to do at least one circuit daily (here’s one to try)

26. Listen to an audiobook on your commute.

27. Sort and empty your Download folder.

28. Catch up on what’s new in Microsoft EDU.

29. Watch a TED talk.

30. Go absolutely tech-free for at least 30 minutes a day (when you are awake).

These are just a few ways to boost your productivity and get more out of life in general with (and without) technology. How many did you do? We'd love to know.

Tech Cleaning Tips From Your Grandmother

My grandmother fit every grandmother mold possible. Impeccable hair. Crisp aprons. Mouthwatering homemade bread on the counter. She ran a tight ship with even tighter hair. For Grandma, spring cleaning was as much a celebration as it was a chore (but then she always smiled most when she was working).

I have more than a little of her blood coursing though my veins, and now that the weather is shaking off winter’s chill, I have the urge to clean as she used to do. And I can apply her methods to my phones, laptop, and tablet just effectively as I do everything else in my home.

Get sorted. While my grandmother had an eye and a hand for organization, my grandfather had a different method. Every weekend, she would group the mail, his receipts, and his tools and put everything back where they should have gone in the first place. Take the time to organize your documents and files in a system that makes the most sense to you, and delete files that are no longer relevant. For every minute spent here, you’ll save twice. 

Put the right things into the right storage. It’s okay to hold onto things (I myself am pretty sentimental). The trick is figuring out where to put them so that they can be reached where you need them and out of the way when you don’t. Consider organizing your files in bulk by year, and clearly label each file and folder with its exact contents. This saves you stress and energy, whether you are looking for Aunt Lucy’s china or last year’s lesson on volcanoes. And no, “Science stuff” doesn’t count.

Clear your desktop. If Grandma could see my laptop screen, she would sigh, “Clutter, clutter, clutter, dear. How can you see what you mean?” It was an odd expression, but I understood it. If you save everything to the desktop, you’ll never find what you really need. This works just as well for your desk as well as your desktop. Save it only for items you need to find quickly or things you use every single day. Rely on your filing system for the others. Delete the rest.

Clean your Windows. Grandma loved a clean window (even if the birds didn’t). If you are running the digital version on your laptop, Windows 10 has a handy Disk Cleanup tool to clean up temporary and unnecessary system files that could be obstructing your computer performance. Use this handy guide for additional information.

Empty the trash. Now that you’ve gotten everything where you want it, it’s time to remove what you don’t need once and for all. My grandma always emptied the trash as the last part of her cleaning routine, grabbing a bag and hitting every bathroom and bin on her way out the door.

Grandma made the most of everything (I can still taste her creative leftovers), and I hope these above tips help you make the most of your time and managing your technology this spring. If you found any of these valuable, we’d love your feedback--follow us on Facebook for more!

7 Microsoft PowerPoint Tricks For Every Day This Week

As a staple of the Microsoft Office suite, PowerPoint often gets a bad rap, mostly because it’s associated with speeches, presentations, and seminars--and they aren’t always the most exciting events (to put it mildly). Since it’s estimated that PowerPoint is a key software on over one billion computers worldwide, it’s safe to say slide-based presentations aren’t going anywhere.

The question, however, isn’t where PowerPoint can go; it’s what PowerPoint can do to make those presentations even better.

Here are our favorite Microsoft PowerPoint tips to make sure your presentation goes smoothly.

1. Launch your PowerPoint presentation with one click. To start your presentation off quickly and cleanly, all you need to do is save the file with a .PPS or .PPSX file extension and save it to your desktop. Instead of nervously launching from editing mode or from your email (for all the world to see), all you’ll do is double-click and get on with the show. (Keep your desktop free of embarrassing distractions for full professional effect).

2. State your case in black and white. PowerPoint presentations are meant to be an aid to your presentation--not necessarily be a word-for-word account of it. To keep them from being a distraction, press “B” or “W” on your keyboard to make the screen black or white. This will help your audience focus on you and what you are saying.

3. Doing a demo? Get a screenshot. If you need to replicate the feel of your computer screen while giving a presentation, use the PowerPoint Screenshot tool on the Insert tab. It will give you a thumbnail of each window you currently have open. Simply select, resize, and click--and it will automatically be inserted on your current slide.

4. Animate charts. Turn charts and graphs from boring to mindblowing with animation. Once you’ve set up the chart or graph as you need to, head to the Animations tab to turn on the Animations Pane. Pick an animated effect, add sound, adjust timing and, most importantly, change the “Group Chart” options from “As One Object” to “By Category.”

5. Employ Kiosk mode. For presentations that don’t require an active speaker, you can set the presentation to play in Kiosk mode, which will play it on a loop, no human required. You can also output the entire slide deck to a video format.

6. Duplicate without the CTRL C + V. Instead of quick keys to copy and paste reused elements, go one step lazier--hold the CTRL key while you click and drag on the element you want to multiply. Great for elements as well as entire slides.

7. Be zen with Venn. Venn diagrams are a useful visual aid, but they can be a pain to make--unless you know how to Merge Shapes. Simply layer your pre-created shapes as you want, head to the Drawing Tools, and select “Merge Shapes” from the menu. This feature also makes light work of inserting pictures and text into shapes and vice versa. 

There are so many ways to do more in Microsoft PowerPoint in less time. We can help you figure them out.

Greener Pastures: The Dawn of the Paperless Classroom

I picked up my son’s backpack the other day, and the weight of it astounded me.

It was so...light. Empty even.

I remembered my school days. I didn’t just wear a backpack; I lugged it. I measured my progress in school by the physical weight of my assignments. I remembered how frustrated my mother would get when I home--yet again--with a broken arm strap or a ripped seam because I had demanded too much of it. After all, aren’t backpacks crammed with notebooks, worksheets, books, and scratch paper a normal part of education?

Not if technology has anything to do with it.

According to the World Wide Fund for Nature, technology--when appropriately used--can reduce paper usage by up to 30%. Take Bank of America for example (they did). When the largest bank in the country turned to online reports, forms, email, double-sided copying, and lighter-weight papers, it reduced is paper consumption by over one billion sheets of paper. That’s a 32% reduction--on internal operations alone. 

And if Bank of America can do it, so can your school district.

There are several ways to save paper and money through the use of technology. 

• Use emailed school and class newsletters instead of sending home printed ones.

• Direct parents toward a consistent website or web page for frequently asked questions, the latest news, or the most recent homework assignments.

• Store documents in electronic archives for instant retrieval (rather than relying on file cabinets).

• Encourage the use of on-screen editing features, instead of printing and editing by hand.

• Share events on a shared calendar with reminders.

• Use Google Forms instead of worksheets, quizzes, and paper tests.

• Use Google Drawings for scratch paper.

• Use OneNote for notetaking.

• Embrace the cloud system for swift data recovery and increased collaboration and distribution of resources.

But it’s more than just paper schools are saving. Printing supplies--everything from copier purchases to toner to maintenance contracts--are expensive line items. With reduced paper comes reduced printing costs, and printing supplies--everything from copier purchases to toner to maintenance contracts--are expensive line items. Moving to educational technology also saves more precious resources: family time, patience, creativity, sanity, and wear and tear on a backpack you can keep for years.

How does your school save natural resources while unleashing productivity, innovation, and collaboration? We can always help you find more ways.

6 Tools in Google Docs To Help Write (and Grade) Term Papers

We’re in the throws of March Madness, and productivity across American businesses--and classrooms--is taking a nosedive. (Research shows that employers lose an estimated $4 billion in revenue due to the paid time lost in managing brackets, discussing team matchups, and watching games.)

And your students aren’t immune.

While college basketball teams are gearing up for the culmination of the season, high-school students across the country are prepping for midterms, term papers, and research projects. To stay ahead of the game, they have to stay on the ball--and Google Docs is a fan favorite.

1. Choose your Add-ons wisely.
   There are several Google Doc add-ons that can help you write--and grade--an effective paper. Word clouds, editing tools, a worthy thesaurus--all of these can improve your language and flow while demonstrating your knowledge of the material. Before you start adding a bunch, however, start with Extensity, an add-on that makes sure extensions and additional add-ons play well with each other.
   
   Try: Pro Writing Aid, Kaizena, and Easy Bib

2. Get a second opinion.
   Having another set of eyes on your paper is always a good thing. An unbiased proofreader will catch unclear phrasing, grammar, and flow problems, and they may be able to offer insight on specific context you could be missing. Use the Chats and Comments functions within Google Docs to make sure you and your friendly editor are both on the same page.

3. Find supporting research.
   Just like you can use the CTRL + K function to create link text, you can also use it to find likely resources--and sources— for your material. Simply type out the topics you are researching, highlight, and hit the shortkeys, and Google will give you some suggestions. Make sure to cite!

4. Use your Tools to Explore
   Another excellent resource in the Google Doc toolbox is the Explore function. Hidden in the Tools menu, Explore opens a side tab in your doc and gives you additional ideas and sources that support your paper based on the phrases, topics, and ideas you are talking about. It pulls from other Google services, like Google Scholar, Google Images, Google Quotes, and Google Dictionary.

5. Harness collaboration.
   With Google Docs, you can pass around thoughts, edits, suggestions, and formatting questions with relative ease. You can also sneak back into past revisions if a tossed idea ends up being relevant again. These commenting tools are also crucial for teachers who want to encourage deeper research or call out worthy sentences.
   
   Tip: Make sure you understand the difference between the Editing and Suggesting modes in active collaborating. Determine who has the final say before ideas start to swarm.

6. Minimize distractions.
   While not a specific function of Google Docs, it’s all-in-house ability to focus a student’s efforts can help funnel creativity in a purposeful, productive way. There’s no need to have multiple tabs open (including ones with live updates of the games); there’s just you and the page, and all the time and tools in the world to fill it.

What add-ons are you using in your Drive? We would love to know.

16 Hashtags Worth Following (and Tagging!)

We do a lot of Twitter outreach at Arey Jones because we love to be in on the educational technology conversation, and there is always something to new going on in our industry. Whether you want to contribute to the discussion or learn something new every day, these hashtags will put you--and your followers--in the know.

By Platform

• #OneNoteEDU

• #MinecraftEDU

• #Skype2Learn

By Software

• #GoogleSheets

• #GoogleSlides

• #GSuiteEDU

By Company

• #MicrosoftEDU

• #GoogleEDU

• #AcerEDU

By Broad Reach

• #edtech

• #education

• #digcit 

By Teams

• #GTT

• #MIEE

• #GoogleEI

• #edtechteam

Obviously, this isn’t an extensive list, but it is a great start to learning just how connected educational technology is to how we work, learn, and share advancements. The next time you share a cool teaching-with-technology moment, add these hashtags to your post. You could inspire others with your ideas, and you also may learn a thing or two in the process.

Ready to learn more? Follow us @AreyJones, or feel free to contact us traditionally.

Show Your Chromebook Some Love

Your Chromebook was built to last, and so is your friendship with it, especially if you take this tried-and-true advice from Arey Jones, your technology relationship expert.

Give your Chromebook some space.

While Chromebooks won’t get overheated like traditional laptops, it’s a good idea to avoid blocking airflow around the device while it’s on. Also, don’t get overly touchy; Chromebooks’ screens don’t work well under pressure, so keep your hands off.

Also, since Chromebooks are pretty literal, it’s a good idea to give your Chromebook some more space by cleaning up and organizing your files.

Keep it clean.

Friends don’t play dirty, and your Chromebook won’t either. The keys to every great relationship include clear communication, including a clean screen and freely moving keys. If a lightly dampened cloth doesn’t help you two see eye to eye, it may be time to take it in for professional help.

Handle with care.

Even the toughest Chromebooks still have delicate centers. You won’t hurt its feelings, but its hard drive may put you two on a permanent break. This goes for power plays, too. Chromebooks are only as good as their power cords and ports are, so protect them at all times.

Don’t leave your Chromebook out in the cold.

And don’t let it take the heat either. Chromebooks shouldn’t be exposed to temps under 32 degrees or over 100 degrees, which means they should never be left in your car.

It’s okay to do your own things once in a while.

Every once in awhile, your Chromebook may need to take a moment to process a few things. This doesn’t mean it has a virus (although you may want to check if it’s misbehaving by extension), but it could mean it needs a Powerwash.

You, on the other hand, shouldn’t feel guilty about not taking your Chromebook out to eat or letting it try your coffee or soda. It won’t take it personally; it pretty much grabs bytes without you all the time.

Create a secret language.

The more time you and your Chromebook spend together, the more efficient you can be at communicating. Start by learning our favorite Chromebook quick keys or press Ctrl + Alt + ? to see a pop-up map with all the available keyboard shortcuts.

Want more ways to create a lasting relationship with your Chromebook? Follow us on Facebook, keep reading our blog, and never stop learning.

18 Excel Formulas and Functions for 2018

You already geek out over Excel’s amazing functionality and its features in Windows. Maybe you’ve already used it to create a calendar template. Maybe you color code your personal budget targets. Maybe you already use it to track student progress, grades, test scores, attendance, and days until your next school holiday. We’re not here to judge. We’re here to help you make the most of what this powerful spreadsheet application has to offer.

Basic Conditional Formatting

When you’re dealing with a mountain of data, conditional formatting can help you find specific information quickly and visibly by color-coding cells that match specific criteria. For instance, you can highlight any student who has missed more than three days of class or any test scores that fall below passing. Learn more here.

Formula-based Conditional Formatting

And sometimes, just a basic highlight isn’t enough. Sometimes you want your spreadsheet to help you identify the next step in your process, like setting up a conference with parents or an email to the student. Formula-based conditional formatting can help with that. Here’s how.

=SUM(): The first function you learn really adds up.

You already know how to add up cells in Excel, but did you know you can hit CTRL + [Cells you want to add] to instantly add them to an equation? This is a fast way to add across random columns or rows.

=SUMIF(): For more selective sums

Sometimes you want to add and gather data in a different way. The =SUMIF equation will look for certain data in a table and add similar items together. This could be helpful if you track attendance by day of the week and want to learn which days most kids come to class.  Learn more here.

=COUNTIF(): Add up occurrences of a value.

=COUNTIFS(): Add up occurrences of multiple values.

The COUNTIF() function allows you to count how many times a certain criterion occurs in your specified range. For example, if you add a letter value grade to each assignment, you can use the COUNTIF() equation to count how many As, Bs, Cs, Ds, and Fs a particular class or a particular student has. Use =COUNTIF(Where do you want to look?, What do you want to look for?).

More information on COUNTIFs here.

=AVG(): The average formula for above-average teachers

The average function works similarly to =SUM in that it allows you to grab the data within a column or throughout a sheet. If you use average test or homework scores to finalize grades, the =AVG function adds up (and divides evenly).

=MIN(): Find the lowest number in a range

=MAX(): Find the highest number in a range
This is a great way to find the range of cells quickly and accurately, especially if you are grading on a curve, or want to quickly obtain the range of test scores for a given exam.

=LEN(): Count characters in a single cell.
Never misjudge your Twitter character count again. This function will count the number of characters in a specific cell. Great for writing assignments with text limits.

=RANDBETWEEN: Generate a Random Number

Need help picking which student goes first with a presentation? Enter the RANDBETWEEN equation. Simply type =RANDBETWEEN(1,100) and it will return a completely unbiased whole number between 1 and 100  just like that.

=ROMAN: Convert to Roman Numerals

Perhaps not the most useful of formulas, but when C, V, L, and I are Greek to you, it can be a useful tool. Use =ROMAN(Destination cell with number you want to convert).

=ROUND(): Do a one-handed round-off

The =ROUND function allows you to round off numbers to a specific digit. Use =ROUND(number, digit) as the equation, keeping in mind that “0” digit will return a whole number, “1” returns to the tenths, and so on. =ROUNDUP() and =ROUNDDOWN() are equally fun, and further explained here.

=YEARFRAC(): Compare a date range to the entire year.

=DAYS(): Count the number of days in between two dates.

=NETWORKDAYS()

Still counting down to the end of the year? Excel can take the work out of that, too. Use =YEARFRAC(start_date, end_date, [basis]). For example, =YEARFRAC(1/1/2018,5/31/2018, 1).  Learn more about the calendar basis here. For the number of days or actual work days, use =DAYS(start date,end date) or =NETWORKDAYS(start,end) respectively. Place your date values in cells for increased flexibility and celebrate further with conditional formatting. 

These are our favorite Excel equations so far in 2018. Which ones did we miss of yours? We'd love to know and talk more about education tech, especially when it comes to Microsoft.