Setting SMART Goals For Your Classroom

While the New Year for the rest of the country started on January first, most teachers would agree their “new year” started last fall--and so did all of their goals for the school year. That said, January is the perfect time to review those goals, establish new parameters, and determine if they need to be adjusted.  

And using technology is a great way to do it.

We at Arey Jones are a big fan of the S.M.A.R.T. method of goal setting, a way of setting Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound goals. And when it comes to tracking and tackling targets, we dream big--and we dream in spreadsheets, calendar reminders, forms, and fonts - all in Google Drive.

Specific: Write Down Your Goals in Google Docs
On top of being portable and flexible, Google Docs allows you to share your goals with relevant people in your life, and they can leave comments of support, hold you accountable,  or add resources to help you along. How you phrase your goals is an important part of the process, and it’s important to keep these things in mind:

• What do I want to accomplish?

• Why is it important?

• Where must I focus my energy and time?

• Who is involved in its success?

• Which resources will help me succeed and which hurdles will make it more difficult?

Measurable: Using Google Forms to Track Progress

A SMART goal is a measurable one, and Google Forms is a relatively simple tool with many versatile uses. Simple set up the form to input all the metrics you want to track on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis. From charting how many pages your class has read at home to keeping track of how many cups of coffee you’ve had each day, Google Forms is a highly-customizable tool that streamlines, validates, and consolidates answers and translates them into visible charts and graphs. 

Achievable and Relevant: Using Google Sheets to Keep It Together

Some people have found additional success using Google Sheets to track goals. Unlike a software with a steep learning curve, Google Sheets is easy to use, personalize, and adapt to your goals. Use Conditional Formatting to help you stay on track and organize your goals by worksheet to keep your thoughts, relevant resources, and successes handy. 

Time-Bound: Use Google Calendar To Set Reminders 

If friends, forms, and spreadsheets don’t hold you accountable, a daily reminder in your Calendar feed will. Create a fresh Google Calendar for your goals and set up small, actionable deadlines for the goals you want to work on today, next week, next month, and so on. 

What are your goals for the next semester? We hope you're able to accomplish them, and if you need help, we're always happy to chat.

5 Ways to Strike the Right Keys (And Keyboard Shortcuts) This Semester

While we wish life outside technology offered this sort of efficiency, it’s nice to know that these quick keys are there when we need them. They won’t solve all of your woes this semester, but they may create a little more time to make them easier to handle.

Find what you are looking for, instantly.

Want to know when an internet article mentions a certain concept or name? Hit CTRL + F. This Find function will not only tell you how many times the word or name occurs, but it will also highlight them throughout the document. Use the F3 key to toggle in between mentions. Want to find something in your files? Use the WINDOWS + E quick key to search File Explorer.

Want to use this quick key to find something more valuable? Give it a whirl. Click CTRL + F and type “sanity” in the field. <--See? Win.

Go back in time.

I’m guessing you already know the ever-useful CTRL + Z quick key to recover previous material and undo the most recent change.

Add to the time traveling ability while also eliminating the minutes (hours?) you spend moving your hand down to the trackpad or mouse to hit the back button on your web browser by using the CTRL + LEFT ARROW instead. Use the time you’ve saved to close the 13 tabs you aren’t using (and CTRL + SHIFT + T to open them all again).

Improve your vocabulary.

We all want to keep our conversations and papers engrossing, succinct, and perspicacious, which is why it’s nice that a thesaurus is just a SHIFT + F7 away.

Be in two (or more) places at once.

When you want to output your screen to a projector, broadcast to a wireless display or connect to one or more external monitors, you can find all of your options with the WINDOWS + P command. It will bring up an interface screen that will provide you with display options, all at the click of a button.

Start over.

We all need a do-over button once in a while, and your Windows machine has several to choose from. CTRL + R will refresh your browser. CTRL + ALT + DELETE will restart your computer. There’s also the handy power button quick-key for when you really feel like shutting down.

Want to learn how to save time with your educational technology in other ways? We can help with that.

How The New Generation Of Chromebooks Are Upgrading Classroom Technology

There’s a reason Chromebooks are the #1 best selling device in schools in the United States, and why more than 20 million students worldwide are turning them on each day.  Google Chromebooks have been a reliable option year after year because they make learning accessible and affordable without compromising security or forward-facing features. 

And that’s what makes the next generation of Chromebook that much more exciting. 

Interactive touchscreen and stylus pens. 

With touchscreen and stylus pens, the latest Chromebooks put the right technology in a student’s hands right when they need it. Visual learners can watch it happen. Kinetic learners can sketch it out. Auditory learners can interact. And this is all before they even learn to type, code, write, and present—although it won’t be long before that happens, too. 

External camera.

The Chromebook’s outward facing camera allows students to take pictures of their progress. This has numerous applications for reporting and presenting, as well as developing a better understanding of how others see the world. 

Powerful, lasting charge. 

Perhaps one of the most remarkable features of the newest Chromebooks is the USB Type-C charger, the dedicated super-fast charging adapter that will be the standard for Chromebooks to come, making it powerfully future-proof. This is especially helpful in school environments that share devices as it ensures technology is always ready for the next student. 

Built-in security.

Privacy and security have never been more important, both to protect our students and our devices from malicious content. Google SafeSearch and YouTube Restricted Mode keep kids focused. Multiple layers of security thwart viruses, which means no external antivirus software is necessary to purchase or keep updated. Administrators are given complete control of the devices for testing and assessments. And Google is right there when you need them for 24/7 support and automatic updates. 

Managed from the cloud. Deployed from the ground. 

Chromebooks are 93% faster to deploy and 68% faster to manage than desktops; simply open up and go. Administrators can oversee an entire fleet of laptops from a cloud-based management console, changing apps as they see fit to account for testing schedules and policies. The sub 10-second startup means a faster start to the day; No downtime means more opportunities for kids to become independent, proactive learners. 

Chromebooks have shaped education for a number of years, and they are only getting better, faster, and more affordable. Arey Jones is your educational technology partner in helping you close the digital divide. We’ll help you find the right technology and peripherals, and we’ll help you deploy them and keep you supported every step of the way.