Three school districts in Illinois, Iowa and South Carolina will distribute approximately 27,000 Google Chromebook laptops to students as part of new technology initiatives, the company announced Thursday. While some have criticized the browser-based devices for slow performance, others say quick startup times and long battery life make them a good fit for schools and students
""We're doing a lot of formative assessments on them," Morelock says. Using apps such as iResponse and resources like Google Documents, teachers are able to receive feedback from students and record their own observations about students' progress, he says.
Teachers have full autonomy in deciding which apps they use and how they use the mobile devices in the classroom, says Morelock. That leeway cuts down on the management load for the district's technology team.
"The teachers are updating them, syncing them, and they're finding a thousand different ways to use them," he says of the devices. "It's been really incredible, and it really has to do with the ease of using the device, and the teachers really taking the lead." "
TCEA (Texas Computer Education Association) to the rescue! TCEA regularly tests available apps and recommends apps that teachers should be using.
TCEA maintains a list of recommended apps in a shared document via Google Docs. The list is organized by subject area and free apps are color coded in white.