10 Ways To Geek Out Over Google Docs

Google Docs has reshaped the way we write, edit, collaborate, and comment, but it can do so much more than we often give it credit. How many of the following ten cool features are you actively using?

1. Type with your voice.

Google Docs allows you to say it like you mean it—literally—with its voice typing technology. This is great for those of us who like to multitask and for those of us who don’t necessarily love typing all the time. This feature includes punctuation (comma), as well as commands like “select paragraph,” “new line,” “all caps,” and “underline.” View the full list of Google voice typing commands here.

How To Voice Type in Google Docs: Head to “Tools” and then “Voice Typing” to get started.

2. Notify your team.

Need to assign a task or pass the baton in a collaborative document? Just create a comment and tag a teammate using their email, and then check the box to assign the task to them. The team member will receive an email notification that something in the document requires their attention. 

How To Assign a Task in Google Docs: Create a comment and type “+” with the desired email address. Follow the remaining prompts. 

3. Find a previous version.

Google Docs automatically saves every version of your document, so if too many hands in the pot have ruined your delicious prose, you can reach back in time to your preferred paragraphs.

How to find previous Google Doc versions: Head to “File” and click “See revision history.”

4. Easily source links.

Google Docs makes very light work of sources and resources when it comes to creating live URL links within a document. Simply highlight the text you would like to link and hit CTRL+K; Google docs will find the most relevant link for you. You can also copy and paste the URL if you want.

How to create a link within a Google Doc: Psst. Read the above.

5. Translate into another language.

While not infallible by any stretch, you can get a head start on creating documents in many other languages by using the Google Doc translating tool. Make sure to proofread, though. A lot. 

How to translate a Google Doc into another language: Click on “Translate document” under the “Tools section.

6. Create a digital signature.

Parent consent forms could get a lot easier and emails more personal if you used the drawing tool for signatures. This feature uses the Google Doc drawing function, which is also useful for drawing diagrams and sending handwritten notes.

How to create a digital signature in Google Docs: Open the Drawing tool in the Insert menu. Select “line” and then “Scribble.” Autograph, save, close, and insert as needed!

7. Free faxing!

We’ve all had that weird situation when someone asks us to fax a document. I mean, who has fax machines anymore? Luckily, Google Docs allows you to fax up to 5 pages for free through their online system; as long as the file is in an accessible folder, you’re good!

How to fax via Google Docs: Click the “Fax This” bookmarklet, type the phone number, and away you go.

8. Add an outline. 

Document outlines not only help with organization, but they also can serve as a table of contents when building a large document that may not be otherwise easy to navigate.

How to make a table of comments in Google Docs: Head to “Tools” and click “ Document Outline.” All headers will be listed automatically, allowing you to navigate your pages quickly.

9. Explore your options.

The Google Docs “explore” feature lets you work and search at the same time, be it additional articles for research, more images, video and more. 

How to learn more about your topic in Google Docs: Head to that trusty “Tools” section again and hit the “Explore” menu item. A right sidebar will pop up, offering the information you’re looking for (and probably more than you need).

10. Work online and offline. 

Contrary to common belief, don’t need an internet connection to work on a Google Doc, but you do need an active sign-in to Google Chrome. You can view, create, and edit existing files as needed, and all the changes will sync up as soon as you plug back into the interwebs. Remember, you won’t be able to actively collaborate, but you can create your comments and tags in the meantime.

How to work offline in Google Docs: Click on “Settings” and then find “Offline Sync” to turn it on.

Google Docs is impressive right out of the box, and it doesn’t stop there. It offers tons of free add-ons that are specific to the tasks you need. Easy Bib, for instance, makes light work of bibliographies. HelloFax allows you to both send—and receive—faxes online. You can also use the apps to encrypt your document, shorten URLs, launch a conference call around a document, and more.

Have another hack you’d like to add? We're all ears.

Fighting Fatigue: How To Prevent School Sleepiness

Exhaustion. Burnout. Stress. From Kindergarten to college, every student has been there. Whether your student is fighting a growth spurt, school sleepiness, or academic fatigue, there are ways you can help keep them awake and alert in the classroom.

1. When in doubt, ask. There are many reasons why a student may fall asleep or tune out in the classroom, so if you have concerns, start asking questions. Have they eaten? How much sleep did they get the night before? Is the room too warm? When was the last time they moved around? Is the desk too far away from the action?

2. Encourage healthy habits. Growing kids need plenty of rest, fruits, vegetables, and water to keep their bodies alert and humming along. Both parents and teachers can model good habits and teach the benefits of self-awareness and self-care.

3. Address the overwhelmed. Kids today are pushed to pack more and more on their academic and athletic plates, yet the fact of the matter is there are only so many hours in a day. Be aware of the symptoms of burnout: long-term fatigue, intellectual exhaustion, decline in academic performance, apathy toward learning, and procrastination that replaces a previous excitement. Find out what can be removed or adjusted to create a little breathing room so more focus can be paid on what’s important.

4. Make learning fascinating. One way to fight fatigue in the classroom is to up the ante. Studies have shown that students learn better when they are extremely interested in a topic; instead of tasking them to read on their own about a topic, get them out of their seats and engage them in the presentation and the discovery. Allow for self-expression both in and out of comfort zones, and use educational technology as a tool to track and monitor student progress.

5. Provide plenty of breaks. Long lectures or long times in front of a tablet can make anyone a little sleepy. Remind students to get up and move about the classroom, eat a snack, stretch, or attempt a different task at regular intervals to give their eyes and brains a break.

When it comes to academic and physical fatigue, it’s important to keep the conversations going between students, parents, and teachers. The joint effort can go a long way to finding the source of the problem—and the solution—so that everyone can wake up to a better day of learning something new.

Learning On The Move: How To Get Kids Out Of Their Desks

It’s been well-established that everyone benefits immensely from regular physical activity. Kids benefit from the way exercise promotes growth and development, and both adults and kids alike see drastic benefits in their physical, mental, and cognitive health when they make exercise and movement a priority in their day.

This study from the National Academy of Sciences reports that active children “show greater attention, have faster cognitive processing speed and perform better on standardized academic tests” than children who are more sedentary. Regular exercise has also been shown to improve mental health by preventing and reducing conditions like depression and anxiety, which can also interfere with a student’s ability to learn. 

Of course, students don’t come to school to move and exercise (at least not primarily); they come to learn. While incorporating technology in the classroom can help with learning, so can a physically active classroom. Here are a few methods that can engage both the mind and their bodies, to the benefit of both. 

Stop sitting still.

Children (and adults!) start to fade if they are told to remain quiet and motionless for an extended period of time. While self-control is an important skill, so is the ability to check in with your class to see where you can invite a stretch or some activity into the curriculum. Sometimes simply standing up and leading a stretching exercise is all you need to refocus your classroom and awaken their minds.

Be flexible.

Introduce a little yoga into your classroom by drawing a random yoga pose from a deck of yoga cards or assigning a new pose every day of the week. When the class gets a little listless, you can all learn the poses together. Amp up the learning by talking about the physical processes that benefit from each pose.

Introduce adventure.

One teacher we know wrote questions related to her lesson on index cards and taped them underneath her kids’ chairs before school started, so they’d have to get up and move around to complete that day’s assignment. Exercises like these are especially useful across the variety of subjects in the common core.

Stand for something.

More and more adults are using standing desks at work, and it “stands” to reason that kids could benefit from a shift in blood flow from time to time. Dedicate a time during the day for “standing room only” and have kids complete an assignment or project to see how well they think on their feet.

Make a classroom playlist.

Another teacher assigned each student in her class with the task of bringing in his or her favorite song to share with the room. She then used this song to allow the kids the chance to express themselves through movement during a set part of her day.

These are just a few ideas, and we’re sure you have a few more. Share them in the comments below or on our Facebook page!

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. 

Microsoft Is Sparking Creativity In The Modern Classroom

Despite having a strong core offering for educational tools, systems, and management platforms, Microsoft has realized that no one technology partner has all the answers when it comes to how best to nourish and guide a nation of learners. As such, it has partnered with a number of organizations and applications from around the world to bring as much education to the table as possible.

And it’s all available at the Microsoft Store for Education.

Microsoft breaks down these partner apps into two themes: the Modern Classroom and Sparking Creativity.

Microsoft and the Modern Classroom

The goal of the Modern Classroom is to personalize education by providing students with the apps and platforms that feel most natural to the way they learn, and a lot of this is through gaming and collaboration. It also recognizes that fun shouldn’t be hard to manage or share; apps in this theme provide ways to facilitate activities while using analytics to track progress and ensure each student is making the most of each learning opportunity. Kids stay on task. Teachers stay connected. Parents stay informed.

Here are a few examples of Microsoft partner apps for the modern classroom.

• Classcraft, for classroom organization

• BrainPop, for content publishing

• Edmodo, for learning management

• Edsby, for communication and collaboration

• Explain Everything, for interactive whiteboards

• Pearson System of Courses, for e-readers and e-textbooks

Microsoft and Sparking Creativity

Now that you have a modern classroom, you can make the most of it with Microsoft partner apps that expose students to interactive curriculum along the STEAM spectrum. Science, technology, engineering, art, and math are represented well in the Microsoft Store for Education, fostering inspiration and innovation that go well beyond the classroom walls. Project-based learning not only helps develop skills in critical, design, and computational thinking; it also plays up a learner’s most crucial attribute—curiosity.

Here are a few examples of Microsoft partner apps for sparking creativity.

• SwopBots, a coding platform / adventure.

• PicsArt-Photo Studio, a powerful photo editor, drawing tool, and collage maker.

• Arduino IDE, an open-source electronics platform

• Fluid Math, a handwriting-based educational math app

• eMathsMaster, an online training software for non-Math teachers

Microsoft is making it easier than ever to connect more often and educate more effectively.

Want to learn more? That’s exactly why we’re here.

How Improving Typing Skills Can Improve Overall Communication

As someone who writes blogs as part of her job, I feel my words-per-minute more than most. I can pinpoint my early typing skills to particular summer I spent at a cousin’s house, stumbling inside out of the heat and falling into playing Stickybear Typing on their Apple II. This was during the era between electric typewriters and computer labs; computers were word processors and toys, not the educational, creative, data-collecting and professional powerhouses they are today.

Learning to type became just as crucial as learning to swim that summer, and it was a turning point in my confidence level and the way I put my ideas to work. I didn’t know it at the time because it was a game and I enjoyed it, but that summer spent typing was a game changer in my school and professional life.

Nowadays, kids learn their letters by the shape, sound, and where they are located on the QWERTY keyboard. How well they learn them, and how fast they can type them, could very well determine how well they do in school, how well they interact with others, and how well they communicate with the world at large.

Keyboarding gets their motor running.

And by this we mean motor skills. Keyboarding requires an artful application of fine and gross motor skills—locate keys by touch, applying just the right pressure when striking, and moving on to the next. It’s a common action those of us can do it take for granted; we simply think and the words seem to appear effortlessly on the page. The truth is, typing is a much more physical exertion, and one that requires constant practice, like playing an instrument or a sport, to maximize efficiency, accuracy, and confidence.

Keyboarding gets juices flowing.

This is where making keyboarding a part of early and ongoing curriculum just makes sense. Just like providing technology in the classroom on a one-to-one or shared basis is important to closing the digital divide for all kids, teaching keyboarding removes yet another barrier between inspiration and innovation. The faster kids can translate thoughts into sentences, sentences to words, words to letters, and letters into keys, the easier it becomes for them to use technology to express themselves, find what they are looking for, create what they mean to, and present what they intended. 

Keyboarding makes coding possible.

While coding will likely be a part of daily existence for our future workforce, it is simply another language our kids must learn to type. Basic computer skills start with typing, even in a touch screen environment. While Chromebooks and Windows10 laptops are becoming more and more hands-on with stylus pens and on-screen interactive elements, those advancements just give us more ways to use our hands to navigate the technological landscape.

Keyboarding apps and software abound, thank goodness, and the best ones, like Typing Instructor and UltraKey, teach children the correct finger-to-key movement as well as variety, drills, and tips on posture and how to improve accuracy speed. There are also typing programs geared for the younger set—Mickey’s Typing Adventure and Garfield’s Typing Pal, to name two good ones—that offer simple, fun, personalized games for the best results.

In the end, keyboarding makes students more proficient in educational technologies and the opportunities that come with them. The more exposure children get to a keyboard and what they can do with it, the faster and better they can learn.

10 For 10: Why Windows 10 Is Crushing It In The Classroom

Windows 10 keeps delivering more value to the classroom with a platform that is as fun to explore as it is to use while exploring.

Here are ten ways we think Windows 10 is a win for so many K12 schools and classrooms. 

1. Customized technology means personalized learning.
   According to PBS Learning Media, 73% of teachers say that technology allows them to create specific lesson plans tailored to individual learning styles. Teachers can specify the apps, programs, and settings for each student through their admin console, allowing them to create—and monitor—the learning environment for each student.

1. Students learn by touch, by movement, and by heart.
   Windows 10 devices speak education as their first language, and they translate accordingly to a variety of learners. The goal isn’t to teach every child the same way; the goal is to help kids realize how much they love to learn by approaching it in the way that comes most naturally to them. Touch screens, stylus pens, gesture inputs, and voice activation are just a few ways students can use technology to bridge the gap between questions and answers. 

1. Assisted learning gets an assist.
   It’s predicted that nearly 10% of the population is affected by a specific or undiagnosed learning disability, which can—and often does—have a profound effect on educational outcomes. Windows 10 supports inclusive classrooms by providing a technological environment that is compatible with a wide array of assistive applications that helps all students engage, interact, and collaborate with each other.  

1. Windows 10 puts it in writing.
   A recent study states that students who diagrammed their thinking with a pen scored up to 36% better on science tests than their keyboard stroking peers. Windows 10 takes advantage of Microsoft’s premier inking experience to bring ideas to life on every advice and application.

1. Keeping student data secret and safe.
   Ask any parent about technology in the classroom, and you’ll get their fears in the first two sentences. In fact, 79% of all parents are concerned with the security and privacy of their kids. Windows 10 addresses this head on with improved tools for data security, log-in validation measures, student identity protection, and malware protection.

1. Deploy in minutes.
   This one is for the teachers and administrators who didn’t necessarily sign-on to be IT professionals when they took their jobs. Windows 10 is arguably one of the easiest classroom technologies to deploy, monitor, and manage, offering a seamless transition process for users as well as in-place upgrades and assistance packages.

1. A class that works together, learns together.
   Collaboration is a skill kids learn early and practice often; to do it well takes repeated exposure to different ways of thinking, communicating, organizing and delegating. Windows OneNote makes easy work of this, enabling students and teachers to work on files simultaneously, whether they are across the room or across the country. Students stay on top of their work and, with collaboration tracking, teachers keep an eye on who’s participating.

1. Bring on the peripherals.
   Windows 10 not only makes it easier for students to collaborate and share with each other, but it also makes it easier to work across devices and connect to printers, cameras, digital microscopes, and several other devices.

1. More free apps mean more accessibility.
   School budgets are tight enough without having to add additional costs to one-to-one and shared technology. Microsoft’s education partners are constantly coming up with free and inexpensive ways to help children learn, and all are available in the Windows 10 app market.

1. Windows 10 puts the fun into getting things done.
   All in all, Windows 10 allows teachers to demonstrate ideas and concepts in a way that couldn’t do with traditional methods; they have moved beyond the front-of-the-room lecture and onto white boards, interactive presentations, video, and exploratory maps and wikis. By making learning more accessible and approachable, more kids participate in lessons and fewer kids get left behind. And that’s entirely the point.

Want to know how you can implement Windows 10 into your curriculum?

How To Plug Into The Best School Year Ever With Apps

Make no mistake, the best way to have the most productive and confident school year ever is to pretend the previous one never ended. “Every teacher—and every parent—dreads the summer backslide,” says Erica Eichmann at Arey Jones Educational Solutions. “The good news is, there are several apps available to help kids retain the skills they learned in the previous year and help set them up for success for the ones that are coming around the bend.” 

Here are five of our favorite summertime—and all-time—favorite apps.

Khan Academy

Khan Academy does for math and science what summer reading does for everything else; it pushes people in the direction of growth. With lectures, videos, quizzes, and more, the Khan Academy app helps people improve their comprehension, round out their understanding, and give more meat to distance learning programs. 

DuoLingo

If you’ve never heard of DuoLingo, it’s probably because you’re not currently studying a foreign language; otherwise, most people learning second and third languages are already familiar with the way this amazing app turns language lessons into games. Listen, speak, and translate through the DuoLingo interface, and you’ll find yourself nearing native-speaker status. Several languages are available, and the database is growing all the time.

Brainscape

From language to geography to math skills, Brainscape makes flashcards in a flash. A free app with in-app purchases to customize your experience, Brainscape offers several ways for a student to recognize, name, and memorize math facts, locations, and vocabulary so that larger concepts are easier to understand and manipulate. Great for road trips, long commutes, and rainy afternoons.

Match Motion: Cupcake!

For those elementary students who are sweet on everything else but math, Math Motion: Cupcake! gives math facts the spoonful of sugar kids need to make the multiplication medicine go down.

The Periodic Table

The Royal Society of Chemistry has somehow managed to create an elegant app packed with information, videos, atom models, and more for budding and passionate chemists. Users rave about its accessibility and approachability of information; by simply clicking on an element, you can learn about its natural state and real-life applications, watch podcasts and videos, and watch it interact with temperature and other elements.

And educational apps aren’t just for kids. Several of the apps and articles we listed above work just as well for adult learners as they do elementary, middle school, and high school students. It goes to show that when you pair technology with a lifelong love of learning, it doesn’t matter when school starts and stops; it only matters that you have the passion and the tools to keep growing.

The Worldview: How US Academic Technology Compares

One of the biggest international cross-section of comparative tests is the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), which measures reading ability, math and science literacy and other key skills among 15-year-olds throughout the world.

The test is taken every three years, the last of which was 2015. In it, the U.S. landed right in the middle, #38 out of 71 countries in math and 24th in science.

Given the push for more technology in the schools over the last decade, these scores can appear disheartening; school budgets have been increased to incorporate new, better, and more computers, platforms, accessibility, and resources. While the scores are deflating, it may not be an indication of a wasted effort; it may simply be too soon to tell.

Consider the following statistics gathered by StatisticBrain in 2015:

• 98% of schools that have one or more computers in the classroom

• 3% of schools that have high-speed internet

• 7% of schools have laptops available

• 81% of teachers think tablets can enrich classroom learning.

• 64% of high school seniors say a tablet helps study more efficiently

This doesn’t reflect one-to-one initiatives, which, on a grand scale are relatively low; students are more likely to share devices in a classroom than to have one at every desk. It’s one thing to compare the United States to China or India or Japan with math and science scores alone; quite another to understand the significance of the disparities in access, funding, and challenges the United States must address on a daily basis.

While there are hundreds of technological tools for available to increase the breadth and scope of learning, we are only just beginning to harness the information that will enable teachers to make more of an impact on their students with customized lesson plans. The important thing is to get the hardware and framework in place so that the data can start speaking for itself.

Access to technology will have a huge impact on how students in America engage and compete with the rest of the planet for jobs and opportunities. The sooner and more completely we use technology tools both in teaching and in learning, the bigger the difference we can make in how students understand what they are being taught, and how well they test on the material.

While developing countries are gaining on the West in terms of cell phone and smartphone usage, they, like the rest of us, have a ways to go in incorporating all of its possibilities into our educational experience.

Ready for educational technology to make an impact on your school? Click here to learn more.

Bridge The Gap: How To Keep Parents In The Loop When Everything Is Online

As schools move toward paperless communication and less homework for elementary school students, parents feel less overwhelmed by the minutia of the school year. They also feel a lot more out of the loop when it comes to knowing what’s going on in the classroom and how they can help.

The movement toward less homework is supported by a study done by CNN, when researchers found that first graders received almost three times the amount of homework recommended by the NEA and the National PTA. While it’s clear children could use the downtime, what isn’t clear is how to engage parents in the learning process so that lesson plans can be supported at home—without the need to sacrifice sanity or trees in the process.

Knowing the material, however, is only part of the equation. Today’s technology not only allows parents to view their children’s progress in real time, but they also can see where and how they excel and struggle with subjects, tests, and organization skills.

“Parental and family involvement in a child’s education is essential,” said Erica Eichmann, at Arey Jones Educational Solutions. “We’re fortunate to live in a time when there are several ways to engage parents both off and online. The key is to keep educating and reminding parents where the resources are, encourage consistent and clear dialogue throughout the school year, and help families create learning-friendly environments at home.”

Here are 5 ways parents can engage more fully in their children’s education.

Define study time.

Parents who designate a time and space for studying and learning show kids that education is a priority. This could be as simple as designating a place in the home for homework that is close enough for questions and support, but far enough away so they won’t be distracted from finding answers on their own. In addition to the space, setting a schedule and routine around studying makes it just as important as games and dance events.

Learn the tools.

Parents should feel knowledgeable about every tool the school uses in their curriculum. If kids are using platforms like Blackboard, ClassTag, Wixie, Google for Education, and Dreambox during the day, parents should feel reasonably equipped to help and promote the use of these tools at home. Resources like bealearninghero.org are a great place to get started. Set reminders in your calendar every week to check classroom resources; this may seem silly, but we all know how fast time can fly. This holds you accountable as well; if your children have set study parameters, it’s good that you have set support parameters, too.

Reach out.

If you don’t receive consistent communication from the teacher, take on the charge. Find out how best to reach the teacher for non-emergency concerns, and make a warm introduction. Create a monthly reminder in your calendar to reach out, even if it’s just to say how much your child enjoys the classroom (teachers never tire of hearing positive feedback). If you have questions, ask. If you have concerns, state them clearly, and be just as clear that you expect to hear back if the teacher also notices something you don’t. If you have issues at home that may effect your child’s ability to learn (new baby, divorce, moving, etc.), make sure the teacher is given just enough information to be aware of any changes.

You and the teacher are two of the most important parts of your child’s educational team; you should be familiar with each other and help the other fill in the gaps.

Encourage accountability.

It’s always important to talk about goals, dreams and setting expectations for effort. Break goals into manageable steps so that students have the freedom to course correct. Not meeting a goal is disappointing, but not the end of the journey; the purpose is to teach resilience and resourcefulness in the hunt for the next best thing. If something goes awry, help students determine how they could have it differently for a better result, and help give them the confidence to manage the consequences and try again.

Engaged parents make a huge difference in the success of their students, so the sooner and more specifically you can get involved in your child’s education, the better off your kids will be.

Do you have any experience in a reduced-homework school? What are your thoughts?

8 Things That Are Obsolete In 21st-Century Schools

Times are a-changing. If you were born before 1990, chances are you can walk into today’s 21st-century classroom and only find a handful of the items you used while you walked those hallways as a student. Here are eight things that are missing from today’s schools and what’s replaced them.

The Computer Lab

Remember the computer lab, the room filled with huge monitors, the smell of static, and the hum of twenty small fan blades cooling off core processors? No more. Computer labs have been replaced by mobile laptop carts and in-classroom device learning, and they are now used as additional classrooms and space for STEAM and STEM learning environments.

The Oregon Trail

Goodbye, wagon wheels. Hello, SimCityEDU. Instead of working to avoid dysentery, students are braving a new frontier of civil engineering and anthropology.

The School Newspaper

Also phasing out is the paper copy of the school newspaper. Thanks to schools embracing social media, there are far more effective methods to distributing information, events, updates, and more. 

One-Size-Fits-All Learning

Thanks to improving technology, teachers can now more easily identify the types of learners in their classroom and provide customized instruction based on a student’s ability to process information visually, audibly, or kinesthetically. By using test scores and software, teachers are better able to equip students to learn in a way that is most efficient and most effective.

Three-Ring Binders

The Trapper Keeper is to Google Docs as the ditto machine is to the copier. Schools and students alike are using less paper and more cloud-based solutions for note-taking, homework, and collaboration.

Chalkboards

Gone are the dusty slate walls of yesterday, as is the dreaded end-of-day task of clapping erasers and washing the boards. Today most schools use white boards and smart boards to provide more than just math equations and verb conjugations; they can share informative videos, visual aids, guest speakers, and more.

Cursive

Dropping cursive from some curriculum has been a bit controversial as of late, but with typing and keyboarding such a crucial part of learning and connecting with the world these days, something had to go.

Floppy Disks

Five-and-a-half or three-and-a-quarter? If these sizes mean something to you, it may be hard to believe they don’t mean a thing to today’s learners, who operate solely on thumb drives and cloud storage.

These are just a handful of the ways today’s learning environments are different from the past. What are we missing from this list?

Why Kids Should Learn To Program In Schools

While the Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts jobs for computer programmers will decline 8% over the next decade in the United States, coding is becoming the most in-demand skill across industries. And most experts agree that teaching it to kids should be our first priority.

In his Time Magazine article, “Why Schools Should Teach More Than Basic Coding” Tim Bajarin says, “We live in a complex world, one in which technology plays a major role and more jobs require computer skills. Both coding and computational skills classes need to be a mandatory part of our youth’s education if they are to be prepared to compete for the jobs of the future and live successfully in a world where technology will be integrated into every part of their personal and professional lives.”

Several studies back opinion; while jobs specific to computer programmers may be decreasing, more and more industries are requiring coding as part of their job descriptions, much like Microsoft Office proficiency was preferred during the turn of the 21st century. Burning Glass Technologies found that coding skills are being increasingly required in significant industries; in fact, seven million job openings in 2015 were in occupations which value coding skills, including nformation technology, data analysis, design, engineering, and science.

During his presidency, President Obama stressed the importance of mandatory computer programming education in schools as the “Hour of Code” swept the nation. Students as young as kindergarten began to understand the inner workings of their favorite games.

Programming isn’t only a popular part of the curriculum, it’s also becoming the most essential. Learning how and why to do something is becoming more important than what and when; the former must be learned, and the latter can be looked up, confirmed, and researched in a matter of seconds. As schools navigate and use technology in their classrooms, coding becomes the universal language in which students can write their own ticket for success.

Interested in learning how technology can improve your classroom? Arey Jones is here to help.

How Technology Can Boost Learning All Summer Long

According to the National Summer Learning Association, almost 66 percent of teachers say that they spend the first month of school re-teaching students material from the previous year. Preventing “summer learning loss” is a hot topic for many schools and parents alike, and technology can help bridge the gap.

Boost creativity.

From Minecraft to robotics and 3-D printing, technology has a place on the crafting table. Encourage kids to explore, build, and create their own art, movies, music, and more through apps, software, and online tools. 

Make it a game.

If they are going to be on their devices anyway, give them games to choose from that can grow their minds while they keep their cool inside. There are a lot of great gems on this list from Digital Trends.

Get ready to read.

One of the easiest ways to prevent the summer slide is to encourage your kids to read as much as possible. Reading books on tablets is one way to keep a wide variety of titles handy, and a great way for kids to earn time playing other less-educational activities. Whooo’s Reading is a known resource for inspiring students to up their page game over break. 

Start growing.

Summer means fresh produce, but don’t wait for your local farmer’s market to do it for you. Plant a garden and use one of the many gardening apps to track plant growth, identify rogue plants and mushrooms, and remind you to weed, water, and check for bugs.

Take a field trip.

Apps like MuseumFinder can put the onus of relieving boredom back in your kids’ hands. Have them search for things to do and visit using local and national apps geared toward making sure kids always have something to do, see, and explore.

Let off some STEAM.

Encourage your kids to dive into science, technology, engineering, art, and math activities throughout the summer, whether it’s by learning to make a new recipe, try a hand at chemistry, solve logical puzzles, and build a better mousetrap. More great STEM and STEAM apps are coming on the market all the time, and summer is a great time to test and rate them (which could be an activity of its own!).

Keep the summer sliding on the playground this year and encourage your kids to keep on learning all break long. They’ll be ready to hit the ground running come fall, which will not only boost their educational confidence but also their performance.

What educational apps are on your summer radar this year? Let us kno

Technology Closes Gaps In Different Learning Styles

As every educator knows, students process and digest information in a variety of ways. Visual learners remember best what they read or see. Auditory learners understand best by listening and speaking. Kinetic learners feel most comfortable jumping in and physically learning as they go. So many different learning styles can cause quite a challenge for teachers trying to make sure every student is on the same page.

Enter educational technology.

Integrating technology into the classroom is a beneficial practice for students and teachers alike. Teachers can incorporate students’ learning styles into the lesson and execute them over a variety of devices to ensure students learn in the way they are most comfortable.

For instance, the same lesson can be visually demonstrated while also accompanied by narration and tactile touchscreen assignments help round out the educational appeal. Educational devices allow students to actively participate in the learning, even before they are aware of their own specific learning preference.

These positive practices can extend beyond the classroom and into the home for nightly homework sessions at the kitchen table. Students can peruse the entire day’s lesson plans with access to its presentations, recorded lectures and interactive worksheets, allowing them to proceed at their own pace and in their own way.

Whatever the student’s learning style, tablets and computers have a place on their desk. Educational technology aims to ensure no child is left behind both in the details of the day’s assignment and the scope of the bigger picture.

We believe technology should always enhance a classroom, not distract from it. When you need an integrated technology architecture that works seamlessly with your classroom, school, and district goals, we at Arey Jones can help you design a solution that works.

K-12 Blueprint Faces Privacy And Security Challenges Head On

One of the most important factors in making educational technology more accessible is making sure it remains in a safe and secure environment at all time. Protecting student, administrative, and institutional data is an important concern and one that organizations like K-12 Blueprint take seriously.

With almost 20 informational presentations and programs, K-12 Blueprint guides teachers and educational leaders in protecting student and institutional information. Measures like “need to know” access and secure student profiles are addressing the privacy and security issues head-on.

“A breach of a school’s student information system raises massive privacy concerns, but it starts as a security breach,” said Bob Moore in his Analyst Report for K-12 Blueprint. “Ensuring security of data does not ensure privacy, but without effective security measures, there can be no expectation of privacy.”

Fortunately, K-12 Blueprint believes security is a top priority for education technology and has designed a security and privacy toolkit to address threats and concerns before they emerge. From device to data and third-party apps, K-12 Blueprint offers detailed plans for addressing third party advertisement vendors, mobile device student privacy terms, and how to create a healthy metadata environment for parents, teachers, and schools.

We believe technology should always enhance a classroom, not distract from it. When you need an integrated technology architecture that works seamlessly with your classroom, school, and district goals, we at Arey Jones can help you design a solution that works.

5 Stress-Free Ways To Manage Chromebooks In The Classroom

Introducing technology into the classroom unlocks numerous educational benefits for parents, teachers, and students. It can also introduce distraction, hassle, and disorder. To help keep stress levels low, here are some tips for managing and organizing technological tools in the classroom.

1. Labeling Chromebooks and other hardware is the first step to device organization. Different colored tape or marker provides differentiation among students’ devices. Another possible suggestion is to set the background on the device as the child’s school picture for easy recognition when lost.

1. Set aside time at the end of the day for students to put Chromebooks and other devices in their backpacks to avoid last minute confusion.

1. Keep better tabs with tracking apps, which allow teachers to track the location of their students’ devices while also providing another layer of security.

1. Designate a time once every two weeks to update all devices to the latest software. Keep the devices at school overnight and ensure they are all up-to-date. While the devices refresh and recharge, students can, too!

1. Speaking of charging, create a power station for your students’ Chromebooks and tablets to ensure they are always ready for a full day of work. Label cords with the same color as the one on the device and make sure students place their device in the same spot each time.

Remember, technology devices are supposed to make teaching easier. Maximize the benefits by plugging into device organization tips that work.

We believe technology should always enhance a classroom, not distract from it. When you need an integrated technology architecture that works seamlessly with your classroom, school, and district goals, we at Arey Jones can help you design a solution that works.

5 Ways Educational Apps Improve Classroom Performance

With the introduction of technology into the classroom becoming more prevalent, it begs the question: What makes using education apps worthwhile?

The answer?

First, apps used for education come in a variety of subject genre. Companies like Google provide students with numerous apps they, and their teachers, can use in the classroom. Google sheets, Google Play for Education, and Google Art Project are just a few of Google’s many education platforms. In addition to google there are many apps for each classroom subject such as Choreo Graph which teaches students STEM information through interactive lessons and activities.

Second, the process of downloading an app is a quick and easy process. Compared to the old way of ordering books and lessons, an app download is one click away. All the knowledge teachers and students require is at the touch of a button in moments.

Third, apps can be mobilized. Most apps in the Google G Suite are transferrable and work on multiple devices. Students and teachers can take the day’s lesson right out of the classroom without missing a beat or falling behind. 

Fourth, this mobility of apps also means an increase in sociability between teachers, parents, and students. Parents can acquire status reports from these apps to monitor how their child is performing. They can also actively participate in their child’s lesson via apps’ sharing capabilities.

Finally, apps cut down the cost for the institution. Textbooks and workbooks for every student are no longer necessary and one app download can be shared with the entire class without paying per student. The expansive quality of an app is worth its weight in gold.

Interested in learning how apps can improve your classroom? Arey Jones is here to help.

How K12 Blueprint Keeps Students On Task

One of our leading educational technology programs, K12 Blueprint, specializes in maximizing student potential and simplifying technology implementation in the classroom. A top goal of K12 Blueprint is keeping students on task and engaged in the classroom. K12 Blueprint designs multiple classroom tools to ensure maximum educational success.

K12 Blueprint works through classroom tool kits. From creating “Active Learning Spaces” to “Online Assessments,” K12 Blueprint creates detailed plans for teachers and educational institutes to follow. Complete with classroom floor plans and stories of successful implementation, K12 Blueprint is a leading classroom planning resource. Each tool kit is designed to accomplish a specific purpose, taking into account students different learning styles and overall student-teacher interaction. It is clear, the goal of K12 Blueprint tool kits is educational satisfaction.

K12 Blueprint also partners with top programs like Windows, Google and Ed Tech Solution Planner to create their classroom success plans. These solutions are integrated throughout their established toolkits and are valuable additions to the overall process. Additionally, K12 offers the integration of educational apps into their programs.

K12 Blueprint makes it easy for schools and teachers to create a positive learning environment for students of all learning types. Implementation of K12 Blueprint is a roadmap to success in the classroom.

For more information about how you can utilize K12 Blueprint, contact us. We are happy to answer any questions.

Google Sheets In The Classroom

The Google G Suite platform maximizes the 1:1 classroom scenario for schools, teachers, and students. One program in particular, Sheets, is beneficially used in the classroom as a data collection and organizational tool. We’ve compiled a variety of ways to use Sheets in the classroom setting to display Sheets’ positive qualities for education.

1. Digital Portfolios With Google Forms

Combining Google Sheets with Google Forms can create a digital portfolio. The student creates the Google Form and the responses are collected on a spreadsheet. This student portfolio can be easily shared with a teacher for review and can provide feedback for the student.

1. Digital Rubrics And Rubric Portfolios

Once a Sheet-based rubric is created, a master rubric sheet can be duplicated for future use. Additionally a master rubric tab can be duplicated to evaluate each student submission. The result is that teachers have one rubric sheet for each assignment evaluated with the master rubric. Additionally, because the rubrics are digital, teachers can utilize different formatting tools to create their rubrics. Cells can be created with formulas and can be color coded to the teachers liking.

1. Class Resources Sheet

Sheets can be used to create course calendars with columns for dates, units, and chapters. Teachers can efficiently organize entire courses into calendar sheets and then share them with their students. The created sheet can be added to the course website if possible and can be sent to parents as well to include all parties involved in the communication.

1. Research Planning And Archiving

Every teacher knows the challenge of assisting students in organizing, categorizing, and tracking large amounts of research. Creating a Google Sheet can streamline this process into topics and subtopics. Also with Google Sheets, students have the opportunity to share this document easily with teachers.

Want to know how you can implement Google Sheets and other Google G Suite programs in your school or classroom?

The Digital Classroom: No Paper, No Pencil, No Problem.

Classrooms are steadily moving into the future where the need for paper and pencil is increasingly waning.  With a tablet and stylus, a child can not only accomplish more, but they can work faster with less headache for themselves, their parents, and their teachers. 

The addition of internet into classrooms combined with the evolution of affordable electronic learning solutions is revolutionizing the way children learn and is escorting in the age of the digital classroom. 

There is a streamline in the education process that comes with the addition of tablet and stylus. Textbooks can be accessed through apps and internet browsers on their tablets, relinquishing the need for lugging around a backpack filled with pounds of textbooks.  With a tablet, a stylus can be set to work as a crayon, marker, highlighter, pen, pencil, paintbrush, etc.  A student’s activity can be tracked in real time and submitted from anywhere they have internet access.  The professional world is also becoming increasingly digital, so students are getting real world experience working with these tools and internet based solutions. 

Parents also benefit from internet education solutions, like Google’s G Suite for Education.  With cloud based learning solutions, all you need is your child’s login information or an email invitation to check on your child’s progress and help them with homework.  Whether in the office, on the road, or in a hotel, parents can video chat and screen share to go over homework with their child who is just a click away.

Another benefit of tablets in schools is for teachers. Teachers can upload correct answers of assignments and grade papers at the click of a button.  Not only is it quicker to grade, but the teacher doesn’t need to bring home hundreds of paper assignments to grade each one individually.  Schools are able to cut the costs of textbooks and library purchases by giving students access to a digital library via their personal tablets. 

A tablet and stylus can realistically solve nearly every problem a student encounters.  Tablets have become more and more powerful internally and durable externally--capable of word processing like a computer and strong enough to last more than just one school year.  Styluses have become sophisticated and so receptive that they work just as quickly as pen and paper with all of the same realistic nuances.  With a tablet, stylus, and internet connection, every student now has the ability to hold their entire education in the palm of their hand.

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