Google Updates! - Google Earth on Your Chromebook!

Earth just got a massive update! No longer does the program need to be installed to run on your computer! Instead, you can now run Google Earth on the web, meaning that all of our Chromebooks are capable of running Google Earth and transporting our students around the world in matter of seconds.

Talking about pyramids in Math? Jump to Egypt and show them off! Learning about Ancient Greece in Social Studies? Show the landscape in Google Earth! Learning about the rain forest? Take them there! Reading about the Mighty Mississippi? Take a trip down the river! Google Earth allows us to take our students anywhere in the world and show them what they are learning.

With the advent of the street view and integration, we can get street level views of the areas we talk about. It is an amazing tool that we can use in many different ways!

Have questions? Let me know!

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Chromebook Shortcut of the Week - 10/14/2016

This weeks shortcut of the week is to help you project your Chromebook. Due to resolutions, your Chromebook will likely default to the “Extended Screen” mode. If they happens, you will see your desktop background on the screen upon plugging in your Chromebook (your Chromebook needs an HDMI connection, if you need a cable, I can get you one!). In order to change this, you will use the “Ctrl + Full Screen” button. This will quickly switch between the two modes, allowing you to switch back and forth. A quick word to the wise, the extended screen is usually to the right!

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App Highlight - Grasshopper

Grasshopper is a relatively new app from Google's Area 120. It is available on both the Android and iOS operating systems. In this app, you complete challenges through writing bits of JavaScript. I like to compare it to Duolingo, the popular language learning app. It is free and allows you to work on the puzzles at your own pace. This is a step up from the Blockly coding that has been popularized by Hour of Code and Code.org. The best part is, you get nearly instant feedback and multiple tries to master the material. While this will not get you a Silicon Valley coding job by itself, it will definitely start you down a path that allows you to start growing your coding skills. It is really worth checking out. Learn more at here .

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