Wow. No blog post from me since April. Possibly no-one noticed (or cared?). I changed jobs in June and have been busier in my new job than ever, right up to the end of term.
On a positive note, next year I have a few lessons a week to devote to R & D on e-learning, and that is exciting. I even get a (small) budget - not enough for a set of Glass... :( However, might get a go at Cardboard, and there are a heap of tools I want to try out, such as Splashtop (already trialed this and found it great) and Air Parrot 2. I am specifically looking for ways to mirror Chrome and Android devices to my PC and thus the projector. I am looking for a bit of freedom from the front of class, and no, I won't just buy an iPad...
What a year this has been for Google and related stuff for education:
The Education Directory lists all the GCTs, Education Trainers and Certified Trainers around the world, a great starting point if someone needs a little help.
Google Education Groups (GEGs) were launched and GEG NZ is off to a fine start, with several Hangouts On Air and one face to face meeting carried out. Again, good idea sharing, and more connections and networking.
Google Classroom has proven itself to be useful already, with one update fairly quickly implemented. I'm looking forward to seeing a way to organise the shared items better as another new feature soon.
The launch of more Nexus devices (yes please... I'll have a 6 and a 9 if possible) and Lollipop (although I love this, still needs some bugs fixing).
Just this week, Google announced merging cells in tables within Docs. It might seem like something small, but this could really nail those "I can't do without Microsoft Word" kind of arguments we hear from some people. Waiting patiently for our domain to get this update.
And of course, who could forget the Google Santa Tracker which lets you know where the big fella is. Very cool.
On a positive note, next year I have a few lessons a week to devote to R & D on e-learning, and that is exciting. I even get a (small) budget - not enough for a set of Glass... :( However, might get a go at Cardboard, and there are a heap of tools I want to try out, such as Splashtop (already trialed this and found it great) and Air Parrot 2. I am specifically looking for ways to mirror Chrome and Android devices to my PC and thus the projector. I am looking for a bit of freedom from the front of class, and no, I won't just buy an iPad...
What a year this has been for Google and related stuff for education:
The Education Directory lists all the GCTs, Education Trainers and Certified Trainers around the world, a great starting point if someone needs a little help.
Google Education Groups (GEGs) were launched and GEG NZ is off to a fine start, with several Hangouts On Air and one face to face meeting carried out. Again, good idea sharing, and more connections and networking.
Google Classroom has proven itself to be useful already, with one update fairly quickly implemented. I'm looking forward to seeing a way to organise the shared items better as another new feature soon.
The launch of more Nexus devices (yes please... I'll have a 6 and a 9 if possible) and Lollipop (although I love this, still needs some bugs fixing).
Just this week, Google announced merging cells in tables within Docs. It might seem like something small, but this could really nail those "I can't do without Microsoft Word" kind of arguments we hear from some people. Waiting patiently for our domain to get this update.
And of course, who could forget the Google Santa Tracker which lets you know where the big fella is. Very cool.
There are so many cool things I want to check out, and now I might have the time to do this (and get paid for doing it as well).
I will be looking for advice and recommendations of other stuff I should check out - leave a comment if you like. So, suggestions please. What should I be trying as part of this role?
Oh, and a New Year's Resolution (starting from when we go back to school, end of January)- as I try things, I aim to update this blog at least once a fortnight (gulp, based on my track record...), Tweet and post to Google+ five times a week, and make this a part of my reflection on what I find out. Talk about unattainable targets!
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