Author Archives: Cyrus Mistry

Chromebook tablets for versatile learning

This past January, students in Kristine Kuwano’s third grade classroom were buzzing with excitement at De Vargas Elementary School in Cupertino, California. Tasked with writing out math equations to upload to Google Classroom, the students grabbed their new tablets from the cart, pulled out the stylus, and logged into Chrome. “They love technology and they have grown up working with touch devices, so tablets are intuitive for them,” said Kuwano.

Since their debut, schools have chosen Chromebooks because they are fast, easy-to-use and manage, shareable, secure and affordable. We've listened carefully to feedback from educators around the world, and one common theme is that they want all the benefits of Chromebooks in a tablet form.

Starting today, with the new Acer Chromebook Tab 10, we're doing just that. It’s the first education tablet made for Chrome OS, and gives schools the easy management and shareability of Chromebook laptops. With touch and stylus functionality, this lightweight device is perfect for students creating multimedia projects—and also comes with a world of immersive experiences with Google Expeditions AR.

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The new Acer Chromebook Tab 10 is easy to pass around the room from student to student.

Shareable, secure, and easy to manage

Whether overseeing 100 or 100,000 devices, IT admins can manage these new Chromebook tablets alongside other Chrome devices with the Chrome Education license. This lets students access everything they need to learn, while giving admins control from a single, scalable console.

Because Chrome OS lets students securely share devices, Chromebook tablets are perfect for computer carts. Just like Chromebook laptops, students can quickly and securely log on to any device for a personalized learning experience and just as easily log out from all apps when class is over. Verified boot checks security at every boot and all user data is encrypted, making each Chromebook tablet secure and shareable.

What’s awesome is we can manage these new Chromebook tablets like we manage our existing Chromebook laptops—all on one platform. We don’t have to move between different interfaces. I manage my Chromebooks here, my tablets here, all as one big fleet. Mark Loundy
Instructional Technology Specialist, De Vargas

Think outside the desk(top): touch, stylus and Expeditions

These new Chromebook tablets are lightweight and durable, allowing students to collaborate, create and learn from anywhere. They come with a low-cost Chromebook stylus inside that doesn’t require charging or pairing. The stylus uses advanced machine learning to predict student writing for a natural writing experience.

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De Vargas Elementary School student upgrades from No.2 pencil to the wireless stylus for Acer Chromebook Tab 10.

Coming soon, teachers can take students on Google Expeditions to the Great Barrier Reef, the Colosseum, and even to the International Space Station—all from the screens of their Chrome devices. And with Expeditions AR, students will be able to stare into the eye of a miniature Category 5 hurricane or get up close with a strand of DNA.

Apps for every subject

Learning apps come to life in new ways when students have the flexibility of touchscreens, styluses and tablets. Student scientists can collect field notes in Science Journal and aspiring podcast producers can record and edit stories on the go with Soundtrap. Here are a few more apps that educators love to use with tablets: 

  • Get hands-on with handwriting: Students can use their stylus to jot down notes in Google Keep without the hassle of keeping track of (and losing) paper. In Squid, students can write directly on PDFs, and “paper” types like blank, wide-ruled, and grid. With the annotation feature in Google Classroom, teachers can illustrate complex concepts and give visual feedback, as well as assign PDF worksheets that students can annotate by hand.
  • Use your tablet in every class: For educators, creative apps like Adobe Illustrator Draw turn the classroom into a design studio, and let students and teachers draw and create vector designs. Teaching math or science? Apps like Texthelp EquatIO let students show their work by hand writing any math expression and adding it to a Google Doc in one click. Coding apps like Scratch Jr introduce younger students to the foundations of computational thinking, while enabling them to be creators.
  • Bring ideas to life: Amplify storytelling and allow students to animate their thinking on an infinitely interactive and collaborative whiteboard with Explain Everything. Book Creator lets students create and publish multimedia books, and WeVideo turns the classroom into a movie studio with features like collaborative editing and green screen. 

The Acer Chromebook Tab 10 comes with support for these and hundreds of other learning applications from our ever-growing catalog of apps in the Play Store. See a sample of other learning apps on Google Play.

No one knows what’s needed in the classroom more than teachers. As we continue to grow Chromebooks, we encourage educators and parents to try out new devices and apps, and let us know what you think. The Acer Chromebook Tab 10 will be on sale through education resellers this spring—check with your local reseller for more information.

All types of Chromebooks for all types of learners

Editor's note: This week our Google for Education team will be joining thousands of educators at Bett in London. At our booth, C230, you can explore a range of Chromebooks, including devices that flip from laptop to tablet, integrate with a stylus and have world facing cameras. Follow along on The Keyword and Twitter for the latest news and updates.


In late 2017, a snowstorm clobbered Wheatley Park School, a secondary school just east of Oxford, England. Determined to continue learning despite the snow, teachers grabbed their Chromebooks and sent a message through Google Classroom to students at home stating “learning must go on!”


In the following days, teachers broadcast live lessons (much to the dismay of would-be sledders) using touchscreen Chromebooks. They used Cast for Education to share screens, and recorded everything so students could watch later with a cup of cocoa in hand. Having Chromebooks “was wonderful to not only satisfy parents but also, genuinely, for learning not to halt,” said Head Teacher, Mr. Martin.


The ability to adapt to unexpected learning scenarios and a wide variety of learning styles is a cornerstone of Chromebooks. At Bett, we’re excited to announce a diverse lineup of 2018 Chromebooks including two next generation Chromebooks: the Lenovo 500e Chromebook and Dell Chromebook 11 2-in-1 5190. With cameras on two sides, stylus capability, larger screens, Intel® Celeron™ processors and laptops that flip into tablets, these Chromebooks are designed to be flexible for students with tools to learn in the way that’s right for them. We are also announcing a range of 2018 Chromebooks from Acer, HP, Dell, Asus and Lenovo in many shapes, sizes and price points, so there’s a device that works for every learner. Check out ourChromebook education site in the coming weeks.


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Everyone learning everywhere

As the variety of Chromebooks has expanded, so too has the range of students using them to learn. Today, we’re excited to announce that more than 25 million teachers and students are using Chromebooks for education globally and 30 million teachers and students are using Google Classroom, along with the 80 million using G Suite for Education. Schools in more countries are choosing to use Chromebooks, and we’ve seen educators around the world employ the simplicity of these tools to bring the best learning opportunities to their students.

More than 25 million teachers and students are using Chromebooks for education globally and 30 million teachers and students are using Google Classroom, along with the 80 million using G Suite for Education.
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How schools around the world use Chromebooks for STEAM

Wheatley Park is an example of how determined teachers without a big budget can change how students learn. Extreme weather aside, Wheatley Park makes learning more than productive—it’s creative. In math class, students solve problems on Chromebook touch screens in an app developed by the instructor. Chemistry students use wireless temperature and PH probes with their Chromebooks and the SPARKvue app to collect, analyze, and visualize data all in one place. Instead of a more traditional whiteboard, students take notes using Sketch—then the notes are filed away in Google Keep where they’re never lost.
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    Students flip their Chromebooks from laptop to tablet mode for hands-on learning.
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    Students collaborate on a project using a Chromebook and two styluses.
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    Wheatley Park students use their Chromebooks to build molecular models in chemistry class.
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    A student at Wheatley Park records data directly to his Chromebook during a science experiment.
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    With Chromebooks, students of all ages can practice communication, collaboration, critical thinking and creativity skills.


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    Students from Ames Community School District work with physical programming tools that integrate with Chromebooks.

Educators in the Ames Community School district in Iowa, U.S., take advantage of Chromebook features like touch screens, stylus and Android apps to reimagine learning and get students into STEAM. Using Tinkercad, middle school students design, proof, and 3D print their own projects with Chromebooks and four 3D printers. These students manipulate designs on touchscreen Chromebooks for in-class projects and in “Tinker Tutorials” during their free time to design a lightsaber or whatever tool they can dream up.

In the past you taught theory, but this course is designed around discovery and inquiry. This is their language. This is their learning style. Mr. Willie Lodermeier
8th grade science, Ames, Iowa, US.

Elementary school students at the Ames school district also use Chromebooks for STEAM. Kindergarteners use their “magic pencils” (as they call stylus pens) to write on their screens and practice counting. First graders open the day’s lesson in Google Classroom by rewriting some code cleverly disguised as a game in the Scratch app. Groups of three and four students use Hummingbird robotics kits and their Chromebooks to bring to life all sorts of loud, blinking, and walking creations. They take turns programming and reprogramming with Sphero (round and rolling robots—think headless BB-8s) and driving them around a racetrack.


We’re constantly inspired by educators who use technology to delight students and engage them more deeply in learning. Stay tuned on The Keyword and Twitter for more shared stories from educators throughout 2018.

Updates from ISTE: 4 new tools to help teachers do what they do best

Editor's note:This week our Google for Education team will be joining thousands of educators at the annual ISTE conference. Follow along here and on Twitter for the latest news and updates. 

Teachers are great communicators, collaborators, creators and critical thinkers. It takes a teacher to empower students with these skills and create the leaders of our future. As technology becomes an increasingly integral component of our classrooms, the role of teachers becomes even more important.

Today at ISTE, we’re announcing four more ways for these everyday heroes to engage their classes and empower their students using Google tools. Look out for a deeper dive on each of these launches on the blog throughout this week.

Bring curriculum to life: introducing the Expeditions app

Since we launched the beta Expeditions Pioneer Program in September of 2015, more than one million students across 11 countries have taken one of our virtual reality trips. Today, we’re making Expeditions available to everyone. To get started, all teachers need to do is download the Expeditions app onto a set of devices. With more than 200 Expeditions to choose from, students can journey far and wide, learning from immersive new experiences. Our content offering has also grown and now includes Expeditions made by established educational content providers including Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. Pearson is beginning work on Expeditions content as well. The app is available today for Android and will be available for iPhones and iPads soon.

While Expeditions can be used with many of the devices schools or students already have — either smartphones with Google Cardboard or tablets in 2D full screen mode — Best Buy Education will also be making Expeditions kits available for schools to purchase. These kits will contain everything teachers need to bring their classes on amazing Expeditions: a tablet, virtual reality viewers and a router to connect them all. Kits are available for pre-order and will ship in time for back-to-school. We’ll also publish clear specs for partners interested in working with us to create their own kits.

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Empower student-driven classrooms: Google Cast for Education 

Collaboration is key to student success, but in most classrooms today the biggest screen in the room is out of reach for students. If students want to share their screens with the class, they have to physically connect their devices to the classroom projector. When teachers present, they’re tied to the projector at the front of the room. Educators are eager to overcome this barrier, so much so that wireless screen sharing for schools was one of the top features requested by teachers in 2015. 


Today we’re announcing Google Cast for Education, a free Chrome app that allows students and teachers to share their screens wirelessly from everywhere in the classroom. Cast for Education carries video and audio across complex school networks, has built-in controls for teachers and works with Google Classroom so it’s easy to invite your students. And because the app runs on the teacher’s existing computer, it doesn’t require new hardware. Teachers run the Cast for Education app, and students can share their screens with the existing Cast feature in Chrome. Check out the Cast for Education video.
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Student view
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Teacher view

Accelerate the feedback loop: Quizzes in Google Forms 

Getting feedback early helps students learn and teachers teach. Starting today, Quizzes in Google Forms will allow teachers to auto-grade multiple choice and checkbox questions — so teachers can spend less time grading and more time teaching. 

Teachers can also add review materials in the form of explanations, supplemental websites or review videos — so students can get quick, actionable feedback. Plus, teachers can get instant feedback on student progress, so they know which lessons need more explanation and what to teach next. We’ve also added a common request from educators to disallow students from sending themselves a copy of their responses.
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Ignite student creativity: creative apps on Chromebooks 

We’re on a mission to discover Chromebook tools that foster skills of the future, including problem-solving, digital literacy, leadership and creativity. We listened to teachers in Chromebook classrooms and collaborated with EdTechTeacher, and we’re excited to announce a collection of creative apps on Chromebooks that schools can purchase as a bundle.

Explain Everything, Soundtrap and WeVideo are creative apps that help students demonstrate their understanding of curriculum through their own unique voice. We’ve worked closely with our partners to offer these apps to schools at a special price when all three apps are purchased together. They may be purchased alongside Chromebooks or on their own, and they’re available as an annual subscription per license from Chromebook resellers in the US. Contact your school’s reseller to learn more.
Students use creative apps at Muller Road Middle School in South Carolina

Look out for a deeper dive on each of these product updates on the blog throughout this week. If you’re at ISTE in Denver, visit us at booth #2511 in the expo hall to demo these tools. And check out our sessions — taking place in room #103 — where educators and Googlers will be giving short presentations throughout the conference.

Source: Education


With Chromebooks, students find new ways to learn

Students and schools have done some amazing things with Chromebooks since we first launched in 2011. At the Urban Promise Academy in Oakland, Calif., students are using the Scratch program to create their own video games on Chromebooks. In Chesterfield County, Virginia, students get access to feedback and support from teachers after school hours using their Chromebooks. And in Fairfield County, South Carolina, schools saw double-digit gains on their state performance tests after they started to offer Chromebooks, Google Apps for Education and other technologies to their students, who often don’t have Internet access at home.

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A student at Urban Promise Academy uses a Chromebook to design video games

Schools tell us that Chromebooks fill three big needs: they’re easy for students and teachers to use, they’re easy to share, and they’re easy to manage. That’s critical for schools that often want to give their students the best technology, but don’t have a large IT department to support it. And it’s part of what has made Chromebooks such a hit in schools. In fact, according to IDC’s latest report on tablets and laptops in K-12 education, Chromebooks are the best-selling device in the U.S. this year. And they’re continuing to grow in popularity—in districts like Montgomery County, MD (more than 50,000 devices), Charlotte-Mecklenberg, NC (32,000 devices) and Cherry Creek, CO (26,000 devices), who have all begun using Chromebooks in 2014.

Beyond the U.S., countries are looking at how they can use technology in the classroom on a large scale—like in Malaysia, where the entire national school system is using Chromebooks. This week, we’re hosting the Global Education Symposium, a gathering of education ministers from 18 countries working to implement technology that will help them meet their country’s educational agenda. We’ll hear from education leaders who are exploring new educational models, and look at how innovative local schools are using technology to help teachers and students excel.

It’s been thrilling to see how Chromebooks—alongside Android tablets, Google Play for Education, Classroom and Google Apps for Education, which is now used by 40 million students and teachers around the world—can help students meet their learning goals. We can’t wait to see what’s ahead as more students around the world gain access to new learning opportunities through technology.

Source: Google Chrome