Is your Chromebook touchy? I hope so!

Remember to model the simple things!

A neighboring school district recently shared their scope and sequence for technology skills across grade levels.  What really caught my eye was the tagline on the pages for each Essential Understanding: "All teachers will model all skills at all times." You might be wondering what this has to do with touchy Chromebooks.

We recently heard concerns from teachers about the difficulty some students were experiencing when using the touchpad on their Chromebooks. Then came the question "Can't they just use a mouse?"

My immediate thought was: does the issue lie with a user's lack of instruction or with the device?

Solid modeling plays a very important role in removing barriers to using technology in the classroom. When young learners need to be shown how to properly hold a pencil we introduce them to the  tripod grasp or the pinch and flip trick. So why wouldn't we teach them the two-finger swipe or two-finger scroll on their Chromebook touchpad?

Google provides a support page for everything you would want to know about how to be efficiently touchy with your Chromebook's touchpad: https://support.google.com/chromebook/answer/1047367?hl=en. In addition to learning a few gestures, you can also slow down  or speed up the responsiveness of your touchpad.

So remember: be a good model in your classroom and model all skills at all times!

Can you use a document camera with a Chromebook? You bet!

If you've ever wondered whether or not you can use a document camera with a Chromebook, the answer is a wholehearted YES.

This picture shows the Ipevo Point 2 View USB document camera connected to my Chromebook. The Ipevo is a cost effective little device that can be purchased for around $70. There are also a number of  optional accessories like a magnifying lens, a microscope adapter or a height extension stand. Check it out here: http://www.ipevo.com/prods/Point-2-View-USB-Camera.

You can also use any other document camera that can be connected to your Chromebook via USB.

I like to use an app called Webcam Toy to display the image on my Chromebook. (You can also use the native Camera app on your Chromebook by changing the camera settings to display through an external camera instead of the internal camera. The camera settings are a bit tricky to find: look under Settings > Show advanced settings > Privacy - Content settings > Media - Camera.) Whichever camera you decide to use, snap away and capture images.

You can even do a screencast - that's right, capture video. Screencastify  is a video screen capture tool for Chrome. Record your entire desktop or just a tab in your browser. You can save to disk or upload to Google Drive or YouTube.

Need to conduct a demonstration or show small things to a big audience? Connect your Chromebook to a projector or fire up the Google Cast extension and display your content on your Chromecast device from your browser.