As Google has grown as a company over the last 20 years, so has many of the public’s mistrust in their data collection and sharing practices. Although as an educator, I appreciate the amount of free resources and training they offer through Google For Education. They recently released training sessions in the following areas:
1) Chromebooks — these devices are taking over the educational technology landscape by offering an inexpensive, cloud-based, simple alternative to Apple and other PC’s. In this training, users can expect to learn:
- What are Chromebooks and how are they different from other computers
- How to manage and take care of Chromebooks in schools
- How to personalize your Chromebook
- How you can integrate technology in your classroom using Chromebooks
- How Chromebooks and G Suite for Education work seamlessly together
- How teachers can find and assign apps to students
- How to troubleshoot simple Chromebook issues, and where to find support when needed
2) Digital Citizenship and Safety Course — Many adults went through an educational world without a readily available internet (at least those of us 35+) so many don’t have the necessary skills to teach online safety. This training can help educators learn:
- Why teaching digital citizenship and online safety is important
- How to teach students about internet safety and privacy
- Online safety through mobile devices and public Wifi networks
- How to evaluate online resources
- How to avoid potential phishing and other online scams
- How to manage online profiles
Jonathan Almon 