CometTe.ch

The Chromebooks that our students use just got a huge update in regards to speech to text accessibility! Now, a simple keyboard short (search + d) will enable dictation for the students! This is a huge game changer when it comes to our students that have a difficulty typing responses.  In order for this to work, you will have to enable accessibility features, specifically the voice to text option. Then, students will be able to have speech to text available in any input field! 

Google Forms has added updates to allow for more "secure" testing in Google Forms, with caveats of course. Forms now supports Locked Mode for their forms, meaning that students cannot open other apps, and if they leave the quiz for another tab, the teacher will be notified.  To enable, open a new Google Form at forms.google.com .  Once you have the settings page up, you can make sure that the form is set as a Quiz and then look for "Locked Mode." It is important to note that "Locked Mode" is only supported on managed Chromebooks, or the school issued devices. If a student is using a non-school issued device, their quiz will not be locked.  Once you have made your form a quiz, you just add your questions and set up the quiz as you normally would. Now, when you ask students to complete the quiz, they will be restricted and you will be notified if the students are off task. 

The Chromebooks offer a variety of supports for our students, including the ability to type with our mouths and to have the Chromebook read to them! These features are both built into the student Chromebooks, and in the document linked below, you can learn about how to support your students with these tools.

This week, we welcomed 8 new certified staff to our district and they spent some time becoming acclimated with the technology we have in district and some of the best practices associated with technology. While this is specifically geared towards our newest staff members, we wanted to make sure to share it with you as well! There are some helpful tips, refreshers, and ideas in this document to help you kick your year off right!  Download the document here!

Short of reposting all of the 90 Second Chromebook Tips and Tricks that we have put together since July of 2016, we have created a YouTube Playlist. Just a heads up on the tips and tricks, some of them may be out dated due to rapidly increasing technology capabilities and changes in Chrome OS. New videos will be posted individually but also added to the playlist! Enjoy!

Clearing the cache is an awesome way of helping your Chromebook to run more efficiently when browsing the internet. If a page is not loading properly, clearing the cache is a quick way to try and fix that issue. Below you will find a 90 second video on how you can quickly and easily clear your cache to help your device run more smoothly. 

While Chromebooks work better with an internet connection, they also work when they are offline! While internet maybe spotty for some students, if they can connect for a little bit, they may still be able to get their work completed! In order to do this, follow the simple steps below to ensure the device is set up for use without an internet connection! 

 The wonderful part of Chromebooks is the simplicity in which they run. If the Chromebook is not running as it should, you can follow this simple guide to help utilize the Chromebook and troubleshoot it as necessary.