Staff Picks: Chromebooks, Small Schools, Social Learning

Tom Picks “Why Three Districts Chose Chromebooks Over Tablets”

Tom says, “Apple got all the attention this month with their iBook announcement, but I think the Chromebook announcements at FETC was a big deal.  We’ll see a growing number of secondary schools will power their high access environments with the web appliance from Google because they want their kids producing not just consuming.”

Karen Picks “Study Validates Replacement of Big Bad Schools With New Small Schools”

Karen says, “I’m glad to read this. Long overdue proof. Good read!”

Sarah Picks “Reducing Transactional Distance Online: Making Learners Feel Comfortable”

Sarah says, “Oftentimes the debate of online learning and technology integration turns into a discussion of absolutes: laptops vs. layoffs, face-to-face vs. zero socialization, human teacher vs. computer teacher, etc. Kristen Swanson shows us how we can all agree that learning must be social and instead look at the ways we can integrate the best of the face-to-face classroom with the best of online learning. She transforms the absolute debate into a discussion of blended ideals.”