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Google Announces dates for the 2024 Innovator Academy
✴️ The Chromebook Academy for IT administrators is open for registration! Register soon! This event WILL sell out quickly! ✴️
Hi Reader!
This week I will be speaking at the FETC conference in Orlando, Florida to kick off the winter conference season. If you are attending FETC, please say hello!
Some of my European friends will probably be attending the BETT conference in London which is also taking place this week. I have a sneaky suspicion that we might hear about some cool new updates from Google during BETT!
This month's list of links and updates includes the locations for the 2024 Google Innovator academies, a great tool for authenticating student writing, and 10 lessons on data privacy.
Did you know you can 🎦 watch on YouTube or 🎧 listen to the podcast!
Sowash Family Euro Venture - We’re heading to Europe for the month of February! Join the adventure on our family Substack newsletter written by my five kids: Jonelle, John, Lillian, Ellie, and Caleb.
Change your extension policy - After completing a half-dozen Google admin audits, I noticed that lax extension policies are one of the most common issues IT admins can easily fix.
Convert your Form into a practice set - Teachers with access to practice sets can now easily convert a form quiz into an interactive for Google Classroom.
2024 Google Innovator Academy - Google announced the locations and application deadline for 6 Innovator Academies spread across the globe. Want some help with your application? Join the waitlist for the certified trainer academy, coming this spring!
ChromeOS Certification Exam - Google has extended the ability to take this certification exam for FREE until January 2025. If you manage Chromebooks for your school, this is a great credential to add to your resume.
Tech management for teachers - A lively discussion about managing student tech use is taking place over on my FB page. What are your biggest tech management concerns?
Right click QR code reader - Ever come across a QR code on your computer that you can’t scan? This Chrome extension will translate QR codes into links without the need to scan them with a phone.
Authenticate student writing with Brisk - the Brisk Teaching extension has a new feature that plays back the revision history of a document and shows the time spent writing and identifies copied passages.
5 AI extensions for teachers - Explore these great tools for improving teacher productivity and reviewing student work using AI.
10 data privacy lessons - January 28 is “data privacy day” and you can remind your students about the importance of managing and securing their private information with this collection of lessons.
That wraps up the noteworthy updates and links for this month. I'll be scouring the web for more useful tips and tools during our family trip to Europe in February.
Oh, one more thing! If you are in charge of managing Chromebooks for your school, I'd like to invite you to join me for the Chromebook Academy which starts on February 20.
Cheers!
John R. Sowash
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John R. Sowash is a former HS biology teacher and principal who helps teachers use technology to improve instruction. You can pick up a copy of his book, read his blog, or invite him to come and visit your school
The Google EDU Update
by John Sowash
Tired of missing out on the coolest Google updates and new features? Join thousands of other teachers who rely on my monthly newsletter to stay ahead of the curve. Get the top 10 updates, teaching inspiration, and time-saving links delivered straight to your inbox.
✴️ My summer course schedule is live! Join me for the Admin Bootcamp or Google Certification Academy! These events will fill quickly! ✴️ Hi Reader! Teaching in the spring is challenging: Motivation is low for students and the teachers! 😂 Hang in there, the finish line is approaching. There are some pretty cool updates this month. I'm really interested in trying out "Google Vids" which was announced last week and tabbed Google Docs sounds like something I would use. Those are just two of the...
Hello Reader, Registration is open for my spring and summer Google Admin events: Google Admin Bootcamp: May 8-22, 2024 (click for details) Chromebook Academy: June 17 - July 1, 2024 (click for details) These two virtual events are my attempt at saving you the stress and confusion I experienced as I navigated blindly through the Google Admin Console! This is NOT an online course! These two events are LIVE virtual sessions via Google Meet. Each session will focus on a key area of the Google...
Hello Reader, About few years into my teaching career, I realized there were some big issues I needed to address: My salary was much too low to support my growing family. I was frustrated by the lack of incentive to improve as a teacher. My work/life balance was getting worse, not better. This is also roughly the time when I heard about the Google Certified Trainer program. I applied, was accepted, and five years later, made the jump to a full-time edtech coach and consultant. I don't know...