Chromebook Challenge Week 2 Update

Another week done and another week of fast reliable computing.  A quick update to my Pixlr problem. I wrote a test at home this week and I had zero trouble at all connecting and editing photos in the Pixlr app. It was so nice to edit and save as a new picture and it just create it in my Google Drive for me. I can now officially say it is a setting on the school's network that blocks it there. While at work I simply downloaded some blank templates of triangles and worked them out that way.  The other paint app I used just wasn't as good, Pixlr is clearly the best.

I had to write a practice test this week and I use ExamView test generator.  Unfortunately, it isn't available as an app.  Now this is a concern brought up by some teachers that use ExamView. I told there are two options, 1) textbook companies are starting to put their test generators online because of the success of Chrome OS and 2) you can use Chrome Remote Desktop, which is what I did.  I connected to my laptop via Chrome's Remote Desktop app and I had my pc running on my Chromebook and it ran smooth. If test generators don't appear online, you could set up a few old pcs per department that is made just for certain legacy apps that aren't available on Chrome OS yet. Give the teachers the codes to connect and let them do their thing. This is apparently how some Chrome OS only schools have kept teachers using their SMARTBoards.  So I made my test and uploaded it to my Drive in about 7-10 minutes.

The second test I wrote from was home.  Logged into Socrative.com and started a new test.  All my images are on my Google Drive so they were right there as well.  Any edits were done seamlessly in Pixlr.  Before if I wrote a test I would have to make sure I brought the file home, make sure I had Office or had installed the test generator on my home pc.  Not anymore.

Some of the other basic computing functions were tested this week, had to print out some tests and grades. All done successfully via Google Cloud Print.  I decided to convert a bunch of my old Word & Excel files to Docs & Sheets and I was shocked at how well they were post-conversion.  Bullets, formatting, etc. all looked like I was editing in Word. I read that Google is now 95% accurate on conversions and it shows.

One more separate, but positive note, we were giving a Performance Task and a teacher created it with Google Sheets versus PowerPoint.  This is the first time I can remember someone in our department defaulting to Google Apps. I am hopeful that this trend will continue.  Our teachers are sitting on useful technology, but they have their blinders up and do't want to look at it.  I wish every teacher would try to live from a Chromebook for a week and see the difference.

Chromebook Challenge: Week 1 Update

So I am one week into my Chromebook Challenge and for the most part it has been a smooth transition.  Printing has been fine and so has grades/roll/etc.  I am still impressed with the speeds of Chromebooks and have had up to 10 tabs open & split screen and have never noticed a delay.  And remember this is on an Acer c720.

Now it hasn't been all rainbows.  When I wrote up my initial post, I mentioned how my one concern was that our site privileges would be the same as students.  With that being said, I am unable to edit photos using Pixlr.  I have used Pixlr in my Google Drive on my desktop computer, so I know it isn't Pixlr.  But everytime I try and open a picture on my Chromebook with Pixlr, it loads to 93% and never moves again.  I am certain this is due to our districts restrictions for the login.

I have 2 possible workarounds.  The first is to just download the files I need and store them on the hard drive.  Once they are on the hard drive, Pixlr can open them right away.  Any site restriction our district has in place is gone because it is local.  The other option is to use another paint app called Photo Paint.  It does basic photo editing.  It doesn't automatically save them to your Google Drive either so that is also a hassle.

The other thing that I have noticed, once again due to our district's settings, is that our machines are made to totally erase everything on the hard drive when the Chromebooks are turned off.  So any files I downloaded are gone.  Also all my settings are gone as well.  I have to reset my Outlook Notifier app each time and other things like that.

Those problems are all related to our district's settings on the Chromebooks.  I am sure that if I got my own Chromebook that those settings wouldn't be in place for teacher's.  I am still impressed with the speed and overall usefulness of the Chromebook & Chrome OS.