This site is no longer active or maintained. It is an archive of trainings 2013-2019 at Pu'u Kukui Elementary School.
Getting Started with Chromebooks
Chromebooks are different from our Mac laptops and Desktops. We are able to remotely control and keep track of them. These are things you need to consider when working with the Chromebooks:
- 1. Oranizing them in the classroom
- each student should be assigned a chromebook that they will always use
- teachers should plug in and unplug the power cords (not the students)
- a procedure for passing out and turning the chromebooks needs to be developed and practiced with students
- a schedule for who is using the chromebooks and when they are using them is helpful
- 2. Care for the chromebooks
- inspect before and after using for any damage (report the damage in the notebook and submit a service request)
- student hands and workspaces need to be clean
- if you need to clean the display please come to the computer lab for supplies (for the display squirt a tiny bit of distilled water on a microfiber cloth and clean the display - make sure the chromebook is shut down first) (for the rest of the computer a simple green solution lightly sprayed on a microfiber cloth works great - but you don't want anything dripping in the keys - again make sure the computer is off.
- teach students how to carry the chromebooks (one hand securing the side and the other securing the opposite side and top - this way it doesn't get bumped out of their hands
- 3. Using the chromebooks
- chromebooks should be charged once they get down around 10-20% battery.
- once a chromebook is fully charged unplug it until the battery is down to 10-20% again. If we overcharge the batteries they stop working.
- a charged chromebook will automatically turn on when you open up the lid.
- students will be prompted to enter their username (this is their usual username) and then they will be prompted for their password.
- this opens the chromebook into their google account using the Google Chrome browser and it should open to our school website - when they first use it they will be prompted to enter a picture and you can choose one from the list or take the child's picture. I would suggest that each class choose a specific picture and all the kids choose that picture.
- settings can be adjusted in the lower right hand corner of the screen - you will probably need to go to this spot to adjust headphone settings (sometimes to turn on headphones)
- students sign out in the lower right hand corner as well. Make sure your student signs out before shutting down the chromebook
- shut down is in the lower left hand corner - be sure to shut down to preserve the battery life
- 4. Using the trackpad
- we need to show students strategies for using the trackpads. For the older students I teach them to make an L with their thumb and first finger. The thumb is used to hold down the trackpad and the first finger is used to do the dragging.
- for some of our little guys their fingers are not strong enough to do this and an alternate way would be to have them hold the thumb of their non-dominant hand down on the track pad and drag with their dominant first finger. This works for some students (and adults)
- 5. Guidelines and Procedures
- establish procedure for handing out and turning in chromebooks - practice and model this with students
- establish procedure for what students do with their chromebooks when you are giving directions - give directions to students when lids are closed
- teach students how to click and drag - http://www.abcya.com/alphabet.htm is a good site where they can practice dragging and dropping
- teach students how to plug in their headphones before they open up their chromebook.
- establish procedure for checking for damage and reporting it before and after using the chromebooks
- establish procedure for keeping the chromebooks charged. The cart will be plugged in and you need to turn on the power switch on the side of the cart. Chromebooks that you want to charge need to be plugged in.
- when you unlock the padlock be sure to spin the numbers so that the code is not visable.
- when you move the cart, turn off the power, CAREFULLY unplug the cord, wrap it up, take off the brakes - When you get it to the next location lock the brakes. Only plug it in when you need to charge the chromebooks.
- 6. Going to iReady -
- we have iReady bookmarked in the first grade pages so you can teach students to
- click on Students
- click on 1 (or first grade)
- click on iReady
- we have iReady bookmarked in the first grade pages so you can teach students to