Summary: That’s one giant leap for the cloud. Today the Chromebook was released, and though I was all ready to call it the second coming, my thoughtful contributors were ready to talk me down off of that pedestal, once we started to piece together the entire puzzle. Google announces Chromebook: From the Google Chrome Blog: http://chrome.blogspot.com/ Of the Chromebook, we ask: is this the future of computing? Is this a Sputnik moment for cloud computing? Isn’t a Web OS Inevitable for Apple and Microsoft? Regarding the Chromebook for Education Subscription service we ask: Is this a solution for poor schools? Now that Internet access is becoming ubiquitous even in the poorest areas, are these schools going to find Google their Knight in shining armor? Has Google solved the problem of digital inequity? This subscription model basically “flips,” as Dan Pink says, the traditional model of enterprise computer support and purchases. Many schools lease computers from Apple, Is this going to disrupt the way other companies do subscription business, like Apple’s? ———————————————————————————————————————- 1. News Watch: Our (Other) Big Story Last week EdReach was off, and Osama bin Laden was killed. We never properly reacted to the news from last week, and how it’s viewed through the eyes of educators. I was on Twitter, along with many other educators. Where were you folks? Do you think that Social Media played an important role in that news story? Was it helpful? Or hurtful? ———————————————————————————————————————- 2. Blog Watch – theme here: Social Media Right before the bin Laden news, there was a piece about Social Media, among others that called out the efficacy of Social Media in schools and related to students. We respond to the post: Is Social Media Ruining Students? This piece uses an infographic to explain all the many harmful effects that SM can have on a student. We ask: Knowing how important Social Media has been to us in our quest as lifelong learners, and how effective it can be in providing a shared experience like the bin Laden story, how do we respond to this type of Fear, Uncertainty, and Doubt? ———————————————————————————————————————- 3. Twitter Talk - Make sure to follow @nnorris, Nadine Norris, for great resources regarding social studies and current events. For great resources regarding Google or Google Teacher resources, use the #gct hashtag on Twitter. ———————————————————————————————————————- 4. “On the Radar”- Resources/ Tools/ Functions/ EdGadget What are some of your favorite new Web tools, Ed Gadgets, or functions that you want to share this week? http://www.chromeexperiments.com/ Awesome HTML5 stuff going on here (DR) http://doodle.com A great way to schedule a meeting (JE) http://www.creazaeducation.com/ – Jay Arduino Platform – Matt http://www.arduino.cc/ Thanks again for a great show this week!
