Phase III Chromebook Implementation Guide
Grades 6-8
Release 1, April 29, 2015, Release 2, August 28, 2015, Release 3, October 23, 2015
Table of Contents
Welcome Message…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 2
Classroom Support Quick Reference………………………………………………………………………………………… 3
Digital Toolbox Power Apps…………………………………………………………………………………………………….5-6
Digital Toolbox Standard Apps………………………………………………………………………………………………..7-9
Digital Toolbox Utilities…………………………………………………………………………………………………..……….10
Digital Toolbox Content, Assessments, and Textbooks………………………………..……….………………….11
Digital Toolbox Power Apps Sign-In Procedures, Warnings…………………………..……………….Release 3
Dear Parents and Teachers,
Thank you for taking the bold first step toward creating a Digital Learning Environment
(DLE) here in Greenwich Public Schools. We hope that you will use your new District-issued
Chromebook to advance the DLE’s learning goals:
1. Promote students as critical thinkers of online content;
2. Implement self-regulated learning;
3. Provide quality feedback; and
4. Personalize learning
This implementation guide describes the software that has been loaded on every
student Chromebook device. For additional information on the Digital Learning Environment,
please see the DLE section of the GPS website
http://www.greenwichschools.org/page.cfm?p=10927 and a comprehensive list of Frequently
Asked Questions (FAQs) at http://www.greenwichschools.org/page.cfm?p=11504.
We are confident that you will enjoy the Digital Learning Environment here in
Greenwich. Thank you, and welcome.
Sincerely,
Phillip H. Dunn II
Chief Information Officer (CIO)
Greenwich Public Schools
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How We Support Digital Learning in the Classroom
The GPS IT team, partnering with the Curriculum and Library Media Services staff, stands
prepared to make every interaction that you have with the Digital Learning Environment a
rewarding one. If you are a parent and need help with your child’s device, please contact your
classroom teacher. If you are a teacher and need help with a device, please e-mail your
school’s tech team or call the media center.
Caring for your Student’s Chromebook
After your child has completed their Digital Citizenship learning module in school and
has been allowed to take their Chromebook home, we ask that you ensure that your child
charges their device each night before returning to school. The Chromebook should be kept in
an environment free of moisture, and it should not have objects placed on top of it when
stored.
The Chromebook’s screen may become marked with fingerprints or other matter from
time to time. We encourage you to clean the screen with a dry, non-abrasive fiber (e.g., a
micromesh cloth), as needed. If residue dries on the screen, please wipe it clean using a slightly
damp, non-abrasive cloth. Please do not use any alcohol-based solvent on the screen as it will
deteriorate the coatings that have already been applied to the screen by Lenovo.
With any new initiative, there are risks. Therefore, please be advised that parents have a
few options pertaining to liability for the Chromebook.
Parents may choose to:
1) have their child bring their school-issued devices home, and not purchase any additional
insurance;
2) have their child bring their school-issued devices home, and purchase an insurance policy
from third parties such as Worth Ave Group or SquareTrade; or
3) opt out of allowing their child to bring their device home, with the expectation that they
provide access to an Internet-enabled device at home to complete required homework.
For further information on the issue of device liability, please refer to the district’s Chromebook
device liability form at:
http://www.greenwichschools.org/uploaded/faculty/fran_kompar/Sample_Secondary_St
udent_Equipment_Loan_Form.pdf
Chromebook Care & Maintenance
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Never leave a Chromebook unattended including on the floor where it could be stepped on.
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Do not place food, liquids or other substances near the Chromebook that could result in
damage.
Do not place heavy objects on top of the Chromebook. This is also important when placing
in a locker.
Never attempt to repair or reconfigure a Chromebook or any of the peripherals.
Do not write, draw, stick, tape, or adhere anything to the Chromebook.
Do not personalize the case or Chromebook using markers, stickers, etc. Identification will
be provided.
Keep the Chromebook and other electronic storage media away from electromagnetic
fields.
Do not expose the Chromebook to direct sunlight, or prolonged extreme temperatures,
(e.g. leaving the Chromebook in a car during extreme hot or cold temperatures for
extended periods of time).
Do not place the Chromebook on surfaces such as paper, cardboard, or carpet while it is
turned on.
Do not place anything on top of the Chromebook nor lean or sit on it when it is closed.
Do not place anything in the Chromebook bag that may press against the cover or damage
the Chromebook.
Take care when inserting cords, cables and other removable storage devices to avoid
damage to the Chromebook ports.
Clean screen, touch pad, and Chromebook with a lightly damp soft cloth or microfiber cloth.
Chemicals, cleaners, or wet cloths are not approved cleaning tools.
The Chromebook should be turned off and unplugged during cleaning.
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The DLE Digital Toolbox Power Apps
GPS has prioritized a list of 15-20 Power Applications for each grade band (elementary, middle
and high school). These applications have been prioritized for district-wide professional
learning and support based on their demonstrated positive impact on teaching and learning in
the classroom. Paid apps are starred below.
The remainder of the Digital Toolbox is comprised of standard applications, utility applications
(applications with limited functionality that take a few minutes to learn), on-line
textbooks/content databases, and on-line assessment applications.
Function
Apps
Functionality
Web-based
search and
curation
●
Chrome
●
Web-browser that enables online searching,
bookmarking and sharing of websites;
effective searching includes filtering searches
by usage rights, most recent, domain, and
scholarly articles (using Google Scholar)
Learning
Management
System (LMS)
●
Schoology*
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A digital classroom where teachers organize,
share, and deliver digital instructional
content, including assignments, homework
and assessments
Productivity
●
Nearpod*
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Projects a slideshow of content from the
teacher’s device to students’ devices that also
discourages students from using their device
for other purposes during instruction; the
slideshow allows embedding of multi-media,
assessments, and web links, and teachers can
share assessment results from any student
with the whole class, as appropriate
Math
●
IXL*
●
●
Khan Academy
●
An adaptive learning management system
that tracks student mastery of common-core
aligned math based on on-line activities
An on-line repository of math instructional
videos and assessments
●
Newsela*
●
English Language
Arts
An adaptive resource that includes lexiled
non-fiction articles from newspapers (e.g.,
Washington Post) to teach reading
comprehension
Asterisk (*) indicates subscription tool.
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Function
Google Apps
Multi-Media
Creation
Formative
Assessments
Apps
Functionality
●
Google Docs
●
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Google Drive
Google Slides
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Google Sheets
●
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Screencastify
●
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We Video*
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Socrative (Teacher & Student Apps)
●
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Quizlet
●
●
A word processing app where users can work
collaboratively on writing projects; users can
give feedback in real-time using the
comments feature within shared documents
Stores documents in folders in the “cloud”
A presentation app where users can work
collaboratively to create slide decks
A spreadsheet app where users can work
collaboratively to create spreadsheets
A screen-recording app that captures voice
and handwriting to produce videos that are
hosted online, where they can be shared
publicly or with a private group
A video recording and editing program that
produces videos using photos, music and
video clips; the district-provided paid version
provides enhanced student data privacy
Teachers use this for formative assessments,
as well as exit slips to oassess student mastery
of concepts
A study tool used for Word Masters, content
area vocabulary words, and test preparation
Used for developing surveys and formulating
evidence to support thinking; also used for
formative and summative assessment in all
content areas
●
Google Forms
On-Line
Resource
Curation and
Annotation
●
Diigo
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Curate the digital resources found on the
web, e.g., bookmark, organize, annotate and
share
Originality Check
●
Turn-it-in*
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Automatically review written text for
originality; enables peer review, feedback,
rubrics, grading and writing portfolios;
integrated for assignment submission
through Schoology
Asterisk (*) indicates subscription tool.
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Standard Applications
Standard applications listed below are also recommended to provide teachers and students
with options and flexibility for a wide variety of instructional uses. However, based on GPS
experience rolling out the DLE in phases I and II, teachers are better able to achieve the DLE
goals through focusing on a few Power Applications and building on that knowledge over time.
Function
Explore/ Geography
Other Multi-Media
Creation
Drawing and Photo
Editing
Classroom
Management
●
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Apps
Google Earth
Google Maps
●
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Functionality
See pictures from around the world
Get directions, traffic and satellite pictures;
a custom overlay can be displayed to
include tools to measure distance and area
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Animoto
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Voice Thread*
Educreations*
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Haiku Deck
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Google Drawing
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Create diagrams and charts
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Pixlr Editor
●
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Piktochart
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Manipulate images using tools similar to
Photoshop, including wands and multiple
layers
Create an infographic
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Class Dojo
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A video recording and editing program that
produces videos using photos, music and
video clips
Podcasting/story telling
A screen-recording app that captures voice
and handwriting to produce videos that are
hosted online, where they can be shared
publicly or with a private group
Used to make a quick and simple slideshow
without much work (less feature rich than
Google slides)
Manage student behavior through positive
reinforcement by giving points to students
represented as characters
Asterisk (*) indicates subscription tool.
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Function
Formative
Assessments
Apps
Functionality
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Kahoot
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Used to quickly assess students’ knowledge;
may also be used as a study guide, and as a
presentation tool
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Curriculet
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Embed formative assessments, quizzes and
media annotations into any reading
assignment or create your own book
●
SMART Notebook is a paid mobile app that
creates SMART Board lessons with high
interactivity
A flash-based version of SMART notebook
for displaying and editing SMART notebook
files in a web browser
Interactive
Whiteboard
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SMART Express
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Brainstorming
Questions/Concept
Map
Curate, Annotate,
Note Taking and
Citation
Code for Problem
Solving
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BrainPop*
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Used for research and creating concept
maps
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Padlet
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Students share ideas and thinking with the
group with this brainstorming tool
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Lucid Chart
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Gr 6-8 brainstorming tool, process mapping
for science/coding
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Evernote
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Easy Bib
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Noodletools
Google Keep
Subtext
Note taking app with extensive tagging,
embedding and sharing capabilities
Used to cite resources to create works
consulted; Google apps integration is
available
Primary tool for formal research
Quick note taking and sharing app
Teachers embed comments directly into
digital text to encourage close reading,
support claims and cite text evidence.
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Tinkercad
Scratch
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3D design tool
Science students create interactive
simulations of science concepts
Asterisk (*) indicates subscription tool.
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Function
Apps
Functionality
●
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Edublog*
Wikispaces*
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Google Sites
Weebly*
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Desktop Publishing
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Lucid Chart
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Used for advanced layouts like a school
newspaper or any other situation that
previously required MS Publisher, Quark
Xpress or a similar program
Publish a Book,
Animate a Story
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Pixton
Go Animate
Storybird
Follett Destiny/Destiny Quest*
Kindle
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Overdrive*
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Read and write comics
Make animated videos
Create on-line books
GPS library catalog
Popular e-book reader; students are able to
press a word to search for meaning.
Access public library collections; students
may also download books from A to Z
reader through Schoology
Language
Acquisition (ELL)
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Duolingo
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Math
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Wolfram Alpha
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Desmos Graphing Calculator
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Geogebra
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Blog and Create and
Publish a Website
Access eBooks
Music
●
Twisted Wave
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Keyboarding
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Typing Pal*
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E-mail
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Gmail
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Safe and simple blogging for students
Used as an information source where
students find resources and information
necessary for their work
App to create websites
Website builder
Digital language acquisition app; students
may practice listening and writing in
Spanish as a reinforcement to their second
language acquisition
Computation knowledge engine – provides
visualization of math problems
A tool to graph linear and exponential
equations on a 2D plane
Combines geometry, algebra, spreadsheets,
graphing, statistics and calculus in one app
An audio recording and editing app
Preferred tool for gr 6-8 keyboarding skills;
currently used at all three middle schools
Google’s e-mail tool
Asterisk (*) indicates subscription tool.
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Utility Applications
Utility applications have limited functionality that take a short period of time, generally a few
minutes, to learn. There are important assistive technology applications for students who may
have visual impairments (e.g., text to speech, large text) or need help removing distracting
elements from web pages to assist with reading comprehension (e.g., Readability). The Utility
applications are grouped into a 1 hour on-line course available for all GPS stakeholders.
Function
Productivity and
Assistive
Technology
Apps
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Camera
World clock
Clock
Calculator
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Scientific calculator
PDF to Word
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Dictation
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Text to speech
Chromebook assistive technology
features (e.g., large text)
●
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Readability
●
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Dictionary
Visual Dictionary
●
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Calendar
●
10
Functionality
Takes and edits pictures and video
Shows time from different world time zones
Stop watch and alarm
Calculator
A more complicated calculator for use in
math and science
PDF files can be converted to MS Word files
Convert speech to text for students with
trouble typing
Reads text out loud to users
Makes text larger or higher contrast for visual
impairment, can also read text on screen outloud
Saves a clean version of any website or article
for later reading
Define vocabulary words
A visual way to explore how certain words
are connected to others
Calendar
Textbooks
A partial list of available digital textbooks is below.
Math
Textbooks
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Math in Focus, Algebra I and
Geometry (6-8)
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http://my.hrw.com/index.jsp
World
Languages
Textbooks
for Spanish
●
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http://goo.gl/dPkwd for teacher dashboard and ClassZone:
http://goo.gl/m51tCR
Science
Textbooks
●
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Holt McDougal Avacemos I (Gr
6)
Holt McDougal Avacemos II
(Gr 7)
Holt McDougal Avacemos II
(Gr 8)
Discovery Techbook (6-8)
Pearson eText (6-8)
●
●
google.discoveryeducation.com
http://www.pearsoncustom.com/ct/greenwich_middleschoolscience/
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Assessment Apps
SBA Secure Portal
SBA
(Smarter
Balanced
Assessment)
HMH/Riverside
ALP
Assessment DataManager app
Used to administer the Smarter Balanced Assessment
Assessments administered to students in grades 2 – 8 for
ALP placement process.
COGAT app
Asterisk (*) indicates subscription tool.
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Digital Resources
The following are online resources, accessed through a browser, and traditionally follow the
types of references, fiction, non-fiction and multimedia databases offered by the School Library
to support all curricular areas. These resources can also be accessed from the Virtual Library
through automatic sign-ons by going to: http://www.greenwichschools.org/page.cfm?p=11112
Function
General
References
Resources
Description
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The World Book Collection, an authoritative premier
online reference source, state-of-the art multimedia,
vetted websites, guide on doing research, primary
source documents are all fully integrated with the
encyclopedia content.
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Encyclopedia articles enriched by Multimedia
interactives, search by lexiles, curriculum standards, procon database, world newspapers, interactive maps and
atlas and accompanying videos. Includes the latest
current events from Scholastic News.
Newsela
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ScienceFlix
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An adaptive resource that includes lexiled non-fiction
articles from newspapers (e.g., Washington Post) to
teach reading comprehension – all current events from
reputable sources.
Science Flix provides standards-aligned articles, labs,
videos and inquiry projects.
Teacher Resources include lesson plans, quizzes, projects
and downloadable media.
BrainPop collection includes animated movies, learning
games, interactive quizzes, primary source activities,
concept mapping all mapped to Academic Standards and
searchable using a standards tool.
Discovery Streaming includes includes videos, interactive
texts, eBooks, and assessments and standards search.
World Book Online Collection
World Book Student
World Book Advanced
Grolier Multimedia Reference
Collection
Grolier New Book of Knowledge
Grolier Atlas
World Newspapers
Non-Fiction
Databases
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Multimedia/
Video
BrainPop Multimedia
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Discovery Video Streaming
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BookFlix
TrueFlix
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Follett Shelf
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Overdrive
●
eBooks
Fiction e-book paired with a nonfiction e-book on
related topics.
Video and e-book pairs covering a variety of nonfiction
topics
Search for eBooks in our Book online catalog.
To view only use guest access.
To check books out, use student ID as username/ last
name as password.
Greenwich Public Schools digital library collection of
eBooks and Audio Books, integrated with our Library
collection.
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