Summit Learning: Google Apps for Education Day 1

Today I had the great joy of participating in the New England Google Apps for Education Summit at Burlington High School in Massachusetts. From the keynote to the individual sessions, the presenters were all top-notch, professional and highly knowledgeable. I tweeted throughout the day along with several other attendees, and decided to put together a top 10 list from my day.

10. Google Scripts: I learned how to create simple Google Scripts for integrating into Spreadsheets, Drive and more. Click to get started.

9. Chromebooks: I am not sold, but I am quite interested in learning more about this technology. I sat in on a session and saw many amazing things. Could be a nice addition in certain settings. Perhaps even 1:1 schools could find a good use for these.

8. Lunch: Not exactly learning time but I had time to sit with other professionals and discuss/digest what we had seen so far and where we might take it. It was a well needed break at the end of four intense hours.

7. Google Appointments: Add appointment blocks to any calendar. Only works well if all users are on Google accounts, but could be a great tool.

6. Evolutionoftheweb.com: A cool visual website that shows how the Internet has grown in users and how browsers have changed. It is completely visual and quite impressive. Something fun to share with students.

5. www.ifttt.com: What could be an amazing tool for creating automatic notifications for you when things change around the Internet.

4. Talk to your Doc: No link for this, so just imagine... Open a Google Doc, name it, and then open it on a mobile device in edit mode. Click the microphone button on your Android/iPhone keyboard and watch your Doc fill in. It seems so simple, and yet, it was breathtaking to watch during the Demo Slam.

3. Jamie Casap: Our morning keynote speaker who did a great job in reminding us why we are here and what the world is really like. Inspired to start my day and continue making a difference with students and technology.

2. Schoology.com: I'm not 100% ready yet, but I think this classroom management system, free to teachers, will soon be a replacement for Edmodo in my classrooms. I was very impressed by the features I saw.

1. The Demo Slam: In less than one hour, 12 presenters demonstrated one great/fun/useful technology tidbit in less than three minutes. Great way to end the day!

If you want even more insights you can ready my Twitter feed (@ahstechteacher), check out the summit hashtag (#gafesummit), and read my notes from day 1.