Keeping up with the constant changes in technology can be difficult. According to a Gartner survey, keeping up with the pace of change ranks as one of the top five leadership issues. Twenty-four percent of organizations, says Gartner, reported no plan of action for staying current. It reminds me of John Kotter’s story, Our Iceberg Is Melting. In this blog entry, we’ll revisit the fable and explore ways for Google EDU districts to stay in the know.
A Tale That Never Grows Cold
In Kotter’s fable, a group of penguins lives on an iceberg. One of them notices that the iceberg is melting. Unfortunately, no one wants to do anything about it. They fail to appreciate the urgency because they’ve grown comfortable, insulated from slow moving, long-term change factors.
In schools today, we face similar challenges. The way things work changes quickly, right under our feet. How do you stay informed and afloat? Let’s explore one fun way.
G Suite EDU? Come Learn This Way
One of my favorite ways to keep up to date with G Suite EDU changes includes reading their blog. Another has me watching their ninety-second, short videos.
EDU in 90 is a video series from Google for Education, with new episodes three times each month. In each episode, they focus on an important topic. These videos provide updates for educators, administrators, and school leaders.
The series, EDU in 90, shares news and resources for educators and school leaders. Let’s take a look at some of the latest news items for schools.
#1 – G Suite Enterprise for Education
When this was first announced, technology directors said, “It’s the end of G Suite EDU free services.” However, that is very untrue. G Suite EDU remains free, making it one of the best value propositions available to K-12 schools. G Suite Enterprise for Education does, however, offer MORE services at a cost. This for-pay enhancement offers features such as security management, advanced collaboration, and data analytics.
#2 – Chrome Extensions to Stay Organized
Wish you had an easy way to stay organized? In the G Suite EDU environment, you can rely on Chrome extensions to provide an assist. In this episode, you’ll learn how to use Chrome extensions such as Wakelet, One Tab, Google Keep, and Extensity. These crowd-sourced tools make it easy for you stay organized while browsing. The video features the use of URL shorteners as well. To make things easier for you, click the links to explore TCEA TechNotes blog entries about each.
#3 – Chrome Extensions to Save Time
In a hurry? Who isn’t? Use these tools to make saving time easier. Here are a few crowd-sourced insights:
- Tab Scissors – Use this to split your Chrome window into two.
- Save to Google Drive – Quickly save web content or a screen capture straight to Google Drive with a right-click option.
- Cluster – This extension makes it easy to manage multiple open tabs and windows. It enables you to restore closed windows and jump around from one to the next.
- Share to Classroom – If you use Google Classroom often, you can save content you encounter to your Google Classroom for students to view.
Become a Pace Setter: Watch EDU in 90
Feeling pushed around by the pace of change? Then become a pace setter in 90 seconds or less. Watch a few of these videos to get up to speed.