How Does This Thing Even Work?

Probably the biggest hurdle we face with using Chromebooks in the classroom is understanding what they really are and how to use them. They look like laptops, but they don't exactly function like laptops in some ways. Here's a chart to compare and contrast some Chromebook features with the ordinary laptop that most of us know and love.

Here are some important tips to remember about using your Chromebooks:

• Since Chromebooks are web-based, many of your apps will require an Intenet/wi-fi connection.
• When you login as yourself, all of your settings, apps, and extensions will appear, and when you log off, those things are not accessible to other users.
• Pressing CTRL, ALT, ? simultaneously will take you to a ton of keyboard shortcuts that you may find useful. 
• All Google Drive Programs (Docs, Slides, Sheets, Drawings, Forms) autosave your information as you are working.
• While you have some icons for apps in your shelf (the bottom of your screen), these are not the only apps you have on your computer. If you click the magnifying glass key on your keyboard or the magnifying glass on your shelf, you can see your additional apps by selecting ALL APPS. 
• When you add new apps, they will appear under ALL APPS. They will only appear in your shelf if you pin them to the shelf.
• You can pin apps to your shelf by two-finger clicking (the right click on a mouse) and selecting PIN TO SHELF. Click here to watch the screencast.
• The Web Store has countless apps and extensions that you can add to your Chromebook. You can even search for apps under the Education category. 
• If you grab the extension Shortcuts for Google from the Web Store, you can pin Google Apps to your URL bar as well. Click here for more information on this extension.
• Because everything opens in tabs, you want to close individual tabs when you are no longer working on something. If you click the X in the upper right corner of your screen, all of your tabs will close, not simply the one you are currently using.
• The Google Apps all work together, making it easy to add links, objects and documents from one app to another.
• Since your Google account is web-based, you can open it (and many of your apps) by logging into your account on a desktop, laptop, or smartphone.