How2App: Notability

How2App is a video tutorial series about how to start using an app and learn the basics of using it.

This week, I made a video detailing the awesome features of Notability.

For your viewing pleasure

Notability is truly an A+ app. I highly recommend it to any student.

Using Google Takeout to create an archive of your Google Account

It's close to that time of year for High School Seniors: Graduation. If your school is like mine, every student has a school-issued Google Account. And the best way to make sure you have all of your data for the years ahead is to use Google Takeout.

The 16 Google Products currently supported

To begin, navigate to the Google Takeout page, log into your Google Account, and click the "Create an archive" button.

The Configuration screen

You will then be moved to the configuration screen to choose what of your data you would like to keep.

Now we wait

After you properly configure your archive, the process begins. This may take several minutes or several hours depending on how much data is being compressed.

So big, you need to download it twice

Once your data is ready, you will receive a notification via email. Click the download button, and your data is now truly yours.

It's important to note a few safety tips regarding your data. Google has them listed as followed:

Keep these in mind so that your data remains protected.

Chromebook vs. iPad

1:1 programs and technology integration is a recent trend sweeping the nation. Schools seek to use technology to augment the learning process. Indeed, many resources exist online that help students of all ages and grades with learning new concepts. I myself take notes over PDFs, as I find it a much more efficient process that the classic pen-and-paper. A question that every school district needs to ask is "What device to use?". Though my school uses iPads, I recently have had the opportunity to use a Samsung Chromebook to test its capabilities vs. the iPad's. Here are the pros and cons of the Chromebook that I have found so far:

Pros:

• Deep integration with Google Services
• Full keyboard
• 2 USB Ports (1 USB 2.0 and 1 USB 3.0)
• 1 HDMI Port
• 1 Standard SD Card Slot
• Ability to expand to an external hard drive or flash drive
• Chromecast Support
• Chrome App Store
• Ability to use extensions
• 11.6 inch screen
• Ability to plug in a full keyboard and a mouse

Cons:

• Little to no ability to annotate .PDF files
• Bulky
• Trackpad is difficult to use for larger hands
• Somewhat flimsy plastic frame

Overall, I find that the iPad is currently the better option for schoolwork. The touchscreen allows for very user-friendly interaction, and it has a much wider selection of applications available. Still, some features such as USB ports and the full keyboard are sorely missed features on the iPad.