Chromebooks help teachers stay organized, jazz up their lesson plans, and collaborate with students. But did you know they can improve the way schools administer assessments? With a secure platform, Chromebooks are ideal for formative assessments, like state exams, or pop quizzes throughout the year. While testing is key in tracking students’ progress, it often only happens at the end of the year, semester, or unit. While that’s often too late to fix a concept that students don’t understand, educators can help by using Chromebooks to check in along the way. Many testing solutions, one deviceLet’s check out three ways instructors and schools can use Chromebooks for better assessments – and how you can now use accessibility apps and extensions to support all learners while test taking. 1. Helping to cut distractions during test time Many instructors use Google Forms Quizzes for formative assessments and understanding student progress. But we’ve heard instructors worry it’s too easy for students to get distracted, browse the web for answers, or chat with classmates on Hangouts. To keep pupils focused on the assessment—and put educators at ease—we created locked mode in Quizzes. Locked mode takes over the screen so students can’t navigate away until they submit their answers. And if a student exits the quiz, or opens any other tab, the teacher receives an email letting them know. Once the student hits the submit button, they can resume normal use of their Chromebook. “Locked mode allows me to assign a quiz to a set of students and then not worry about them going to other sites or access content that they shouldn’t,” says Chris Webb, High School Math teacher in Montreal, QC and Google Certified Trainer and Innovator. “It has exceeded my expectations and has allowed me to administer math quizzes without worrying that students will try to use Google or other tools to find the answer.” 2. Turning devices into secure high stakes testing tools Kiosk mode lets administrators use Chromebooks for high stakes testing by enabling the exam app to run in full-screen mode on the device. And kiosk mode is simple to set up – once enabled, it stops students from accessing the web or external storage, taking screenshots, or printing. Learn more about using Chromebooks for assessments. 3. Supporting better testing for all types of learners All students learn, and show what they know, in different ways. Last year, we shared that you can use apps and extensions like Texthelp and Don Johnston, as well as Chromebook accessibility features like Speech To Text and Word Prediction, when using locked mode in Quizzes in Google Forms. And today, we’re partnering with Pearson to provide integrated extensions for its online test delivery platform, TestNav. Texthelp® works in Google Forms Quizzes as well as Pearson’s TestNav so students can use Read&Write for Google Chrome and EquatIO® for Google. These tools help with reading, writing, and creating mathematical equations. They give students a little extra support if they need it, so they’re empowered to demonstrate their knowledge. Don Johnston’s apps Co:Writer and Snap&Read integrate with Chrome, even in locked mode, and with Pearson’s TestNav. Co:Writer provides word prediction, translation, and speech recognition, while Snap&Read offers read aloud, highlighting, and note-taking. These integrations allow students to get real-time writing and reading help while taking tests. So whether you’re giving an exit ticket, formative assessment, or final exam, Chromebooks can help. Get started with Quizzes in Google Classroom, locked mode, accessibility tools, and Chrome kiosk appstoday. * This article was originally published here The post From pop quiz to final exam: Chromebooks pass the test appeared first on Google My Business Verification | Verify Google Business. via Google My Business Verification | Verify Google Business https://ift.tt/2OfMMPG
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Indian journalist Bharat Nayak knows misinformation can have dangerous consequences. He’s witnessed it too often in his home state of Jharkhand, India. According to Bharat, “Indian society has been gravely affected by ‘fake news’, which has contributed to a rise in hatred and violence, and horrific incidences of lynching.” Concern about misinformation was especially pronounced around last year’s Indian general election—where more than 600 million people voted in the biggest democratic exercise in history. The spread of misinformation is something the Google News Initiative (GNI) India Training Network—a group of 240 senior Indian reporters and journalism educators—has been working to counteract, in their newsrooms and beyond. In partnership with DataLeads and Internews, the Network has provided in-depth verification training for more than 15,000 journalists and students from more than 875 news organizations, in 10 Indian languages. Using a “train-the-trainer” approach, it’s also helped support nearly all of the fact-checking initiatives launched by Indian media over the past year. But Network trainers wanted to do more than train their fellow journalists – they wanted to spread the message to their communities. Bharat traveled home to Jharkhand and held workshops, not only with fellow journalists, but with community groups and students—like those in the photo above. Today, to build on the network’s progress since 2018, we’re announcing a $1 million Google.org grant that will help Internews launch a new initiative promoting news literacy among the Indian public. The funding support is part of Google.org’s broader, $10 million commitment to media literacy, in collaboration with the Google News Initiative. How will it work? First, Internews will select a team of 250 journalists, fact checkers, academics and NGO workers, who will be trained on a curriculum developed by global and Indian experts, adapted to local needs and available in seven Indian languages. The local leaders will then roll out the training to new internet users in non-metro cities in India, enabling them to better navigate the internet and assess the information they find. “To make journalism effective again, more than the improvements in media, what is needed is media literacy,” Bharat said. “I want to make the citizens aware of how to consume media, see news and how they can play an active role in changing things for the better.” Starting today, Internews is putting the call out for journalists, educators, community workers and others to join the new program. We have no doubt there’ll be a strong response to the new program—and we look forward to continuing to support citizens and journalists like Bharat in the fight against misinformation in India. * This article was originally published here The post The Indian journalists fighting fake news appeared first on Google My Business Verification | Verify Google Business. via Google My Business Verification | Verify Google Business https://ift.tt/2Gxa5jR Keeping you safe online is a top priority at Google, especially for the thousands of Googlers who work on privacy and security around the world. Today on Data Privacy Day, we’re sharing some of the many ways we keep you safe online and across our products—from built-in protections to easy tools that keep you in control of your privacy. 1. Keep your passwords safe Password Manager in your Google Account helps you remember and securely store strong passwords for all your online accounts. With Password Checkup, one click will tell you if any of your passwords are weak—whether you’ve reused them across multiple sites, or if we’ve discovered they’ve been compromised in a third-party data breach—and we’ll give you the link to change them. 2. Let Google automatically delete your data With auto-delete for Location History, Web & App Activity and YouTube History, you can choose to have Google automatically delete your activity and location history every 3 or 18 months. You can also control what data is saved in your account with easy on/off controls in your Google Account, and even delete your data by date, product, and topic. 3. Use your favorite Google apps in Incognito mode Incognito mode has been one of our most popular privacy controls since it launched with Chrome in 2008, and last year we added it to YouTube and Google Maps. Tap from your profile picture to easily turn it on or off. When you turn on Incognito mode in Maps, your activity—like the places you search or get directions to—won’t be saved to your Google Account. When you turn off Incognito mode, you’ll return to a personalized Google Maps experience with restaurant recommendations, information about your commute, and other features tailored to you. 4. Try hands-free privacy controls with the Google Assistant You can also manage your privacy settings with help from the Assistant. Just say, “Hey Google, delete everything I said to you last week” to delete Assistant activity from your Google Account, or “Hey Google, that wasn’t for you,” to tell the Assistant to forget what it heard if the Assistant responds to something that wasn’t actually a question or request. And to learn how Google keeps your data private and secure, just ask, “Hey Google, how do you keep my data safe?” 5. Browse the web safely with Chrome Safe Browsing in Chrome automatically protects you from malicious ads and warns you before you visit dangerous sites or download suspicious files. If you use Chrome, your password protections are automatically built-in. We’ll warn you if your username and password have been compromised in a known breach as you log into websites. 6. Check in on your privacy settings across your apps and devices Data Privacy Day is a great time to check in on your privacy and security settings. Take a Privacy Checkup and we’ll walk you through key privacy settings step-by-step. You can do things like choose what data—such as your location and search history—gets saved to your Google Account or control what ads you see. When you’re finished, head over to Security Checkup for personalized recommendations to help protect your data and devices, like managing which third-party apps have access to your account data. 7. Control what ads you see from Google We do not sell your personal information to anyone and give you transparency, choice and control over how your information is used. If you’re curious about why you’re seeing an ad, you can click on Why this ad for more information. If you no longer find a specific ad relevant, you can choose to block that ad by using the Mute this ad control. And you can always control the kinds of ads you see, or turn off ads personalization any time in yourAd Settings. No matter how you use our products, it’s our responsibility to keep your data private and secure. That’s why we work every day to build the best privacy experiences and strongest protections, and we’ll continue our ongoing efforts to make privacy and security simpler for you. * This article was originally published here The post Data Privacy Day: seven ways we protect your privacy appeared first on Google My Business Verification | Verify Google Business. via Google My Business Verification | Verify Google Business https://ift.tt/2RAXsuh
When I was in the 11th grade, I had the opportunity to write my first screenplay through NAACP’s Afro-Academic, Cultural, Technological and Scientific Olympics (ACT-SO) program. The program provides a platform for Black high school students—more than 300,000 to date—to bring their ideas to life and kickstart their journeys to becoming leaders in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM), humanities, business, and the arts. ACT-SO gave me the confidence to pursue my dream of working in the entertainment and tech industry. After competing in NAACP’s local and national competitions, I wrote and directed my first short film, which I used in my portfolio to attend New York University. That eventually led me to my job as a Google Account Manager handling sales in the Media and Entertainment industry. Looking back, the greatest gift was that the program instilled values of community, excellence, and discipline in the participants. I’ve carried those values throughout my academic and professional career. I’ve found ways to build community and culture at Google, such as serving as the 2017-2018 Co-Lead of our Black Googler Network Bay Area chapter. This weekend, Google.org announced a $3 million grant and opportunities for Googlers to volunteer to help scale the ACT-SO program over the next three years. I sat down with National ACT-SO Director Larry Brown, Jr. to learn about how NAACP plans to expand the program to more students. Can you give us an overview of ACT-SO, for people who aren’t familiar? ACT-SO is an achievement program designed to recruit, stimulate, and encourage high academic and cultural achievement among African-American high school students. Students work throughout the year to develop a compelling project in one of 32 categories. After qualifying at their local ACT-SO contest, winners present their ideas at our national ACT-SO competition and compete for top scholarship prizes. The ACT-SO experience is unique and I dare say irreplaceable—it helps students build a support system for a lifetime of success. I understand that supporting the ACT-SO program is very personal to you. How did you first get involved with the program and what does your role include today? As a high school student in Detroit, I competed in ACT-SO’s Oratory competition. Although I never won, I was able to build a foundation of transferable skills that had a lasting impact. Now, as the leader of ACT-SO, I’m able to use what I learned as a contestant—active listening, critical thinking, and persuasion, to name a few skills—to create a memorable and impactful program that further enhances students’ experiences, while in ACT-SO and beyond. I’ve also been able to create rewarding volunteer opportunities for my fellow ACT-SO alumni to give back to the program that benefited them. At Google, we often talk about moonshots—“anything is possible,” 10x ideas. What is ACT-SO’s moonshot, and how can a grant from Google.org and volunteer support from Googlers bring it to life? Over the years, we’ve heard from many alumni who, like you, point back to the ACT-SO competition as a pivotal moment in being recognized for their brilliance and potential. NAACP believes that every student, particularly students from underrepresented backgrounds, should be encouraged to pursue their academic excellence. That’s why, over time, we want to expand the ACT-SO program and make sure every student of African descent has access to a local ACT-SO competition. Google.org’s grant is a first step in moving closer to that goal. We were on a trajectory to engage 30,000 students over the next three years, but with Google’s support, we’re planning to expand to new chapters and engage almost 70,000 students. We’ll be hiring new staff, offering more travel stipends to students, and keeping alumni engaged. We’re also thrilled that members of the Black Googler Network and Black@YouTube have committed to volunteer as mentors and judges at the local and national level. Having Googlers involved will give our students the opportunity to meet new role models and begin building relationships in the tech industry. NAACP’s vision is a society where all individuals have equal rights without discrimination based on race. What role can computer science play in moving closer to that outcome? NAACP wants to put students on a path to high-wage careers that will make an impact on their lives, families, and communities, which is why we’re investing additional funds in our program’s science and technology tracks. The data shows that more than half of all jobs require technical skills, but a majority of students still aren’t learning these skills in school. Across the country, millions of technical jobs are projected to go unfilled, yet women and minorities are drastically underrepresented in technical fields. We believe that computer science education opportunities can be transformative in the lives of young people, and in particular, young people who do not have equal access and regularly face barriers to learning computer science. I don’t want to forget the role that artists have in computer science. I believe that artists and scientists have a lot in common. Technologists, scientists and artists share an inquisitiveness and drive to better understand the world through their work. Plus, computer scientists need great designers. What’s one way that we, as a society, can better support Black and Latino students on their educational journeys? If we believe that all students deserve the chance to make history, it’s critical that we lift up diverse representations of excellence and achievement. For example, we know that Black and Latino students have equal interest in CS education, but they face social barriers such as a lack of role models and learning materials that reflect their lived experiences. Only one in four underrepresented students report “often” seeing people “doing CS” in television shows or movies, and only about one in six among them report “often” seeing people like them. Everyone can help challenge these barriers by lifting up stories of achievement that are not traditionally represented. ACT-SO has several famous alumni. Can you share one of your favorite ACT-SO testimonies? There are many alumni that come to mind, one is Anthony Burrell—a creative director who’s choreographed for artists like Beyonce, Mariah Carey, Rihanna and Katy Perry. His work has been featured on some of the largest stages in the world. But he’s also used his platform to give back to young people and create a community of dancers. At his Anthony Burrell Center for Dance in Atlanta, dancers learn the fundamentals of various dance forms. He ensures students have access to dance education and training by providing scholarships for students who need assistance. For the past five years, Anthony has worked with ACT-SO as the choreographer of the annual ACT-SO Awards Ceremony. He elevates our students and provides opportunities for them to connect as professionals—some of them have even been hired to perform with notable talent after their ACT-SO experience. In addition to his own career in dance, Anthony’s participation in ACT-SO has given other students the opportunity to create a pathway to their personal success. * This article was originally published here The post Supporting future history makers with NAACP appeared first on Google My Business Verification | Verify Google Business. via Google My Business Verification | Verify Google Business https://ift.tt/2vmmAfy
Search trends can help us understand what people are interested in and what has endured—the people and events that have captivated our attention over time. Last year, as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day approached, our team had a hunch that his monumental “I Have A Dream Speech” might be the most searched speech in the United States in Google Trends history. It prompted us to analyze 15 years’ worth of U.S. search trends data to find out. Sure enough, it was. This revelation was an electrifying moment for our team. It pushed us to explore more aggregate Search trends data to identify other Black icons, events and movements that were the most searched within a specific category or field in the U.S. Here’s what we found: Dozens of Black Americans and the historical movements they led were searched more than any other person or event in a category. These range from historical milestones like the Montgomery bus boycott to iconic figures like Maya Angelou to the most searched Pulitzer Prize winner—Kendrick Lamar, for his album DAMN. That’s why, in celebration of Black History Month, we’re releasing a film tribute to these iconic moments, online and as an ad during the 2020 Grammy Awards. “Most Searched” tells a powerful story about how the Black community has helped shape and influence American culture. It also shows the tremendous collective interest in our history. We’re proud to celebrate the people and events in this film, and also hope that it inspires future history makers. In an effort to help build the next generation of Black leaders, scholars, artists and technologists, we’re awarding a $3 million Google.org grant to support the NAACP’s Afro-Academic, Cultural, Technological and Scientific Olympics (ACT-SO) program. As part of this, we’re connecting Googlers to ACT-SO volunteering opportunities. ACT-SO provides a platform for Black high school students—more than 300,000 to date—to bring their ideas to life and kickstart their journeys to becoming leaders in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM), humanities, business, and the arts. This initiative joins previous commitments to support organizations and programs that help Black and Latino students develop the technical skills they need to succeed in career and life. To learn more about these individuals and our celebration of Black History Month, visit g.co/blackhistorymonth. * This article was originally published here The post The Most Searched: A celebration of Black history makers appeared first on Google My Business Verification | Verify Google Business. via Google My Business Verification | Verify Google Business https://ift.tt/2TYgufR Data Studio Community Visualizations, currently in beta, allow you to create and integrate custom JavaScript components into your dashboards. You can use Community Visualizations to expand your chart selection, customize your report styling, or create custom components that perform advanced analysis or even in-browser machine learning. New galleries for Data Studio Community VisualizationsShowcase gallery for Community Visualization reports The Data Studio team recently launched the Community Visualization Report Gallery. There, you can explore how others in the community have leveraged Community Visualizations to make the most of their data and dashboards. Public Partner Visualization Gallery Additionally, we’ve added a new gallery of Partner Community Visualizations that we’ve made available. Browse them in the new Data Studio Visualizations gallery. Click-to-add Partner Visualizations To add these Partner Visualizations to a report, click “Explore more” in the Community Visualizations drop down. There, you can browse and install a variety of partner-built charts, including funnel visualizations and Gantt charts. Community Visualizations can add to a Data Studio dashboard in different ways – from providing custom charts and styling to integrating calculations with reporting. Statistical analysis with Community VisualizationsAnvil Analytics + Insights works to bring data-driven decision making to all of their work, including optimized paid media campaigns. They used Community Visualizations to build their own Chi-Square statistical analyzer. Several Anvil customers noticed that channels in Google Ads and Analytics converted at different rates, and wanted to know if the variance in conversion rates was statistically significant. Prior to using Community Visualizations, the Anvil Insights team manually exported the data out of Google Analytics into a separate tool, then ran the statistical analysis. Depending on where Anvil ran the analysis, the results were either stored separately from their reports, or not stored at all. Every time they wanted to test a different hypothesis or run a different variation of the test, they had to repeat the same time-intensive process. In order to speed up hypothesis testing and integrate the tests and results into Data Studio reports, Anvil used Data Studio Community Visualizations and built a Chi-Square calculator within a week. Anvil’s calculator takes in data, just like any Data Studio chart. Once the calculation is complete, the analyzer presents the statistical significance, and either calls the viewer’s attention to a relationship in the data, or comments that there was nothing of note in the data. Now, all it takes to test new hypotheses is switching out the data for the component, just like you would for any other Data Studio chart. See it live. “This has been a much faster way to find statistical significance in our campaigns and in other hypotheses we want to test. Anvil’s Director of Analytics and Decision Science, Brett Lohmeyer says, “The best part is that it gives us an easy way for our team to better communicate the value of using statistical significance to our clients.” Try it yourselfCheck out the new in-product Partner Visualizations Gallery to browse and add new partner-built Community Visualizations to your reports. To build your own Community Visualizations, check out the developer documentation. * This article was originally published here The post Do more with Data Studio Community Visualizations appeared first on Google My Business Verification | Verify Google Business. via Google My Business Verification | Verify Google Business https://ift.tt/37vJ2Ba Across the web, there are millions of datasets about nearly any subject that interests you. If you’re looking to buy a puppy, you could find datasets compiling complaints of puppy buyers or studies on puppy cognition. Or if you like skiing, you could find data on revenue of ski resorts or injury rates and participation numbers. Dataset Search has indexed almost 25 million of these datasets, giving you a single place to search for datasets and find links to where the data is. Over the past year, people have tried it out and provided feedback, and now Dataset Search is officially out of beta. What’s new in Dataset Search?Based on what we’ve learned from the early adopters of Dataset Search, we’ve added new features. You can now filter the results based on the types of dataset that you want (e.g., tables, images, text), or whether the dataset is available for free from the provider. If a dataset is about a geographic area, you can see the map. Plus, the product is now available on mobile and we’ve significantly improved the quality of dataset descriptions. One thing hasn’t changed however: anybody who publishes data can make their datasets discoverable in Dataset Search by using an open standard (schema.org) to describe the properties of their dataseton their own web page. We have also learned how many different types of people look for data. There are academic researchers, finding data to develop their hypotheses (e.g., try oxytocin), students looking for free data in a tabular format, covering the topic of their senior thesis (e.g., try incarceration rates with the corresponding filters), business analysts and data scientists looking for information on mobile apps or fast food establishments, and so on. There is data on all of that! And what do our users ask? The most common queries include “education,” “weather,” “cancer,” “crime,” “soccer,” and, yes, “dogs”. What datasets can you find in Dataset Search?Dataset Search also gives us a snapshot of the data out there on the Web. Here are a few highlights. The largest topics that the datasets cover are geosciences, biology, and agriculture. The majority of governments in the world publish their data and describe it with schema.org. The United States leads in the number of open government datasets available, with more than 2 million. And the most popular data formats? Tables–you can find more than 6 million of them on Dataset Search. The number of datasets that you can find in Dataset Search continues to grow. If you have a dataset on your site and you describe it using schema.org, an open standard, others can find it in Dataset Search. If you know that a dataset exists, but you can’t find it in Dataset Search, ask the provider to add the schema.org descriptions and others will be able to learn about their dataset as well. What’s next?Dataset Search is out of beta, but we will continue to improve the product, whether or not it has the “beta” next to it. If you haven’t already, take Dataset Search for a spin, and tell us what you think. * This article was originally published here The post Discovering millions of datasets on the web appeared first on Google My Business Verification | Verify Google Business. via Google My Business Verification | Verify Google Business https://ift.tt/2TT4LPx
Remember that chicken parmesan recipe you found online last week? Or that rain jacket you discovered when you were researching camping gear? Sometimes when you find something on Search, you’re not quite ready to take the next step, like cooking a meal or making a purchase. And if you’re like me, you might not save every page you want to revisit later. Today, we’re launching some changes to Collections in Search to make it easier to jump back into your task without digging through your search history. Last year, we created activity cards in Search to make your search history more useful, and to help you pick up where you left off. Using AI, Collections in the Google app and mobile web now groups similar pages you’ve visited from Search related to activities like cooking, shopping and hobbies. You can choose to save these suggested collections so you can come back to them later. These suggestions can be accessed any time from the Collections tab in the Google app (new on Android!), or through the Google.com side menu on the mobile web. And if you don’t want Google to suggest collections for you, you can control this in your settings, which you can visit right from Collections in the Google app. Once you have a collection, Google can help you make better, faster decisions by showing you what you might want to check out next. Based on what you’ve saved, you’ll see related content behind the “Find More” button within a collection. There’s also a new collaboration feature that lets you share and work on a collection with others. For example, if you’re planning a party with friends, you might want to share the recipes you’re considering, or the decorations you want to use so you can make a decision together. When sharing a collection, you’ll have the option to let others view it or to let others make changes. And you can always make it private again if you don’t want to share it anymore. The ability to share or collaborate on a collection is rolling out now globally; the ability to see related content will launch in the coming weeks. Suggested collections will start to appear for U.S. English users this week. We’ll look to bring these features to more languages and regions over time. Whether you’re planning an event, plotting a garden renovation or tracking down tips for tidying up, jump start your next project with Collections. * This article was originally published here The post A fresh way to revisit your online finds in Google Search appeared first on Google My Business Verification | Verify Google Business. via Google My Business Verification | Verify Google Business https://ift.tt/2NPvWa4
Editor’s note: This week, we’re at BETT in London, where you can visit us at booth SE30. If you’re #NotAtBett, follow along on Twitter and Facebook. On the Google for Education team, we think a lot about how to make sure the technology we’re delivering and schools are using is sustainable. Devices shouldn’t have to be constantly refreshed or replaced after just a couple of years in the classroom. They should be used year after year and consistent updates should continue to expand functionality. We launched Chromebooks 10 years ago to reimagine what personal computers could do, so we set out to create devices that champion speed, simplicity, and security. Thanks to feedback from administrators, we created the Chrome Education Upgrade, which allows IT admins working in schools to have more control over the hundreds of thousands of devices they manage. To make sure Chromebooks are packed with the latest and greatest and to build long-term value into each device, we automatically send security updates and features to devices every 6 weeks, and we work with Chromebook manufacturers to make sure schools get the most out of them. We believe in making devices that are more sustainable and packed with features that empower teachers and students to get the most out of their teaching and learning while delivering value for schools around the world. So today, we’re sharing new updates to our Automatic Update Expiration date policy, new devices for 2020 with longer life and more capabilities including touch screens and improved UI, and a new price for the Chrome Education Upgrade. Forty million students and educators now use Chromebooks, and we’re still listening to them every step of the way. Simplifying IT for schoolsChrome Education Upgrade unlocks the full capabilities of Chrome OS and frees up IT resources. When IT admins are given tools to streamline school management, they can work with teachers to simplify workloads. This means that students get more time and attention from educators. Managed access puts admins in control of what users can access and how the devices can be used. It simplifies device deployment with the help of a cloud-based command center where admins can manage settings and oversee all devices in their fleet. It also provides advanced security controls, which allow IT admins to disable devices remotely, set up persistent enrollment to prevent unrestricted access or set data to remove at the end of each session. Automatic updates are getting a refreshToday, we’re announcing changes to the Chrome OS Automatic Update (AUE) policy. Based on feedback from customers, Chromebook manufacturers and partners, we are now providing security and feature updates for a longer period. Automatic updates provide important fixes for security, stability, and new features. With two copies of the operating system on each device, one can be silently updated without disrupting your work—or class! However, at a certain point, we can no longer push updates or guarantee a device’s hardware and security. When we first launched Chromebooks, devices only received three years of automatic updates. Over the years, we’ve been able to increase that to over six. Last fall, we extended AUE on many devices currently for sale, in many cases adding an extra year or more before they expire. This will help schools better select which devices to invest in and provide more time to transition from older devices. And now, devices launching in 2020 and beyond will receive automatic updates for even longer. The new Lenovo 10e Chromebook Tablet and Acer Chromebook 712 will both receive automatic updates until June 2028. So if you’re considering refreshing your fleet or investing in new devices, now is a great time. For a full list of AUE dates, see the Automatic Update Expiration policy on our Help Center. With 20+ new devices for education, extended years of automatic updates on more devices and more than 200 controls for admins and counting in Google Admin Console, Chromebooks can provide a stronger return on investment than ever before. To support this greater lifespan, we’ve increased the list price of the Chrome Education Upgrade from $30 to $38. You can purchase Chrome Education Upgrade through your reseller to manage your devices today. The new and improved Google Admin ConsoleWe recently rolled out improvements to the admin console, including 10 times faster page loads and search functionality. In Google Admin Console, you’ll see a new Devices page where you can search and filter by device, and see the Automatic Update Expiration dates for the devices in your school. All app management for users, browsers, managed guest sessions, and kiosks is now part of a single page where you can manage apps and extensions from the Google Play Store, Chrome Web Store, and self-hosting side by side. You can also pin websites to the taskbar on Chrome OS and provision progressive web apps (PWAs) for your users—all you need to enter is the URL. And in the Settings page, you can manage native printing options more closely with new controls for setting defaults and restrictions on duplex, color and more. New devices for 2020Chromebooks are designed for enhanced learning, and the newest devices coming in 2020 are no exception. The ASUS Chromebook Flip C214 and Lenovo 500e Chromebook come with a rugged design, durable touchscreens, built-in styluses and a 360-degree hinge so students can create and explore in new ways. And with both a user-facing and a world-facing camera, students can collaborate in Hangouts Meet, then flip their screens around to shoot videos for class projects. Devices like the Pixelbook Go and the new Lenovo Chromebook 10e tablet give teachers and students access to tons of creative tools. Google Slides and Docs make it easy to work together with podcasting, video or coding apps, all of which can be found on the Chromebook App Hub. * This article was originally published here The post Improving 40 million Chromebooks for education appeared first on Google My Business Verification | Verify Google Business. via Google My Business Verification | Verify Google Business https://ift.tt/2sPcjb1
Many app publishers attempt to maintain stability in their app by not making any changes, despite the constantly evolving mobile ads business. This approach can be detrimental in the long run by causing you to miss out on growth opportunities. Continuously testing new approaches in your app is an essential part of an effective monetization strategy, so we’d like to go over a few examples of tests you can implement now to get you started. What are some things I can test?With AdMob, you can test any feature of your app that can be defined with a variable. Here are some experiments you can start with: Ads alongside in-app purchasesIf you currently monetize your app exclusively through in-app purchases (IAPs), testing ads alongside IAPs is a low risk approach that allows you to understand the impact of including another monetization model. For example, game publisher Four Thirty Threeused to rely exclusively on in-app purchases (IAP) for their revenue. They used smart segmentation to divide their users into likely purchasers and likely non-purchasers. This allowed them to remove any risk of harming their IAP revenue by ensuring that ads were only shown to users who did not spend within their app anyway. After serving rewarded ads to non-paying users, their retention, session duration, and revenue increased. New featuresA/B testing can be a great way to gauge your user’s reaction to new features before rolling them out to your entire app. For example, Onefootball, a leading soccer app, wanted to test a Top News section in their app’s News stream. However, they first wanted to determine whether this potential change would lower revenues. They set up a test with a control group and two exposed groups, which showed them that this proposed change would not hurt revenue. As a result, the feature increased daily engagement by 5 percent, and articles read on the app rose by 6 percent. PricingA/B testing can be an invaluable tool to help determine the best price point for a subscription or in-app purchase. Le Figaro, France’s oldest and largest daily newspaper, was looking to increase paying customers and retain paid subscribers. They used Firebase to test different subscription price points, and even found that the largest increase in paid subscriptions was driven after embedding real time interactive infographics into their mobile and web articles. How can I test it?If you haven’t yet linked AdMob to Firebase and wish to A/B test, we recommend you do so. Integrating Firebase into your AdMob account is simple, and lets you test small changes to your apps without having to push updates. After setting up your account, endless experiments become available to you with just a few clicks. If you’d like a quick summary of what Firebase can do for your AdMob account, check out this YouTube video. * This article was originally published here The post Iterate your way to success with A/B testing appeared first on Google My Business Verification | Verify Google Business. via Google My Business Verification | Verify Google Business https://ift.tt/36hINZ0 |