Google debuts new Chromebook App Hub features at BETT 2020

Among the many announcements that came out of BETT 2020 in London, Google has unveiled a number of updates to the Chromebook App Hub. The app shop designed for educators features not only applications from learning and creation but a plethora of “ideas” to help inspire teachers to make the most out of the technology in their classrooms. The latest update to the Chromebook App Hub will make it even easier for teachers and admins to take advantage of the latest Chrome OS hardware being used by students.

What’s New?

With tablets, convertibles and touch-enabled devices becoming more and more prevalent in the classroom, new features in the Chromebook App Hub will give teachers the ability to quickly find apps that are designed for these form-factors. Here are some examples from The Keyword:

• Search for your favorite apps and idea, and share them with other educators 
• New filter options that allow teachers to search by class subject, device feature, and Google integrations to find the best app to enhance their lessons
• 20+ apps optimized for Chromebook tablets, and the ability to filter apps by privacy laws like GDPR and COPPA

The new filter functionality will allow users to quickly find the apps that utilize styli or are optimized for tablets and tablet mode on convertibles. More than 20 apps have already been enhanced to take advantage of Chrome OS tablet mode which will be beneficial to devices such as the new Lenovo 10e Chromebook tablet. Here are a few of the apps that have been “touch-optimized.”

• Canva for Education: With drag-and-drop design tools, classroom-friendly content and templates, teachers and students can use Canva to create posters, worksheets, infographics, reports and animated presentations.
• Adobe Spark: With features like drag-and-drop and pinch-to-zoom, students can use Spark to easily create narrated videos, writing assignments, presentations, flyers, newsletters, portfolios, and web pages.
• Nearpod: A student engagement platform with ready-to-run interactive lessons that are touch-optimized for Chromebooks and tablets. Within Google Slides, educators can incorporate Nearpod features, while the Google Chrome extension enables teachers to easily access the Nearpod library within Google Classroom. 
• Kahoot: Create, host and play multiple choice quizzes. Teachers can take advantage of Google’s single sign-on for log-in and account creation as well as share homework challenges with students easily through Google Classroom.

You can find out more about what’s new in the Chromebook App Hub by heading over to the Google Blog. Don’t forget to check back for more coverage of Chrome OS at BETT 2020.