Google’s Samsung Chromebook is still relatively new to the tech scene, but it’s made quite a splash since its launch in October 2012. Aptly billed “a laptop for everyone,” its $249 price tag and straightforward interface makes it an ideal device for students and educators alike. Here’s why.

Do

First off, Google’s Chromebook eliminates all the work typically associated with a new computer. You won’t have to install any software, update any systems or download any anti-virus malware. It comes fully loaded; any applications you and your students will need are built-in and ready to use. And the best part about these pre-configured applications? They’re your favorite Google products— Search, Gmail, YouTube, Hangout— so you and your students shouldn’t need any extra training to use them. If you happen to be a Google newbie, though, don’t worry: these applications are as intuitive as technology can possibly be.

You’ll also love Chromebooks as an educator because they update themselves automatically, boot-up in seconds and require nearly zero maintenance. They take the hassle out of using computers in the classroom. Simply power them up, and your classroom of students will be ready to learn.

Go

As many educators know, ease of mobility is a huge concern when it comes to technology in the classroom, as more and more students and teachers share computers, tablets and the like. The Chromebook offers a great solution for this kind of mobility, as it weighs less than 2.5 pounds, is less than 0.7 inches thick and has a 6.5 hour battery life. Take it everywhere you need to go, whether that means being stuffed into a backpack or carried down the hall to another classroom.

One of the neatest and most convenient of all Chromebook features, particularly for an educator, is that everything on the computer– photos, music, videos, documents– is stored in the cloud via Google Drive. No more forgotten or misplaced hard drives, floppy disks, or flash drives. With a simple click, everything is safely stored online, ready for when your students need it next.    

Share

Another characteristic of Google’s Chromebook that educators are sure to love is how easy they are to share among multiple users. Switch between users in seconds, and never worry about anything getting messed up by someone else– all users have their own files, apps and settings. If your school’s budget allows for just one classroom set of computers, Chromebooks are an effortless way to go. They’re as easy to share among students as they are to customize to one individual in particular, and you don’t have to sacrifice one for the other.

Don’t forget to consider how you’ll keep these powerful little Chromebooks fully charged and stored securely. Discover an Anthro charging solution that’s right for you and your devices. 

Business innovator Nilofer Merchant begins her TED2013 talk with a statement intended to shock: “What you’re doing right now, at this very moment, is killing you.” On average, she says, we sit even more than we sleep, and then she declares what is now something of a cliché: “Sitting has become the smoking of our generation.” However, statements become clichés for a reason­— because they’re true.­ Merchant’s right: sitting down all day is killing us. We all know it, but we still all do it because for most of us, it’s an essential part of our 9-5 lives. Thankfully, Merchant proposes a small change that can lead to a big impact: If you’ve got a meeting, take a walk. It’s as simple as that.

Merchant herself walks about 20-30 miles a week during her various weekly meetings, a feat that she declares “doable, viable and sustainable.” Indeed: it’s free, it’s fun and it’s healthy. Who wouldn’t choose to spend an hour walking outside in the sunshine over an hour sitting under florescent lights in a sterile conference room? We should constantly challenge ourselves to look for ways to move more during the workday, and walking meetings are a great way to do just that.

In addition to keeping you active, walking outside during a meeting can lead to outside-of-the-box thinking. Merchant wistfully muses, “Fresh air brings fresh thinking,” and all quaintness aside, changing locations and environments can certainly help to trigger different reactions and thought processes in the brain. If you remove a dull conference room or a stifling cubicle from the equation, then you might come up with a new idea or solve a difficult problem, simply because you approached it from a different point of view.

Moreover, Merchant mentions that when she first thought about having to sit all day at work, she approached it as a battle of opposites: obligation versus health. She noticed that we tend to hold problems in strict opposition to one another- a sort of this or that mentality- which doesn’t have to be the case. Opposing sides can be equally true in their own ways. In this particular circumstance, Merchant simply melded the two supposed opposites together: healthy obligation = walking meeting. Follow her example and discover ways to fuse opposites as you’re looking for ways to move more during the workday.

And go on and give Merchant’s idea a try: walk and talk during your next meeting. You’ll be happier, healthier and more productive as a result. Not to mention the creative and innovative ideas that will likely come to fruition thanks to your newly dynamic environment.

Maggie Summers 1 – Get Up, Stand Up
By now, you’ve probably heard that sitting down all day is killing you. And we’d venture to guess that you’re pretty tired of hearing about it, so we won’t bore you with a jumble of statistics (though if you do want cold hard facts, we’ve got those). Sitting is a necessary evil, and well, sometimes you just have to bite the bullet. 
 
All that to say, standing up for part of your workday is an easy and fun way to stay active. You naturally fidget, move and sway when you’re standing. Throw on some headphones, blare your favorite tunes and you might even find yourself dancing. If you’re feeling brave, you could try to convince your boss to invest in a sit/stand desk for you, or take matters into your own hands by getting crafty. A DIY standing desk is better than nothing.
 
2 – Break Well, Break Often
By definition, a break is short, usually along the lines of five, ten, maybe fifteen minutes. But don’t be fooled, a wealth of power lies those brief moments of downtime. Taking frequent breaks gives you the perfect opportunity to move more during the day.
 
The average person’s attention span is 18 minutes, and that’s a generous estimate given our distraction-riddled Internet age. Our brains aren’t conditioned to work for long, arduous amounts of time, so take a break at least once every hour. Walk to the bathroom that’s farthest away from your desk. Walk around outside for a few minutes. Walk to your friend’s cubicle to catch up. Walk to get lunch. Walk to fill up your water bottle. Make the most of these little opportunities to get moving.
 
3 – An Active Hour
Another great way to move more during your workday is to turn your lunch hour into an active hour. Take a long walk outside. If you’ve got dogs running around your office, grab one of them and let him walk you around for a while. Drop by a yoga studio near your office for a quick class. If you’re so inclined, bring a change of clothes and go on a long run. Your coworkers will be so impressed with your hard work that they probably won’t even notice the sweat (or the smell).
 
Dedicate one of the happiest of all hours of the day to getting up and getting moving. You’ll be more awake, alert and productive when you return to your desk, and hopefully, a little happier. 
 
4 – A Team Effort
Not feeling motivated to get moving during lunch? That means it’s time to get your coworkers involved. Put on your leader hat and organize some sort of group exercise. Maybe at the top or bottom of the hour, everyone does 10 pushups or 20 jumping jacks. For inspiration, check out a recent article in the New York Times that describes a Scientific 7-Minute Workout. Brief, intense interval training has nearly the same health benefits as long-term endurance training, and short workouts are easy to integrate into your workday, especially when you have four or five other people motivating you.
 
5 – Ten Points for Creativity
The most important factor to start moving more during your workday is adjusting your mindset. Train yourself to think: How can I move more today? What can I do to remain active throughout my day? It might take some time, and yes, some effort, but pretty soon, taking the stairs instead of the elevator will feel like an automatic decision. Pretty soon, it’ll feel like second nature to stand up during long conference calls. Pretty soon, it’ll be completely normal to have walking meetings outside in the sunshine. And pretty soon, you’ll be a happier, more alert and more productive version of yourself.

Folks ask us “what does a pug have to do with furniture?”  And the fact is…quite a lot of things, actually.  Ruffles has been adding a touch of whimsy to our ads, website and literature since he was a pup.  An important member of Anthro’s family, Ruffles takes his job as CMO (Chief Morale Officer) very seriously.  When he’s not attending meetings or photo shoots, he can be found with sister, Dolly, curled up under the company owner’s desk.  We thought we’d officially introduce Ruffles and offer a behind-the-scenes view of Anthro from his unique perspective.