FAQs
WHY ARE WE RECOMMENDING CHROMEBOOKS OVER OTHER TYPES OF DEVICE?
Chromebooks have been used extensively across all of the Trust schools in recent years, proving themselves indispensable to pupils and teachers in the classroom because of their ease of use, reliability and performance.
CHROMEBOOK FEATURES
Less than 8 seconds to boot up
Zero maintenance required
Automatic updates
Super secure from online threats
Long battery life (enough for a full day at school)
Tried & tested rugged design
Google Classroom for easy student-teacher workflow
Large numbers of devices can be managed centrally
Excellent collaboration tools
Works seamlessly with Google Apps for Education and other cloud-based services which pupils and teachers already use extensively
The following are just a few examples of what students will be able to do with their own Chromebooks
Create, share and collaborate using Google Apps for Educations (GafE)
Use subject related apps in the classroom and at home during the holidays
Collaborative learning
Traditional methods of learning and teaching still have an important place in education and will continue at all of the Trust schools. Chromebooks should be seen as an educational tool, not as a replacement for traditional methods. Teachers and pupils continue to receive training on how to use these devices productively and appropriately.
MY CHILD ALREADY HAS A DIFFERENT DEVICE (NOT A CHROMEBOOK). CAN THEY USE THAT INSTEAD?
No, this will unfortunately not be possible. Other devices are not fully compatible with the Google Apps and add-ons that we will be using for teaching and learning:
The battery may not last a full day on a single charge
The device may not boot-up within 8 seconds from standby
The managed Chrome extensions may not function
The device will not be managed by the school, thereby reducing its effectiveness as a learning tool
From a school's perspective, there are two very important issues that make the Chromebook our device of choice:
The IT dept cannot support and fix multiple types of devices, nor can our teachers be expected to understand the different problems that they will present in the classroom. Chromebooks all run the latest version of Chrome OS, and all operate in the same way. In contrast, a Windows notebook operates differently from a Windows tablet, and Windows operating systems might range from XP (2006) right up to Windows 10. Android is completely different from iOS, and huge differences exist between MacBooks and iPads. For example, if a student is struggling to connect to the wi-fi during a lesson, the go-to solution will differ greatly by device type and spec. But on Chromebooks, it's all so easy.
The other issue for us as a school is e-Safety and filtering controls. One of the apps we talk about is the Google Management Licence which we deploy to the Chromebooks when we enrol them onto our system. This is crucial for Securly and GoGuardian to function for all pupils at all times.
(please also see the question "Why are we recommending Chromebooks over other types of device" above)
WHAT IF MY CHILD ALREADY HAS A CHROMEBOOK?
Unfortunately not. Consistency is key here and we need to make sure that all children are on the same specification of device. We also need to put a Google for Education license on the device and this will wipe anything that is already stored on it.
I'VE FOUND THE SAME CHROMEBOOK YOU'RE RECOMMENDING CHEAPER ELSEWHERE. CAN I BUY IT?
Yes, absolutely - and please tell us where and how much so that we can let our supplier know!
DID YOU LOOK AT WINDOWS, IPADS, MAC, LINUX OR ANDROID AS ALTERNATIVES?
Yes, we have visited other schools running 1:1 iPad and laptop programmes and consulted in depth with our teachers. We have learned that iPads are great tools for consuming media but they are not as good for creating content and allowing pupils to work collaboratively. Whilst the range of applications available on iPads and Android is vast, many of the resources that teachers currently use in IT Suites would not be available.
We also looked at traditional Windows, Mac and Linux laptops. Although these devices are indeed more powerful, they are also more complex, more expensive and have poorer battery lifetimes. The simplicity of the Chromebook overcomes these barriers and means that we can really focus on the learning experience.
WILL CHILDREN BE ABLE TO USE THEIR CHROMEBOOKS UNSUPERVISED AT SCHOOL?
The plan is for students to bring their devices to school every day (fully charged) and take them with them to lessons and children will be supervised during these periods of use. It will be easy to monitor this as every device will be enrolled GoGuardian which will continue to operate wherever the device is used, even at home on a different wifi network. Pupils will only be able to access these Chromebooks with their school accounts and all activity will put pupil protection and e-Safety first. This is one of the great advantages of the Chromebook - it can now serve as a proper device for work, free of other distractions.