Chromebooks for schools

AHarvey · 2 Nov 2018 at 18:59

Hi all,

This doesn't really fit into a single area/board so posting here for a lot of feedback.

Does anyone here have children at school that uses Chromebooks as part of the school system? Preferably primary school but secondary feedback welcome.

has anyone or does anyone set up these systems from scratch and/or maintain them?

Our local primary school has just had £4400 donated to them via their PTA. The PTA is talking about 12 iPads, which, ****** me off no end because for the same money we could be looking at 40 android tablets or 30 Chromebooks benefitting more children overall. It's a small school so that amount would cover the top 2 years of the school.

I've suggested android and chromebooks but was interested in hearing feedback from parents who are more technical as well as any advice regarding costings and time spent setting up these systems.

thanks

dymetrie · 2 Nov 2018 at 19:04

I can have a chat with the Schools IT Service manager for Camden, if you like. We deploy Chromebooks for schools across the borough, and also manage google business accounts for schools and Tenants and Residents Associations, so know that it's a viable option

Hades · 2 Nov 2018 at 19:48

I don't have experience of Chromebooks but my daughter's school use iPads for most lessons. They have to supply their own so that also allows them to do homework on them outside of lessons. One thing to consider is the extensive educational software already available for iPads which the schools have access to. I don't know whether the same tools would be available for Chromebooks.

GravyMonster · 2 Nov 2018 at 21:18

Google Classroom is available on all platforms, and is free.

Caged · 2 Nov 2018 at 22:18

What platform are the apps that people want to use going to run on? I strongly suspect that this hasn't even been considered and someone has just proposed something before really having an idea of what they want to do.

What is the state of the wireless network that is going to have to support these devices? What allowances have you made for storing, charging, maintaining them etc.?

Diagro · 3 Nov 2018 at 03:38

Lol, Chromebooks in a school.

Would last a month

robj20 · 3 Nov 2018 at 05:17

So some schools force you to buy your child an ipad?
What if you don't want then to have one.

Hades · 3 Nov 2018 at 08:06

robj20 said:
So some schools force you to buy your child an ipad?
What if you don't want then to have one.

Then you go to another school (it's not a state school). I actually really dislike their use of iPads for various reasons.

MichaelAwkward · 3 Nov 2018 at 09:07

Diagro said:
Lol, Chromebooks in a school.

Would last a month

We've been using them for a couple of years now across a school of 1000~, with few problems. Much better value for money than iPads.

Rotty · 3 Nov 2018 at 10:07

Ipads in schools? what are they thinking?

edscdk · 3 Nov 2018 at 10:38

4.5k 12 ipads lol... Bend over pay the apple tax. . I'm sure you can get them fixed cheap when little Fartybut breaks the screen (sniggers)

Id approach other schools see what their experiences are..

You would think the government would have a preferred supplier / make /model .... So you would get them cheap and also fixed cheap.. But if they got involved a crappy chrome book would cost 10x retail take 6 years to arrive and cost 3x more than a new one to repair...

Rotty · 3 Nov 2018 at 13:11

Even if they IPads weren't stupid money why schools buy kit they are unlikely to come across when they get into a work environment

5punk3monk3y · 3 Nov 2018 at 13:57

Wouldn't surface pads make more sense as Rotty pointed out these would mimic the environment most of the world's work office environment runs on.

Slam · 3 Nov 2018 at 22:34

Don't most of the world's work office environments run on Intel, Windows and Microsoft Office? iPads, Chromebooks, they're all passing fads

GravyMonster · 3 Nov 2018 at 22:54

Google docs works in an identical way to Office apps so the skills learned there would be transferable. Plus the Surface is about as expensive as an iPad, and the keyboard is awful. At least typing on physical keys is another useful skill to learn early in life.

Hyburnate · 3 Nov 2018 at 23:26

Hades said:
Then you go to another school (it's not a state school). I actually really dislike their use of iPads for various reasons.

Doesn't happen to be an American school? Three letters long?

Google Classroom is meant to be excellent, that's been my understanding from IT Managers I've spoken with.

Hades · 4 Nov 2018 at 00:20

Hyburnate said:
Doesn't happen to be an American school? Three letters long?

I assume you're referring to ACS in Cobham? No. But it isn't a million miles away from that physical location.

I can't remember the name of the tools they use. But it allows their teachers to share homework directly with them. They can then complete the homework on the ipad by drawing/writing/etc on the sheets and submit it back again when done. The major downsides I see with it are the reduced amount of actual book reading and writing and also it's difficult to take the ipad away as she always has the excuse that she has homework to do (doesn't mean we don't take it away when needed though - just makes it more difficult).

Hyburnate · 4 Nov 2018 at 00:38

Hades said:
I assume you're referring to ACS in Cobham? No. But it isn't a million miles away from that physical location.

I can't remember the name of the tools they use. But it allows their teachers to share homework directly with them. They can then complete the homework on the ipad by drawing/writing/etc on the sheets and submit it back again when done. The major downsides I see with it are the reduced amount of actual book reading and writing and also it's difficult to take the ipad away as she always has the excuse that she has homework to do (doesn't mean we don't take it away when needed though - just makes it more difficult).

Cobham, Hillingdon, Egham. Either really, they're all mad on Apple, but yeah

Know them quite well but enough said

I believe Google Classroom provides parents with a means to access to, so they can see how their child is doing, on targets etc

CaptainRAVE · 4 Nov 2018 at 15:39

5punk3monk3y said:
Wouldn't surface pads make more sense as Rotty pointed out these would mimic the environment most of the world's work office environment runs on.

Most work places use 365, which is available on all devices.

Slam said:
Don't most of the world's work office environments run on Intel, Windows and Microsoft Office? iPads, Chromebooks, they're all passing fads

Fewer and fewer schools are using Chromebooks now. iPads still seem popular.

Spunkey said:
Google docs works in an identical way to Office apps so the skills learned there would be transferable. Plus the Surface is about as expensive as an iPad, and the keyboard is awful. At least typing on physical keys is another useful skill to learn early in life.

I personally like the surface, but agreed on the keyboard and an iPad has a quicker/zero initial boot up. Laptops make a lot more sense in a working environment, but they age quickly.

Hyburnate said:
Cobham, Hillingdon, Egham. Either really, they're all mad on Apple, but yeah Know them quite well but enough said

I believe Google Classroom provides parents with a means to access to, so they can see how their child is doing, on targets etc

There are loads of software packages available that do this.

Most schools just have a bring your own device policy now. Easier and cheaper. Lots of different ways of going about it. I personally wouldn't be looking at android tablets (no schools use them) or 30 Chromebooks (which are getting dropped quickly). I would fundraise more and aim to have a class set of iPads or surfaces in this case.

Caged · 4 Nov 2018 at 17:16

Rotty said:
Even if they IPads weren't stupid money why schools buy kit they are unlikely to come across when they get into a work environment

...it's a primary school. Surely the idea of making school mimic an office job can wait until they are at least 11.

Hades said:
I assume you're referring to ACS in Cobham? No. But it isn't a million miles away from that physical location.

I can't remember the name of the tools they use. But it allows their teachers to share homework directly with them. They can then complete the homework on the ipad by drawing/writing/etc on the sheets and submit it back again when done. The major downsides I see with it are the reduced amount of actual book reading and writing and also it's difficult to take the ipad away as she always has the excuse that she has homework to do (doesn't mean we don't take it away when needed though - just makes it more difficult).

If the iPad in question is a personal device and not provided by the school, you can always deploy your own MDM onto it and manage the apps that can be used in that way - e.g. lock it to just the homework app outside of certain times. Meraki SM is free for up to 100 devices.