We use Office 365 for the same thing, and I do all assignments and assessments in Moodle. Work smarter, not harder.
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Chromebooks have emerged as the clear leader
- Thread starter bobenhaus
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We use Office 365 for the same thing, and I do all assignments and assessments in Moodle. Work smarter, not harder.
Thanks! Trying it now.
Update: Chromium OS is running a newer Chrome OS version 49 vs CloudReady version 45. Advantage with CloudReady is support for Flash and DRM for things like Google Movies, Netflix, etc.
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The more I use Chrome OS the more I'm blown away by it. By far the smoothest and fastest browsing experience even more so than Linux Mint. Beauty of it is it's just running on a 2008 Thinkpad x200 off of SD card with storage persistence that retains changes between reboots but feels faster than a lot of new devices. I can see now why Chrome OS is catching on like wildfire especially when you can pick up laptops like the well built Thinkpad x200 for about $100 from corporate upgrades that's cheaper but better than a lot of Chromebooks.
Let's look at what makes Chromebooks great: they're dead simple, anyone could use one.
That's good, right? You get your kid a Google Account. They go to school and use Sheets, Docs, and Slides. Do they get an email account with that education account? Obviously. What could possibly be wrong with teaching kids one very locked down tool from their young age? It isn't like kids need to know how to use computers or anything. Let's just teach them how to use the Chrome browser and web apps. Let's get them into a system that is a worse lock in than Microsoft or Apple could ever hope to achieve.
Part of it, like I squeezed in there, is that Chromebooks aren't teaching people. Chromebooks are a browser and web apps. We're raising a generation that will have no clue how to use computers because all they've ever used were browsers and web apps. And schools are definitely supposed to be about teaching.
For the record, though, this isn't really about Google being bad. They aren't I wouldn't want any vendor lock in. At least with a normal PC, you could always get some educational Linux distribution. Maybe it even has a simplified interface for younger students and a more complex one for the older students. That way we can teach children an uncommon skill known as thinking.
Those are great points! But from a use and support case, Chromebooks are a great fit in a scholastic environment.
They do exactly what the students need to do and no more. You don't have to worry where their work assignments are they are in the cloud. They could lose their Chromebook and still be able to retrieve their work.
Supporting a Chromebook is very easy because there is less that can go wrong. The amount of time a school support organization spends on Chromebooks is very minimal. Schools are already constrained by very tight budgets. Chromebooks are priced and speced perfectly to get the job done.
There are other options that would challenge a students mind. But then that is not the purpose of the Chromebook......it is just a tool to do homework assignments.
A coworker of mine's son had his school Macbook (most likely) stolen recently. It will cost her $1000 now. The units are insured for damage, but not theft. It blows my mind that any school system would spend so much on a school computer. Undoubtedly, the tasks they are using them for are very small. This coworker claims her son really never used it much. It works well for Apple I am sure - get them hooked on a specific OS before children even really know what other computing options exist.
Exactly.
They only do what our broken school system already does, which certainly isn't teach.
They aren't meant to do anything more than be a tool. Teachers are teaching, not Chromebooks, PCs or Macs.
Classes where programming is taught use PCs. The majority of classes require reports, where Chromebooks are the perfect solution. I think you're worrying in the wrong direction.
And don't look now, but I wouldn't be shocked if education companies in tech and elsewhere start looking at make Chrome compatible web apps based on the popularity of Chromebooks in schools.
Quite the contrary. The idea that Chromebooks aren't capable of doing everything classrooms need is ludicrous. If the popularity continues to grow, apps will catch up and do what schools need to do.
*yawn* Seriously? You don't see anything wrong with using a tool that doesn't help anyone learn anything more than just being a mindless consumer? Have fun with that. Kind of glad I got out of school long before they started dumbing everyone down.
You are really going to assert that computer systems can't be used to educate on and a message board filled with computer system enthusiasts?
WOW.
Good luck defending that.
Nope, I'm arguing that Chromebooks shouldn't be used to educate.
Do try to read posts and the entire conversation before you comment.
Way to walk it back.
I am guessing you won't take the time to elaborate on why a Chromebook shouldn't be used to educate, but other computer systems should be used.
Should I quote my previous posts if you're incapable of going back and look for yourself? I just need to know.
Yeah, why spend more money on education? We need to spend it on things that are important, like subsidizing corn and the troops.
When did I say to buy Apple things? Go ahead. Find where I said it.
Here is the post that started the conversation.
Notice how I argue that Chromebooks are a problem, as well as vendor lock in. Notice how I mention bringing in Linux as a possible computer platform. And no, Chrome OS is not Linux.