Chromebooks for Education – 3 Reasons to Choose Them

The statistics are clearly showing that Chromebooks have taken over the iPad and the traditional laptop in the education department as more and more school districts are now moving towards the affordable alternative that is Google’s Chromebook.

In terms of size, the Chromebook lies somewhere in between the traditional laptop and tablet. Furthermore, the fact that Chromebooks are now being manufactured by Acer, Samsung, Dell, HP, and Lenovo rather than just Google shows that Google is serious about Chromebooks filling the gap that needs to be addressed when it comes to specific educational needs.

These are the three reasons why Chromebooks are ideal for education.

Price

An evaluation conducted to test laptops, Chromebooks, and iPads as the perfect buy for educational purposes shows that Chromebooks very easily triumphed. The reason behind this was that Chromebook was more reasonable and economical.

This factor becomes even more significant when you consider that education departments have to cater to thousands of students. The more they can cut down on the cost of the device, the more students they’ll be able to provide for.

Another reason educators believe in Chromebooks is that they are able to utilize Google Apps for Education, which is a free suite that contains applications for word processing, presentations, and spreadsheets. Chromebooks are purpose-built for these programs and can serve as the ideal supplementary digital material for textbooks.

Practical and Durable

When educators have to make the choice between a standard laptop, an iPad, and a Chromebook, what matters most after the cost is how durable and practical the device is. The practicality of the device is significant if you intend to use it to improve education and aid the learning process. Google’s Chromebooks are designed for that. Google Docs is a perfect example of the Chromebook’s practicality.

With students, you have to consider a device’s durability if they are to survive the rough use that they will be subjected to in the hands of students. Educators decided to put the devices available to test. They were subjected to stress tests and drop tests, and Dell’s Chromebook won the test. Even in a 4-foot drop test, it held its own and this durable form of Chromebook makes it ideal for use by students.

Of course, kids will continue to find unique ways to break them, but if a device is more economical and durable than an iPad, you’ve got to take it.

Ease of Use and Maintenance

Chromebooks are incredibly easy to use, so they’re perfect for students who may not be familiar with computers or technology in general. The user-friendly Chrome OS makes it simple to navigate around the device without any technical knowledge or experience.

Chromebooks don’t require any special software or hardware, they’re also very straightforward to maintain. This means that IT staff don’t need to spend a lot of time dealing with tech issues – they can just focus on teaching instead. 

IT experts working in the education department believe that students need to be introduced to a cloud-based platform that would deliver all the right applications and provide a learning environment that allows creative thinking, communication, and collaboration among students.

The choice narrows down to Google Apps for Education and Microsoft Office 365. Since most teachers are already familiar with Google and use it on their cellphones, it was considered to be the easier tool of the two. In short, Google’s environment is very easy to work with.