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I tend to agree with this schools approach- leasing, insurance, etc... are probably a waste of money-Toby

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We've gone 1:1 with school owned Chromebooks. Here's how we deal with repairs, insurance, and theft.

I'm running a pilot project to give all of our students and teachers their own personal Chromebook from school budget. No parental leasing or contributions - we want there to be no barrier to access. But with that comes several issues, the biggest of which is repair costs and damage. Ultimately we want all of our 900 students to have a school provided Chromebook that they can take home, but what happens if that Chromebook gets damaged, stolen, or lost? The school owns the hardware, so who covers the cost and is insurance a factor?

Insurance and Warranty

Because the cost of each Chromebook is so low - around £150 per unit - it simply wasn't worth taking out additional insurance or warranty cover. Some insurance estimates we received almost doubled the device cost - we could literally buy a brand new Chromebook for the same price. Even if we had to replace 50% of the Chromebooks given out, we'd still be spending less money than if we'd taken out insurance, and we won't have to deal with all the red tape.

Repairs

Most of the repairs we deal with in-house. We have a solid team of technicians who can swap out most parts, and the benefit of Chromebooks is that they're really easy to take apart - we can replace a screen in less than 5 minutes. Parts are also really cheap, we can pick up a replacement screen for around £30.

If a cracked screen comes in we hand the student another Chromebook and off they go leaving us to deal with the repair. The most important thing is that they student is never disadvantaged for genuine accidents. The process has to be seamless.

We have also organised with the Chromebook manufacturer to get our technicians certified to carry out warranty repairs. Once this has been completed, we'll be able to do Chromebook repairs without breaking warranty and have direct access to official parts at a reduced price.

When do we charge students?

We don't charge students to repair genuine accidents, only where we believe the device to have been treated badly. Yes, there are Chromebooks dropped, sat on, and knocked, but we deal with these within the school budget. The outlay has been a fraction of our desktop repair costs. We have greater potential for damage, but repair costs are significantly less per device.

We've also found that students are very precious of their Chromebooks. They may be school property but just like their mobile phone the Chromebook is a very personal device for students, and they look after them well.

Chromebook - the disposable computer

The price and transportability of data makes the Chromebook an almost disposable computer. Swap outs take seconds, repairs minutes, and the costs are low. In the first month we spent £90 on repairs for a fleet of 300 Chromebooks. This will increase as the devices age, but even if we had to completely replace 50% of devices the next 3 years we'd still have spent less than we usually spend on our desktop refresh plan. For us the Chromebook is the perfect device. How about you?
Check out our 2014 Schools Chromebook Buyers Guide.

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Chromebook - the first disposable computer for schools - ClassThink

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We've gone 1:1 with school owned Chromebooks. Here's how we deal with repairs, insurance, and theft. I'm running a pilot project to give all of our students and teachers their own personal Chromebook from school budget. No parental leasing or contributions -- we want there to be no barrier to access.

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-Toby Frank

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7 Highly Effective Traits of Educators who use technology

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7 Highly Effective Traits of Educators who use technology

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I thought this image spoke to our cohort

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Teachers not only need to know how a chrome book works but also what tools to use. Here is Great infographic that talks about my favorites socrative, kaboot, classroom and forms- Toby Frank

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Teachers looking to integrate 1:1 devices need to feel comfortable with Google classroom plus 1 or 2 other tools. Here is a great infographic describing a few of the bests

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I love my new Chromebook!

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Here we take a very thorough and detailed look at the operation of the Chromebook and more so of the Google Chrome OS itself. From the basic overview, to the settings that stretch deep into the OS. Let me know what you guys think! Check Description for times!

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Hoonuit - Software that empowers educators to make better decisions, optimize their institutional processes, and transform teaching and learning

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Don't get stuck with junk.

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Technology Solutions That Drive Education

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When Jamason Isenburg was promoted to technology coordinator of Tremont Community Unit School District 702 in March 2011, he knew he had to make some big decisions right away. Given the significant cuts to education budgets throughout the district's home state of Illinois, Isenburg had to think creatively about how to replace the aging computers and networking equipment in the district's three schools. "We had equipment that was at least 7 or 8 years old, and we had to find a way to get the technology we needed without breaking the bank," he explains.

Isenburg first took a hard look at the annual tech budget to determine just how much he could dedicate to infrastructure maintenance and upgrades. He then mapped out the specific technologies he thought the district would need over the next five years and, in consultation with his CDW*G account manager, researched which desktops, notebooks, netbooks and wireless networking solutions he could afford.

When Isenburg weighed both the tangible and intangible costs of buying versus leasing, the decision was clear. He signed a five-year lease for everything that he anticipated Tremont CUSD 702 would need over that period, including 150 Acer Veriton Z410G all-in-one desktops, 100 Acer Aspire One D255 netbooks for mobile carts, 90 HP ProBook 4525s notebooks for the teachers, HP ProCurve wireless networking equipment, and Symantec security software licenses.

Keeping Up

Besides helping IT managers stretch their budgets and eliminating the need to dispose of outdated or surplus equipment, leasing ensures that teachers, students and staff always have access to current technology.

Kay Reinoehl, director of technology for the seven-school East Noble School Corp. in Kendallville, Ind., has leased networking equipment and other hardware at various times over the past 10 years. "We started leasing to keep the momentum going from a private grant that got us started with putting technology in classrooms," she explains.

The district continued to lease to keep up with Indiana's Buddy System Project, a now-discontinued initiative that aimed to put computer equipment in the home of every fourth- and fifth-grader. "But we just kept leasing, because it stretches our budget," Reinoehl says. "With leasing, I can triple or quadruple the effect of what our dollars can get us over a three- or four-year period and get the technology when I need it."

Reinoehl's newest mission is to fulfill the state's one-to-one computing goals. To that end, she has signed two four-year leases. The first provides 2,700 Lenovo ThinkPad Edge 14-inch notebooks to students in grades 5 through 12, along with administrators and teachers. The second provides the networking infrastructure to support wireless in all East Noble schools.

Doing It Right

Here are some tips for establishing a successful arrangement with a leasing company.

1. Test every option you're evaluating before committing to a lease. "We wanted to make sure our IT staff was comfortable with the technology we chose," Tremont CUSD 702's Isenburg says. "The only way to do that is to get a few models you're interested in and try them out."

East Noble School Corp. takes a similar approach. "Typically, we buy one of everything we are considering, and the network staff tests them," Reinoehl says. "They're looking at how the devices are constructed, how durable the cases are and the configurations. Then they put the equipment on our network and see how the devices respond to our network setup, our proxy servers, if they are fast, or if they crash a lot."

2. Think carefully about lease duration. "There are a lot of factors that go into how long a lease you should have," says Christopher Lee, director of technology for the Marple Newtown School District in Newtown Square, Pa. In 2008, the six-school district began leasing 1,900 HP desktop and notebook computers, as well as Sharp multifunction printers. "The amount of money we had and what we could afford affected what type of machine we got," he says.

A lease's optimal duration also depends on how the equipment will be used, Reinoehl says. If the technology will be used for cloud or hosted applications, for example, it doesn't need to be the latest and greatest, and districts can opt for longer leases.

3. Protect your interests. "Always talk to two or three leasing companies and go with the one that gives you the best terms," Reinoehl advises. But, she adds, if you find a good leasing company with whom you've successfully worked in the past, it pays to give that partner a chance to beat other bids.

Marple Newtown's Lee is a big fan of customizing contracts. He likes to write in a nonappropriation clause so that if the district can no longer afford the lease, it won't be held liable and can return the equipment. He also typically adds a clause that makes the financing company responsible for the costs to ship the hardware back at the end of the lease.

4. Consider an extended lease. If you're looking at a lease of more than three years, Lee strongly recommends purchasing an extended warranty. The five-year lease Marple Newtown signed is two years longer than the standard computer warranty. "Even with the additional warranty, it was still a good deal when you consider what a hard drive, video card or motherboard costs," he says. "Without that extended warranty, we would have had to start replacing parts."

5. Scrutinize end-of-lease options. One of two scenarios typically plays out when the lease period on IT equipment comes to an end: The district owns it or returns it to the leasing company, which often resells it. There are many choices within those two options, however, and it pays to spell them out carefully.

Marple Newtown School District has made 37% fewer service calls for hardware-related issues since moving to a leasing model.

In five years, Tremont CUSD 702 will own its leased equipment. Isenburg can return it for cash or a credit toward the next lease, continue using it, or have the leasing company sell it for him. He also negotiated a sales clause specifying that the leasing company must first make the equipment available to residents in the area CUSD 702 serves before selling it to the general population.

East Noble Schools Corp. has an even more unusual arrangement. Because the district's ultimate goal is to provide incoming fifth- and ninth-graders with notebooks that will carry them through the next four years of school, Reinoehl has negotiated a staged agreement. The notebooks distributed to current fifth- and ninth-graders carry a standard four-year lease, whereas the devices reserved for sixth- and 10th-graders are on a three-year lease; those for seventh- and 11th-graders are on a two-year lease; and those for eighth- and 12th-graders are on a one-year lease.

At the end of each lease period, current eighth- and 12th-grade students can purchase their devices for a price set by the leasing company. If they opt out, the district can buy the notebooks at the same price. If the district also passes, the leasing company buys them back.

To Lease or Not to Lease?

Leasing IT equipment is almost always cheaper than buying it outright, but there are other factors to consider.

The pros:

Lower upfront costs

Flexibility to customize payment terms

Ability to bundle the cost of hardware, software and services

Predictable monthly payments

More effective lifecycle management

Fewer maintenance problems (thanks to newer equipment)

Ready access to cutting-edge technology

Easier disposal of old equipment

The cons:

Returned equipment must be in good working order and wiped of data

Modifying equipment voids warranties

Leaseholders may be tied to the equipment for the duration of the lease, even if their needs change

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When Jamason Isenburg was promoted to technology coordinator of Tremont Community Unit School District 702 in March 2011, he knew he had to make some big decisions right away. Given the significant cuts to education budgets throughout the district's home state of Illinois, Isenburg had to think creatively about how to replace the aging computers and networking equipment in the district's three schools.

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Why Schools Must Move Beyond One-to-One Computing

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Why Schools Must Move Beyond One-to-One Computing

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"the weakest area of the typical one-to-one computing plan is the complete absence of leadership"

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Perhaps it was the driving rain and the dark grey clouds of an approaching storm that contributed to the superintendent's choice of words. He had spent the past month reviewing one-to-one computing programs in various school districts as he tried to decide whether his own district should commit to the enormous expense of a one-to-one program at a time of declining resources. His conclusion from his visits did not leave much room for interpretation.

"Horrible, horrible, horrible implementation from every program I visited," he said. "All of them were about the stuff, with a total lack of vision." His research convinced him not to move forward with one-to-one computing.

With this absolute conclusion that one-to-one computing can lead to a waste of precious resources-including dollars and time-hanging in the air, he then asked me my thoughts on the issue. My response, based on observing the implementation of one-to-one computing programs all over the world, was just as unequivocal: "Yes. Unfortunately, too often I concur."

As many schools and districts are now rushing to buy every student a digital device, I'm concerned that most one-to-one implementation strategies are based on the new tool as the focus of the program. Unless we break out of this limited vision that one-to-one computing is about the device, we are doomed to waste our resources.

The observation of failure is not limited to this superintendent or to me. I have heard some colorful names that describe the sad reality of such a wasted opportunity. While I tend to refer to these initiatives as "$1,000 pencil" programs, or paper shoved down the wire, a Welsh school head quips that they are nothing more than "shiny new spaceships." Even a corporate high-tech executive observes that too many schools are in "spray and pray" mode with one-to- one computing: "Spray" on the technology, and then "pray" that you get an increase in learning.

In every case of failure I have observed, the one-to-one computing plan puts enormous focus on the device itself, the enhancement of the network, and training teachers to use the technology. Then, teachers are instructed to go! But go where? That's the critical question that must be addressed first.

Seize the World

Without question, I believe every student must have 24-7 access to the internet. However, while one-to-one computing might work as a marketing slogan designed to convince schools to buy as many computers as possible, it is a simplistic and short- sighted phrase that suggests if every student had a device and if every teacher were trained to use these devices, then student learning would rise automatically.

Adding a digital device to the classroom without a fundamental change in the culture of teaching and learning will not lead to significant improvement. Unless clear goals across the curriculum-such as the use of math to solve real problems-are articulated at the outset, one-to-one computing becomes "spray and pray."

If the language we use to describe an initiative sets the tone and direction for it, and if we want to create a more inspiring vision than giving each student a device, then I have a simple proposition: Let's drop the phrase "one-to-one" and refer instead to "one-to- world."

This simple, one-word change takes us beyond the focus on the boxes and wires and alludes to why we are making the investment in the first place. The planning considerations now evolve from questions about technical capacity to a vision of limitless opportunities for learning. This change also has enormous implications for the design of staff development. As soon as you shift from "one- to-one" to "one-to-world," it changes the focus of staff development from technical training to understanding how to design assignments that are more empowering-and engage students in a learning community with 24-hour support.

Developing Leadership

Perhaps the weakest area of the typical one-to-one computing plan is the complete absence of leadership development for the administrative team-that is, learning how to manage the transition from a learning ecology where paper is the dominant technology for storing and retrieving information, to a world that is all digital, all the time.

Leaders must be given the training to:

Craft a clear vision of connecting all students to the world's learning resources.

Model the actions and behaviors they wish to see in their schools.

Support the design of an ongoing and embedded staff development program that focuses on pedagogy as much as technology.

Move in to the role of systems analyst to ensure that digital literacy is aligned with standards.

Ensure that technology is seen not as another initiative, but as integral to curriculum.

Leaders also must learn how to support risk- taking teachers and creating cohorts of teachers across disciplines and grades who are working on innovative concepts-such as students designing libraries of tutorials to help other students learn, as Eric Marcos has done with Mathtrain.TV.

In a one-to-world approach, the critical question is not, "What technology should we buy?" The more important questions revolve around the design of the culture of teaching and learning. For example, how much responsibility of learning can we shift to our students (see Who Owns the Learning by Alan November)? How can we build capacity for all of our teachers to share best practices with colleagues in their school and around the world? How can we engage parents in new ways? (See @livefromroom5 on Twitter.) How can we give students authentic work from around the world to prepare each of them to expand their personal boundaries of what they can accomplish?

The irony of many one-to-one programs is the overreach of filtering policies that prevent students from participating in powerful learning practices, such as publishing their work to a global audience. At a time of declining resources within many schools, it's essential to craft a vision that giving every student a digital device must lead to achievements beyond what we can accomplish with paper. Otherwise, let's just stick with the original one-to-one program: one No. 2 pencil per student.

We invite you to share your thoughts and follow the ideas contributed by others on this topic, using the Twitter hashtag #1toWorld.

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Why Schools Must Move Beyond One-to-One Computing | November Learning

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Perhaps it was the driving rain and the dark grey clouds of an approaching storm that contributed to the superintendent's choice of words. He had spent the past month reviewing one-to-one computing programs in various school districts as he tried to decide whether his own district should commit to the enormous expense of a one-to-one program at a time of declining resources.

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What's the right device for the classroom?

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What's the right device for the classroom?

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"Education isn't measured in technology, it's measured in outcomes."

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I hear this question being asked every day. "What's better for education, the Ipad or the Chromebook?" It pains me to hear this question. It's really the wrong question to be asking. Why? Ipads and Chromebooks are two dissimilar platforms.

The first real comparison should be Windows vs Chromebooks. A Chromebook, which is a laptop, competes with Windows. Laptops are intended for content creation. Content creation requires more processor power, keyboard, trackpad, and a form factor that requires a stationary use.

In the education process, we need to look at what expectations the content creators have. Windows powers a range of business applications that are not available on any other platform. Many new applications are web delivered, making the operating system less relevant.

With laptops, the decision points revolve around your application needs. Many schools are in the Office 365 vs Google Apps debate right now. I feel that the choice for Chromebook vs Windows depends on how your district resolves this debate. Mac OSX laptops are caught in the middle of this fight, and carry a much higher price point, not incidentally.

Driving the mobile device gold rush, of course, is the increasing mobility of the students and staff who with each day depend more and more on their mobile devices. As a school administrator, you're weighing and wrestling with a lot of issues - Ipads, Chromebooks, BYOD, mobile apps, a school website with responsive (mobile-friendly) design. Fact is, the Ipad vs Chromebook in classroom debate is only part of what you should be discussing.

Let's jump in and look at some pros and cons when deciding which platforms and devices to consider for your school.

Why Chromebooks for schools are attractive

Price - Chromebooks are much cheaper than Windows.

Management - Google offers enterprise-level management tools as part of Google Apps to manage large amounts of Chromebooks.

Google Drive and Docs - Chromebooks can use cloud storage from Google, and Docs to work offline on documents.

Built in security - Anti-virus and disk encryption are built in.

Support - Get 27/7 support from Google.

Some downsides to Chromebooks for schools

Deep applications - Anything that requires a big app or processing power is going to be hard to come by.

Unreliable internet - If you have challenges with Internet connectivity, Chromebooks can be a challenge.

Lack of browsers - Some applications are browser dependent. Chromebooks run Google Chrome only.

Hardware - Projectors, scanners, anything that you might connect to the computer.

Some schools such as Leyden High School are out in front of it. Bryan Weinert, Leyden's director of technology, rides herd on that district's Chromebook and 1:1 program. A certified Google educator, Bryan leads a district that has been using Google Apps for Education for over five years. More than three dozen of the district's faculty and staff, in fact, are Google certified. Check out Bryan's blog to see how they're using technology, and maybe you can pick up some tips if your school is considering the transition to laptops or tablets.

Delavan-Darien School District in Wisconsin has put together a Chromebook FAQ/Policy page on their school website. The Leyden Chromebook manual is comprehensive as well.

Windows is in a completely different place. Unlike Apple or Google, Windows computers are a two- or three-way agreement. That is, you will have your hardware provider, Microsoft, and a potential hardware support group. Chromebooks are 100% Google. Windows laptops are minimally a two-party system. That compounds support.

Benefits of Windows software for schools

Control - Lock down your school as much as you want via Active Directory

Reputation - Office is still the reigning champ of the Fortune 500. It's like the Yankees. You've gotta respect them.

Data control - Keep your data local, away from hackers and third parties.

Applications - Windows has a huge base of applications for schools and business.

The difficulties with Windows for schools

Price - Windows and Office cost real money.

Reputation - It's like the Yankees. You've gotta hate them.

Support - In a two- or three-party arrangement, who has responsibility?

Security - Security is another layer on Windows systems. Anti-virus and disk encryption need managed.

The key is what your students need. If they need detailed applications and power, Windows is your choice. If your school needs basic productivity applications and storage, Chromebooks might be your choice. The educational need must always drive the technology choice.

So what about Ipads for schools?

The second real comparison that ought to be made is Ipad vs Android tablets. Tablets are for consumption of content. Tablets can create content, but the goal is the consumption and interaction with content. The lack of a keyboard, and a portable design put tablets in a different space in the educational process. The goal with the tablet is interaction. Tablets allow for video, audio, and environmental interaction. Tablets are portable by design. Where we take the educational process is limitless with a tablet.

Ipads are based on IOS, Apple's mobile operating system for Ipads and Iphones. Apple is the sole provider of any IOS device. You can only buy and get support for IOS devices from Apple. The key positives about Ipads are:

Education focus. Apple has a long tradition of supporting education, from pricing to tools.

ItunesU. Often overlooked, Itunes U is a powerful source of free educational content.

Ibooks. Ibooks is a full solution to textbooks, wrapped in aq managed package.

App marketplace. Apple maintains a large app ecosystem, and a high level of security for the marketplace.

Security. Apple has a strong security platform in place.

Apple TV. Use Airplay to share screens on projectors or TV's.

Ipads do have challenges in the educational space. The big challenges are:

Price. Apple charges a premium for the Ipad, and for third-party devices that work with it.

Control. Using Microsoft or Google management tools is difficult. Fitting device management into your larger plan may be a challenge.

Interoperability. If your school is not Mac focused, Ipads may be a challenge.

Android is the other alternative to the Ipad. As Google's mobile operating system, Android powers a large range of tablets. Android tablets are similar to Windows laptops. Google makes the operating system, and another vendor makes the hardware. This arrangement leads to potential difficulties. Google is starting to make Google-branded hardware, but a wide range of the market is still comprised of two-party devices.

So why Android tablets for schools?

Price - Android tablets can be purchased for under $50! You can get tablets for less than the cost of a textbook.

Flexibility - The wide range of providers and hardware lets you pick a device that meets your needs. Change things like storage, cameras, screen size, and battery life to your needs and budget.

Google Apps for Education - GAE offers a suite of tools to enable tablets in the classroom.

Chromecast - Use Chromecasts to share screens from Android devices

So what are the challenges? Android does offer a few.

Support - Who is supporting what? Any non-Google Android device is a 2 party support agreement.

Updates - Updates for the Android operating system are dependent on the hardware manufacturer. Some manufactureres don't release updates.

Security - The Google App store and Android have security challenges. Controling the devices is dependant on Android versions and the management application.

Choosing the hardware is just one aspect

As more and more schools ponder just how to equip their students with tablets, there are a host of considerations that come into play. And it's much more than a debate over devices. Wireless infrastructure, tech support, teacher training, vendor relations and curriculum delivery to name a few.

The key takeaway from all of this is to understand the educational process. If we educators look at the needs and our goals for our students, the solutions present themselves. Education isn't measured in technology, it's measured in outcomes.

Get out and ask your colleagues what's working and not working in their shift to 1:1 technology. Watch what districts like Leyden High School District are doing right. Remember, it's not the shiny hardware that educators need to focus on, rather having the support system in place and training educators to use the technology.

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Ipad vs Chromebook in the Classroom is Only Part of the Debate

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I hear this question being asked every day. "What's better for education, the Ipad or the Chromebook?" It pains me to hear this question. It's really the wrong question to be asking. Why? Ipads and Chromebooks are two dissimilar platforms. The first real comparison should be Windows vs Chromebooks.

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Example Insurance Policy for Devices

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Ready 1:1 iPad program

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Our middle school Ready 1:1 program provides a Chromebook to every student for use throughout the school day. Students will be issued a specific Chromebook assigned exclusively to them. Each Chromebook will have a label with the student's name and bar-coded identification information. Students will receive instruction on the proper use and care of their assigned Chromebooks.

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Why Schools Need to Manage Devices

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Technology in K-12 education is gaining major momentum across the nation, and schools are investing in personal devices for their students to use both at school and at home. This rapid implementation of hands-on devices poses both benefits and challenges. As more school districts adopt Google Chromebooks as their technology of choice, parents, teachers and administrators alike are concerned about giving students open access to the Internet and the new distractions that can come with it.

Fortunately, teachers and administrators have found that many of these fears can be addressed with effective Chromebook management, which enables students to access the full educational benefits of technology while minimizing distraction and harmful content.

Why Administrators Are Choosing Chromebook s

School administrators across the country are adopting Google Chromebooks faster than any other personal device because they are easy to manage and can minimize the aforementioned risks. Chromebook unit sales increased more than 310 percent in 2014 over 2013 sales, and in the third quarter of 2015, Chromebook sales surpassed 51 percent in the K-12 market, trumping other devices like Microsoft Windows-based computers and Apple iPads and Macs.

Administrators and teachers are selecting Chromebooks because they're inexpensive, easily transferrable from school to home due to their light frame, entirely cloud-based, and have a keyboard to easily type essays and other writing assignments. Chromebooks also have immediate, built-in connection to Google's digital learning environment, facilitating exploration and collaboration with tools like Google Drive, Google Classroom and more.

In addition to Google's learning capabilities, administrators like that Chromebooks are optimized for the user. Chromebooks offer personalized user experience independent from the device, enabling students to more easily share the computer with other students in districts that have tighter technology budgets without diminishing the experience. Chromebooks are also completely cloud-based, making them easier to manage without worrying about storing documents on devices that can crash.

The widespread adoption of Chromebooks is helping equalize access to information in the United States. For many students, the school-issued Chromebook is the only device in their families. Providing students with a personalized Chromebook lessens the impact of economic disparity in public schools and ensures that all students are given the same resources for instruction and growth.

How to Manage Chromebooks

Because of Chromebooks' surging popularity, safeguarding student teamwork and inquiry on these devices is critical. Effective Chromebook management secures the continuation of technological advancement in education and the equalizing of school resources.

Chromebooks and Google resources have inherent ways for educators to regulate student online behavior. Google's robust suite of apps streamline assignment workflows for teachers and students. Google Docs allow teachers to peer into student progress at any time, and redirect them to educational resources to keep them on track. Teachers can also go into Google Drive or Classroom to view and evaluate the progress each of their students has made, and communicate directly with students if they fall behind.

Chromebooks can be customized for student use via the Google Admin Console, which allows educators to change user and device settings, manage apps, designate admin access, and more. Educators can give users different levels of freedom on Chromebooks and even create customized roles. Using the Admin Console, administrators can create different organizational units - admins, faculty, K-8 students, high school students, and others - with customized privileges. For example, they can block K-8 students from having access to Google+, outside email and specific banned URLs, while giving teachers and administrators access. Educators can also block all apps except for approved ones or allow all apps except for blocked ones, preventing students from installing problematic extensions. Teachers can also view each Chromebook's Browser History and turn on Safe Browsing.

More granular and comprehensive Chromebook management software has been designed outside the Mountain View Googleplex. Unlike other tech giants, Google has created an ecosystem open to outside developers. These external engineers have created extensions and dashboards that provide greater protection to students and enhance the learning capabilities of Google Chromebooks. I designed GoGuardian to help educators manage the sites their students can view and monitor searches, cyberbullying, self-harm and more. It provides relevant insights to educators about what students are interested in online, how they collaborate with each other, and how well they retain lessons. It also helps stifle distraction so students can concentrate on learning and developing in meaningful ways.

As schools become aware of user-friendly tools for effective Chromebook management, the future of Chromebooks in education looks bright. Educators can keep students safe while receiving more granular data focused on how individual students learn and behave online. In turn, educators can use this data to help them attain the exploration and collaboration they need to master core topics. At the end of the day, technology in the classroom and its effective management is all about helping students reach their potential.

For more on Chromebooks, check out:
Advait Shinde is Co-Founder and CTO at GoGuardian. Follow Advait on Twitter, Stay in-the-know with all things EdTech and innovations in learning by signing up to receive the weekly Smart Update @advait3000

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Chromebooks in the Classroom: Why Schools Need to Manage Devices

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Technology in K-12 education is gaining major momentum across the nation, and schools are investing in personal devices for their students to use both at school and at home. This rapid implementation of hands-on devices poses both benefits and challenges.

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Best Practices for Integrating Chromebooks

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1 To 1 With Chromebooks