Is Anyone Using Chromebooks?

We need to turn one of our computer labs at the elementary school back into a classroom next falls so are looking at either a mobile lab or just putting laptop stations in the library. At the September meeting the Google presenters showed us and spoke about the Google Chromebooks. I am wondering if any of you have them in your schools and, if so, how they are working?

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Permalink Reply by Brian Norman on February 8, 2012 at 11:30am

We do not have any, however I have done a lot of reading about them and at this time I will not recommend them to administration for our district. They cost the same as a Windows netbook and you are limited to the Chrome browser. That seems like an advantage at first, but the more blogs I read regarding trying to use them the more people were frustrated with that limitation. In addition, none of your management software you use now will work. Give them a few years and maybe they can work out the kinks, but for now we are going to pass.

Just my 2 cents.

Brian

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Permalink Reply by Ben Dahlin on February 8, 2012 at 2:30pm

I'll play the devils advocate...

Disclaimer - I have not used a chomebook :-).

But I do use chrome as my main internet browser. I feel chrome is the best web browser right now. It's fast, very secure, easy to update (you do nothing to update it).

Yes a few websites do not work well with chrome (management website of network switches, sans, firewalls, etc).

If your main use of the chromebooks will be to browse the web and to use google applications, I think its a awesome fit. But to get to that point will be difficult/slow to change our habits of how we use our current computers.

If money isn't a issue, I would take a look at ultrabooks. 2012 is suppose to be the year of ultrabooks.