magazine article to use

Chromebooks: Are They Really Doing that MUCH Good?

-by Breeann Pulley

In the past few years Google Chromebooks have become all the rave in schools. School
districts have gone running to be part of the Chromebook era. Many believe that these devices
will fix several of the problems 21st century students face. There are numerous advantages and
disadvantages to having Chromebooks in the classroom, but overall what matters most is if it
will help students’ progress in their education.

The underlining benefit of Chromebooks is that they are the most cost efficient for the 1-
to-1 program (one device for one student). When
school districts choose between a tablet,
netbook, Chromebook, or laptop they will get the
most bang for their buck by choosing
Chromebooks. Jennifer Demski adds, “each
device has enough similarities to make the
decision seem easy, but enough differences to make a big impact on the way technology is
managed in the classroom and across your district”. While interviewing several districts she
found a common theme between all- compatibility with curricular resources, ability to manage
device, and cost. Each Chromebook comes with security, a long battery life, built-in cloud
storage, a browser-based operating system, a keyboard and access to various apps including
Google’s Apps for Education and a collection of offline apps. Research done by Kelsey Voss
shows, “Most Chromebook contracts include the purchase of the Chromebooks (about $200-350
each), Google Management ($26-30 each unit) and carts to store, charge and transport the

Chromebooks (about $1500 for a cart that stores 32-40 units)”. Aside from the educational
benefits, Chromebooks are the most cost efficient.

Chromebooks enhances students’ ability to learn on a higher platform. A case study done
by Google at Richland School District reported Chromebooks foster a student’s engagement and
collaboration. Since implementing Chromebooks, many schools have seen a significant change
towards a more collaborative learning and teaching environment. This study also found that the
collaboration between students and teachers improved too. Jennifer L. W. Fink added, “Many
teachers love Chromebooks because apps such as Google Docs and Slides make it easy for
students to collaborate, whether they’re in the same room or across town”. This collaborative
model allows for an active atmosphere that moves away from lectures and engages students more

in the learning process. Digital literacy and
keyboarding are essential 21st century skills for all
students.

While researching the benefits and drawbacks of
Chromebooks in the classroom I was able to interview
Eliza Pulley, an eighth grader at Adobe Middle School in the Elko County School District. Eliza
was able to discuss with me some of the benefits from the student’s perspective. The first thing
that came to Eliza’s mind about the benefits of a Chromebook is that it is easier for teachers.
During instructional time teacher can have their students look things up and follow along with
what they are showing. Teachers also have access on their desktops to see if students are staying
on task. Along with it being beneficial for the teachers, students also profit from Chromebook
access. For Eliza, one of the best parts is that she is “more easily able to check her grades”. She
also enjoys the program Google Classroom. While talking to Eliza she stated that “Google

Classroom is nice because teachers can post
their instructions and assignments on there so if
you forget somethings you can look there” also,
“it’s easier to do homework because you can
type it instead of writing everything out. She
also noted some of the dislikes of having a Chromebook, one of them being the filters on the
internet. The school district can put filters on websites that block students from going to certain
websites which is good but sometimes the security makes it so that websites that aren’t bad are
blocked. Two things Eliza said that she doesn’t like is that “there is a risk of breaking them
because they have to carry them around all the time and teachers feel the need to give more
homework because students have access to the internet all the time”. Overall, she said that she
sees there being more advantages than disadvantages to having a Chromebook.

Along with advantages, there are disadvantages with having Chromebooks in schools.
Although the price of Chromebooks appears affordable upfront they can become expensive. As
great of a product as Chromebooks may be schools need adequate wifi to use Chromebooks
effectively. While talking with Eliza this was one of the major disadvantages she has observed.
In her town their wifi is mediocre making it difficult to complete assignments in a timely
manner. While Google offers some alternative apps, compatibility is limited, and many
organizations are not ready or willing to cut all ties with software and website apps. Some have
observed, “To have complete access to web apps like Blackboard as well as many other
educational applications, which are not supported by Chrome OS, a district must set up legacy
browser support, employ remote access, or virtualization. Depending on exactly what needs to be
accomplished, this could be costly and detracts from the overall user experience”. Another

important aspect a district needs account for is damage that can occur. If you have ever used a
Chromebook, you can observe that the hardware is flimsy. Damage can be an issue, especially
for schools that plan to allow students to bring the devices home with them.

Even though collaboration is increasing communication is decreasing. Teacher student
relationships are beginning to diminish. Laura R. Farmer, a middle school teacher, has observed
that, “[she] began using Chromebooks in September and integrated almost daily this year, and
there has been less dialogue/discussion happening in [her] class than ever before. [She] does not
like this aspect. Students love tech, yes, but they also need to develop relationships from
discussion between peers and teacher–the online chat feature in GC doesn’t count. A balance
must be created within assignments, so Chromebooks are needed no more than once or twice a
week”. Student empathy is also diminishing. Abuse of technology creates a disconnect with
students. They are less patient, quick to argue, or say why someone is wrong. It becomes less
about the learning for students and more about just using the technology. To create better
learners, technology needs to be limited to specific purposes with specific time limits devoted for
instructional needs only.

No matter what side you take in whether Chromebooks are doing more good than harm,
what it comes down to is what is going to help our students succeed. Technology in the
classroom is here to stay and we, as a society, must embrace it. In the end, though, no amount of
technology will ever replace excellent teaching. Success in a classroom will always be the sure
willpower that every child succeeds.

(Word Count 1118)

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