PeachyDoodle Posted November 10, 2017 Share Posted November 10, 2017 How does it fit into your school? Anything it can't do that you wish it did? We are debating between a Chromebook and a traditional laptop. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aura Posted November 10, 2017 Share Posted November 10, 2017 I use Chromebooks. I prefer them over laptops. You really need wifi to make it work well, though, which is not an issue for me. They are sturdier and quicker, IMO, than laptops, but they do have their drawbacks. Chromebooks work basically like tablets, so everything runs on apps. No Microsoft Office or other Windows programs will install on Chrome. Google has many apps that work and convert things just fine. I love Docs, Sheets, Drawings, and Slides and use them easily. Most of these work fine offline, too. Any web based program (like Khan Academy) works fine. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lanny Posted November 10, 2017 Share Posted November 10, 2017 There's another very recent thread about this and others on the subject. A low end Windows Laptop is far more capable than a Chromebook. The Chromebooks seem to be able to go a long time on their battery power. It depends upon what you want/need to do. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cinder Posted November 10, 2017 Share Posted November 10, 2017 Dd's school uses Chromebooks. It's been pretty good for the most part and really does have excellent battery life. The main drawback for us is that she can't print from it; our printer isn't compatible. So if an assignment needs to be printed she has to switch to her desktop to do that. It hasn't been that big a deal, just a minor inconvenience. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MooCow Posted November 10, 2017 Share Posted November 10, 2017 We're getting youngest a chromebook as soon as the f#$/=#$ district pulls it's head of their arse. Been waiting since the first day of school for them to approve it. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lanny Posted November 10, 2017 Share Posted November 10, 2017 Possibly this article will give you a good comparison of what a Chromebook can do and what a low end Windows Laptop can do: https://www.laptopmag.com/articles/chromebooks-vs-windows Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pawz4me Posted November 10, 2017 Share Posted November 10, 2017 Not for school, but I've been using a Chromebook for about 18 months and I totally love it. It's SO much easier and works so much better than a Windows based computer. So far I haven't found anything I needed or wanted to do that I haven't been able to. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
porque Posted November 11, 2017 Share Posted November 11, 2017 I used a Chromebook. Very fast and easy to use. The only drawback for me has been the printing. I have linked it to my printer, but it always seems to eventually unlink. But since I am using Google Drive for most documents I can just print off my desktop or work computer. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marbel Posted November 11, 2017 Share Posted November 11, 2017 My son uses one for his community college classes. There is one program he needs to use that doesn't work with the Chromebook, so he does that work on the desktop at home. Otherwise, it's been fine. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deb in NZ Posted November 11, 2017 Share Posted November 11, 2017 A lot of schools use chrome books, especially for ages 8-14. Ages 15+ tend to use laptops as chrome books are a bit too limited for what senior students need in high school. I like chrome books in the classrooms where I've taught. Most schools use Google Classroom, so chrome books work very well with that. Ds#2 found that google docs, etc. was what teachers expected students to use. A lot of papers were expected to be handed in via Google Classroom. The one thing you can't do with a chrome book is install programs. I've looked to getting one for my relief teaching (subbing), but I would want to be able to use the mimio, & other e-devices that need installed programs to work. JMHO, 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blondeviolin Posted November 11, 2017 Share Posted November 11, 2017 I'm very pleased with our chromebook. They update well and never seem to get bogged down like a Windows-based machine seems to do after a year or two. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J-rap Posted November 11, 2017 Share Posted November 11, 2017 My dd had one for three years in college. She loved it! She only switched this year when she moved into her graphic design program, which Chrome couldn't handle. But for basic word processing and web searching, it was really perfect. it does require internet in order to get full function, but that wasn't a problem with her. Also, although her classes weren't online, many of her classes did require online projects, online record-keeping, and blackboard type functions, and it all worked on the Chrome. If you have a particular online school that you're thinking of though, I'd probably check with them about computer requirements. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lanny Posted November 11, 2017 Share Posted November 11, 2017 A further comment on low end Windows Laptops. My wife bought one, an ACER, for DIL, more than 2 years ago. She carries it around in her Backpack when she's working during the day and then has it when she is in classes at nights and on Saturdays. As far as I know, it works fine. I read the article I linked to yesterday, again, and if I was choosing between a Chromebook and a low end Windows laptop I'd go with the Windows Laptop. So much more capability. However, some people don't need that capability and for them a Chromebook will work perfectly and probably be able to run on the battery for much longer. Possibly buy an extra battery for it if I needed to run on battery power for a long time, in a Windows Laptop. The older Dell (Enterprise Grade) Laptops that my wife and DD and I use are too big and heavy for DIL to carry around in a Backpack all day, so for that reason, the ACER was purchased. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeachyDoodle Posted November 11, 2017 Author Share Posted November 11, 2017 Appreciate all the feedback! I have a laptop, so the Chromebook would just be for the kids. They only need basics like word processing, internet research and surfing, and fun stuff (YouTube, a few games -- they're not really *into* anything specific). Portability and battery life aren't huge issues, since it will be used at home most of the time. We have high-speed wifi, so no issues there. Thanks to whoever mentioned the printing issues -- I did look into that and it seems like our printer will work. We don't use much digital curriculum, just a few DVD's, which can be watched on my laptop or on the TV. TBH, I hate everything about Windows. I am a Mac gal through and through, but for various reasons that's not a possibility at this time. We looked at the Chromebook because we just need something basic for the kids, and at 12 and 7, we really don't want to put much cash into it. We anticipate buying something nicer for dd by the time she dual enrolls in 11th grade, if not before. This is kind of a stop-gap measure to get them off my laptop! But obviously, we need to be functional for our basic needs. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Homebody2 Posted November 11, 2017 Share Posted November 11, 2017 Appreciate all the feedback! I have a laptop, so the Chromebook would just be for the kids. They only need basics like word processing, internet research and surfing, and fun stuff (YouTube, a few games -- they're not really *into* anything specific). Portability and battery life aren't huge issues, since it will be used at home most of the time. We have high-speed wifi, so no issues there. Thanks to whoever mentioned the printing issues -- I did look into that and it seems like our printer will work. We don't use much digital curriculum, just a few DVD's, which can be watched on my laptop or on the TV. TBH, I hate everything about Windows. I am a Mac gal through and through, but for various reasons that's not a possibility at this time. We looked at the Chromebook because we just need something basic for the kids, and at 12 and 7, we really don't want to put much cash into it. We anticipate buying something nicer for dd by the time she dual enrolls in 11th grade, if not before. This is kind of a stop-gap measure to get them off my laptop! But obviously, we need to be functional for our basic needs. After reading all of this, I would definitely say Chromebook. They are so much faster than Windows laptops. I love ours! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
katilac Posted November 11, 2017 Share Posted November 11, 2017 Appreciate all the feedback! They only need basics like word processing, internet research and surfing, and fun stuff (YouTube, a few games -- they're not really *into* anything specific). Portability and battery life aren't huge issues, since it will be used at home most of the time. A Chromebook will do wonderfully for this. Both my kids used them all through high school. Unless there is specific software that can't be installed, I think it does at least 98% of what is needed for at least 95% of high schoolers, lol. And if there's another computer in the house, even more so. My oldest did get a laptop for college, but she doesn't have to carry it around. She uses her smart phone for stuff on the go. The laptop is great in the dorm room for both work and fun, and it replaces a TV. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theelfqueen Posted November 11, 2017 Share Posted November 11, 2017 My kids use chromebooks and are generally very happy with them. When they need to print they just share whatever it is to me and I print from my laptop. We have them set up as Google supervised users so parental controls are solid. The younger one may need a real laptop soon because he loves coding and is talking about learning CAD. And while there's a lot he can do with his chromebook in the beginner realm if he wants to continue he will eventually need a laptop. Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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