A new report from the International Data Center has discovered that among laptop and tablet sales for K-12 educational settings, the Google Chromebook was the best-selling device throughout the category this year.
According to Tech Crunch, one of the main reasons why schools are adopting Chromebooks so quickly is Google's ongoing involvement in the educational scene. Google is gearing its laptops to schools because the devices are light, easy to use and affordable for schools to buy in bulk.
Additionally, Google attracted schools by offering "big bulk discounts" when school districts buy educational packs that offer apps dedicated toward education and programs that enhance the student learning experience. Also, the Chromebooks do not require large IT departments to handle to the devices at the school. The laptops are browser-focused computers that include Microsoft Office programs and other Beb-based tools to help searching school topics online [revise].
Moving away from desktops
In the past, students all jammed into computer classrooms, and some districts even had students share desktop computers to complete exercises. That period in educational technology was bulky, hard to maintain and expensive. Now, laptops are available for students that could stay relative and current through freshman year to graduation, The Wall Street Journal reported.
Google released its Chromebook in an attempt to give the public another Windows device in the classroom that could battle Apple products. According to the source, Chromebooks have been crafted to work as hard and rigorous as any PC desktop computer used in a school setting.
"Beyond the U.S., countries are looking at how they can use technology in the classroom on a large scale - like in Malaysia, where the entire national school system is using Chromebooks," the IDC report stated.
Google explained that schools move toward Chromebooks because of three main factors, Education World reported.
"[They're] easy for students and teachers to use, they're easy to share and they're easy to manage," Google stated, according to Education World.
For schools adopting new devices, some of the concern might be with replacing broken or lost devices. This is especially true when schools allow younger students to take their devices home. However, personal insurance plans for schools give educational administrators the chance to protect each student's device at home and in school. Personal insurance can replace devices if they are lost, stolen or damaged, which will save districts money.