1:1 Chromebook Program

Why Chromebooks?

Chromebooks are web-based devices designed around accessing the Internet through a web browser. They boot in seven seconds and resume instantly—eliminating time wasted with traditional computer startup and network connection. Long battery life (8-9 hours) means Chromebooks last an entire school day. Chromebooks are lighter and smaller than traditional laptops but provide larger screens than the average tablet. They require little maintenance and are much lower in cost than iPads or laptops. Each Chromebook is managed by the district, and we restrict access to non-education sites and apps using 3rd party software from LightSpeed and our district web filter.

BISD began using Chromebooks in 2010, which can be found in classrooms from K through 12. In many classes, students have been using GSuite to collaborate with peers and share work with teachers. Applications, school work, and settings are stored in the cloud and are available anywhere the student has Internet access. No special training is required: If you know how to use the Web, you know how to use a Chromebook.

The tight integration between Chromebooks and GSuite, ease of use, battery life, and low total cost of ownership make Chromebooks the best choice for student devices.

Chromebooks can seamlessly access GSuite apps like Docs, Slides, and Sheets, as well as hundreds of other apps available in the Chrome Web Store.

What is GSuite?

GSuite is a web­-based productivity suite of applications that Google hosts on their own servers and makes available to schools for free. Google provides these applications as a "service" rather than as software you have to download and install. To access these applications, you simply use a web browser on any computer connected to the Internet. These applications have much of the same functionality found in the Microsoft Office suite but were built from the ground up to be accessible over the Internet so that they can be used with no special software and just access to the Internet.

Access to services from anywhere, at anytime—A key benefit of the Google­ hosted solution is that we can access files, email, contacts, and calendar from any computer or mobile device with an Internet connection, anywhere in the world. Anytime, anywhere access with GSuite allows users to be productive at school, home, or even on their mobile devices. Because GSuite only requires a web browser, students can work from almost any family computer without purchasing new software.

Real-Time collaboration - GSuite was built for collaboration and made it very easy for students to work in groups and with teachers on the same documents in real-time. Students and teachers can easily upload files from their home computer and share with any Region 16 account holder.

Safe and Secure - GSuite provides a safe and secure online environment by respecting and ensuring students' privacy. Google Apps for Education does not sell information to third parties. Please see this site for more details: https://www.google.com/edu/trust/.

Ease of Use - With GSuite, students no longer have to worry about saving files, storing files on a USB key, attaching and sending files by email. GSuite also supports popular formats such as .doc, .xls, .ppt, and .pdf. Files stored on Google Drive are always accessible and backed-up online. GSuite’s commenting feature is ideal for teacher and collaborator's feedback on documents and/or presentations. Revision history allows users to review document edits over time and revert changes.