As of 2019, 85 percent of schools and school districts across the United States had a Chromebook program in place -- and that number has only grown. Perhaps you see this happening in your own school, but let’s dive into how Chromebooks in the classroom can benefit students.
 
There are many educational benefits a Chromebook can deliver to students and schools. If your school or school district is still on the fence about buying Chromebooks for education, or debating about how to incorporate Chromebooks more, here are five reasons why a Chromebook could transform the way your students learn, inside and outside the classroom.

1. Chromebooks Help Level the Ed Tech Playing Field

Can 1:1 Chromebooks programs bridge the learning gap between students in low-income school districts and students in high-income ones?

It’s a possibility that’s currently seeing fruition in one Michigan school district. One example of school districts using Chromebooks is in a Chalkbeat article, where an expanding 1:1 pilot program in Detroit is bringing digital equity to city schools – schools that often have to compete with suburban schools for access to valuable educational technology.

While students must keep the Chromebooks at school, they are becoming much more engaged in learning. In one school at the Michigan district, a social studies classroom at the Bagley Elementary School of Journalism and Technology, students used Google hangouts to interview alumni at historically black colleges for a Black History Month project.

2. Chromebooks Teach Students to Collaborate and Focus

Today’s workplaces are changing at such a rapid clip that the offices today’s students will work in as adults will look nothing like today’s offices. They’ll most likely be open spaces in which workers can collaborate and focus on individual tasks simultaneously.

“Students want to work in spaces that allow for time in groups to generate ideas and for time alone to focus,” reports eSchool News.

“Students want to work in spaces that allow for time in groups to generate ideas and for time alone to focus,” reports eSchool News.

Chromebooks, which make online learning flexible and portable, allow students to both work alone in classrooms and, when the time is right, connect to one another—and even to students in different classrooms and schools. Plus, if you have a WiFi and LTE-enabled Chromebook, your students can connect to the Internet whether at home or school.

3. Chromebooks are Easy for Students (and Teachers) to Use

One of the benefits of Chromebooks is that they’re some of the easiest tech tools for both students and teachers to learn how to use. In fact, they take a lot of the intimidation out of computer learning.

Here are just a few of the many practical benefits of working (and learning) with Chromebooks.

  • They can boot up and connect to the network in seconds, which means teachers and students don’t have to drum their fingers at the start of class.
  • They offer plenty of cloud storage, which means even if students share a Chromebook (such as a from a Chromebook cart), they can sign in and still get a personal learning experience.
  • They come with a long battery life that lasts throughout the school day, which means fewer interruptions in learning.
  • They protect students from viruses and malware without requiring heavy maintenance, keeping learning safe and secure.


 

4. Chromebooks Boost Students’ Tech Skills

From basic keyboarding skills to advanced ethics in online research, Chromebooks continually allow students at almost any grade level the chance to experience and sharpen their knowledge of how technology works, and how it can be used for everything from a simple homework assignment to a semester-long group project.

Over at Scholastic, Jennifer L. W. Fink notes how Chromebooks help third graders “win the keyboard race” and stay on track to meet Common Core ELA Literacy standards.

“Chromebook’s small keyboards are perfect for little hands, and free Chrome apps such as Typing Club make it easy to integrate keyboarding into the school day,” she writes. If you’re looking for more apps to check out for your 1:1 Chromebooks program, read our 10 Apps for Back to School blog.

“Chromebook’s small keyboards are perfect for little hands, and free Chrome apps such as Typing Club make it easy to integrate keyboarding into the school day,” she writes. If you’re looking for more apps to check out for your 1:1 Chromebooks program, read our 10 Apps for Back to School blog.

Chromebooks, and their apps, can also teach students other tech skills, including how to code and work with spreadsheets.

There’s no denying that the jobs of tomorrow will require employees to have advanced technology skills, and Chromebooks can help students start today instead of playing catchup once they’re on the job.

5. Chromebooks are Affordable Tools for Budget-Strapped Schools

A simpler version of a PC laptop, Google Chromebooks are noted for being hundreds of dollars cheaper—an affordability that makes them perfect for 1:1 mobile learning initiatives aimed at giving every student their own personal computer for educational purposes.

While they may not be the latest, gleaming new products on the market, their reliability and affordability make them long-lasting, powerful tools for everyday student use.

In addition to an average retail price of under $150, Chromebooks come complete with Google Apps for Education: free, cloud-based apps that offer students unique and engaging ways to learn concepts and applications.

Chromebooks and Connectivity

The only thing more powerful than a Chromebook in the classroom is a Chromebook with a complete Internet connectivity solution. The Kajeet Sentinel-Ready™ LTE CTL Chromebook comes pre-equipped with embedded cellular wireless service and access to Kajeet Sentinel®, the CIPA-compliant, cloud filtering platform.

With these new embedded Chromebooks, students can learn continuously without facing interruption due to Internet or connectivity outages. If you’re interested in learning more, you can reach out to Kajeet here!

Another option to purchase Chromebooks for education is the Kajeet Chromebook Bundle, which brings together all the educational benefits of Chromebooks with filtered, at-home Internet access. This special package includes:

  • The rugged CTL Chromebook NL7, built specifically for K-12 students
  • 4G LTE Internet connectivity with the trusted Kajeet SmartSpot® device
  • Data for an entire school year on our most popular plan, Kajeet Complete 500
  • An all-in-one case designed to hold the Kajeet SmartSpot® and CTL Chromebook
  • The powerful Kajeet Mobile Device Management (MDM) solution embedded for you.

The Age of the Chromebook

K-12 professionals continue to rely on Chromebooks to make learning more mobile and accessible in the classroom. In recent years, Chromebooks have gone from a tech novelty to an indispensable classroom tool.

How are schools across the U.S. using their Chromebooks in the classroom? Check out this eye-opening infographic.

Curious how you can get started with student connectivity?

Get Your Students Connected