Thing 6: To Chromebook, or Not to Chromebook

Back during the first tech institute day last year, I attended a class on the Chromebook.  The first thing that caught my eye was how fast and reliable it was.  It booted up in less than a minute, and went straight to the something I know well- Gmail.  I think having this sense of familiar will make it much easier for the kids to use.  Not that they aren't familiar with iPads, but just adjusting to something new with the Chromebook.  As I used it (very sparingly) since then, and during a few of the Things, there are some features I like, and some I don't.

Positive Features

1. Fast boot-up- No more waiting to log in!  When students are waiting, they get bored.  When students get bored, they start to do things they shouldn't...
2.  Easy to use- If you know how to use a web browser, you know how to use a Chromebook.  If you are google savvy, then you will thrive with a Chromebook
3. Camera- Having a swivel camera makes it really easy for kids to add pictures/videos to a project.  They can video themselves and create a video diary, or they could use it to film each other reenacting scenes from Shakespeare.
4. Keyboard!- I hate typing on an iPad.  Handing out keyboards for iPads is time consuming, and yet another thing to keep track of.  
5. Ease of sharing- Using google docs is awesome for student group work.  Being able to use the extension of "Save to Google Drive" only increases this collaboration.  I think it would be much easier to use these online collaborations with a Chromebook
6. Durability- Although I'm sure a 7th/8th grader could find a way, I see the Chromebooks being much more durable.  There may have been 8-9 kids in my advisory who didn't crack their iPads this past year...

Negative Features

1. Lack of hard drive- For me personally, it's tough to not have my hard drive.  I have all of my files in convenient folders, and I know how to access everything.  Although I'm still getting used to google docs, I don't like having that as my main source of file storage.  
2. Touchpad- I had a hard time with the touchpad, compared to my MacBook Air.  It felt unresponsive.  I actually had to go get a mouse to use for the assignment.

In Summary, I think the Chromebooks would be great tools for students to use, but personally, I'll stick to my laptop.