Teaching&Learning with
Chromebooks
AtMGGSwebelievethattechnologyshouldbe embeddedthroughouttheschoolandthatweshould utilisebothexistingandemergingtechnologiesasa meansofpreparingourstudentsforthedigitalage. Learningtousedigitalresourcesappropriatelyand effectivelyisaveryimportantpartofeachstudent’s education.Theschoolrecognisesthebenefitsto educationofofferingstudentstheopportunitytouse personalChromebookdevicesinschoolandathome tosupportandenrichtheirlearning.Webelievethat Chromebookswillhelpstudentstakeownershipof theireducation.Itwillallowthemtoaccessmaterials attheleveltheywanteachday Digitallearning enableseducationtobepersonalisedtoagreater extent,soeachandeverylearneratMGGScan achievetheiracademicpotential.
GoogleWorkspaceforEducationwasfirstadopted within MaidstoneGrammarSchoolforGirlsduring 2013.Initiallyusedfortheonlinestorageofteaching andlearningdocuments,itsusethroughouttheschool hasgrownexponentially.Googleisnowthe‘goto’ toolforalmosteverytask,including,e-mail,teaching andlearningdocuments,homework,assessment, markingandfeedback.
TheChromebookisalaptoprunningGoogle'sown operatingsystemknownasChromeOS.Thedevices areoftenmuchmorelightweightthanaconventional laptop.Forexample,theChromebookinour1-to-1 schemeweighs133kg,makingitperfectasa portableeducationaldevice.
Chromebooksweredesignedwithsimplicity,security andshareabilityinmind,meaningstudentsand teacherscancreateandcollaborateeasilyandsafely Thedevices,pairedwithGoogleWorkspacefor Education,willfosterteamworkbetweenstudents andprovideatoolfordiscoveryinallareas Asthe devicesareCloud-based,yourchildcanloginwith theirMGGSaccountandbeginworkingwithin secondsofopeningtheirChromebook,withoutfear oflongbootorsetuptimes
Foractiveminds,webelievelearningdoesn’tstop whenschoolends;withaChromebookdevice,your childcancontinuelearningwhilstathome.
Wehopethatanyquestionsyoumayhaveare answeredinthisdocument Youcanalsocontactus anytimeviafinance@mggsorg
TheDevice
MGGSstudentsarecurrentlyissuedwiththeLenovo 500eGen3asthedevicewefeelbestmeetsthe needsofthestudents.Thedeviceboastsa12-hour batterylife,dependingonuse,andisanultra-durable laptopthatcanmeetthedailyrigoursandintense usagebystudentsinsidetheclassroomoroutside.In additiontothis,thedevicehasundergonetestingand hasbeenawardedmilitary-gradedurability,ensuring itcantakethedailyknocksofstudentlife.This Chromebookofferstheversatilityofa360-degree hingeand10-pointmultitouchtechnology The300e bendsintofourdifferentmodes–Laptop,Tablet, Tent,orStand–tooffercustomisedwaystoplan, learn,andengage.Andstudentscaninteractwithits screenthewaythey’reusedtointeractingwithmost devices–throughtouch
Keyspecificationsataglance:
- 11.6”screen(1366x768)touchscreen
- IntelCeleronprocessor
- 4GBRAM
- DigitalPen
- microSDCardreader
- 32GBeMMcstorage
- WiFi6
- USB,USB-C,HDMIandHeadphoneports
TheCost
Wewillbeofferingtwopaymentoptions.Youcan eitherpayasingle,upfrontinstalmentorpayacross 30months.Fulldetailsoncostandpaymentoptions tofollow.
Thispackageincludes:
● Lenovo500eGen3device(TBC)
● ChromeLicence
● SensoSafeguardinglicence
● 30-monthrepairandreplaceservicecovering warrantyrepairs,accidentaldamageandtheft (chargers are excluded from warranty and accidental damage cover)
Repair&ReplaceService
Includedinthecostis30monthsRepair&Replace servicecoveringwarrantyissues,accidentaldamage andtheft.Ifyourdaughter’sdeviceneedstobesent awaytheschoolwillprovidealoanChromebookto usewhilstarepairorreplacementisarrangedsothat yourdaughter’seducationisnotadverselyaffected.
Please be aware that your daughter will be responsible for looking after the loan device and any damage whilst in her possession may result in the cost of repairs being passed to parents.
WarrantyClaims
Ifyourdevicedevelopsamanufacturingfault,this willbecoveredunderthe30monthRepair& Replaceservice Yourdaughterwillneedtobringher devicetotheNetworkOfficeandwewillinspectit andlogthecaseforyouifnecessary Ifthedeviceis faultyitwillneedtobeleftwiththeNetwork Departmentsothatitcanbesentawayforrepair. Repairsareusuallycompletedwithinacoupleof weeks.Theschoolwillhaveabankofspare Chromebookstoloanoutwhilstarepairisarranged Pleaseseethenoteinthesectionaboveregardingthe loanofschool-owneddevices.
FrequentlyAskedQuestions
WhyweuseChromebooks?
Afterextensiveresearchandtestingofvarious products,Chromebooksweredeemedthemost appropriatedevice.GoogleWorkspacetoolsare heavilyembeddedintheschool,beingthego-to choiceforstaffandstudents.Chromebooksare designedspecificallytoworkhandinhandwith GoogleWorkspace.Thesimplicityofthedevice andlowcostswerealsoimportantfactorsthat wereconsidered.
HowdoweorderaChromebookandwhen dothepaymentsstart?
Wewillsendoutalinktoanonlineportalwhere youcanorderthedeviceandchooseyour preferredpaymentmethodonceanewportal opens.Thiswillgiveyouallthepaymentdetails. Yourchildwillbeissuedwithaloandevicewhen theystarttouseuntiltheirnewChromebookis receivedinschool.Portalsarenormallyavailable inMayfordistributioninSeptemberand DecemberfordistributioninFebruary.
WhendowegetourChromebook?
Oncethedeviceshavebeendeliveredthe NetworkTeamwillcontactyourchildtoarrange collection.
WhoownstheChromebook?
IfyoupurchasetheChromebookupfrontthenyou aretheowneroftheChromebook.Ifyouchoose topayover30monthsthen,technically,the schoolwillownthedeviceandattheendofthe 30monthstheownershipwillbetransferredto you(ifyouwish)-therewillbenofinalpayment
HowdoIconnecttheChromebooktothe internetinmyhome?
TheChromebookisapurelywirelessdevice, meaningyou’llneedWiFiathometoconnectit totheinternet.TheChromebookdoesnothavean ethernetport.Youcanconnectthedevicetoyour WiFiontheloginscreenbyclickingtheinternet symbolinthebottomrightofthescreenand followingtheon-screenprompts.
Mychildalreadyhasadevice Canthey usethatinstead?
Unfortunatelynot.Inorderfortheschooltobe abletomanagethedevicestocomplywith safeguardingrequirementsandensureconsistency withintheclassroomyourchildwillnotbeable tousetheirowndevice.Inschooltheymustuse oneoftheChromebookspurchasedthrough MGGS.
Isthespecificationgoodenough?
DuetoChromebooksbeingCloudcentric,the hardwarespecificationcanbemuchlowerthan thatofatraditionalWindowslaptopwhich generallyrequiresamuchhigherspec.The Chromebookboastsanaveragebatterylifeof12 hours,thoughthisvariesdependingonwhatthe Chromebookisbeingusedfor Theexpectation bytheschoolisthatthedevicewilllastonefull schooldayandthestudentwillchargethedevice inpreparationforthenextschooldayathome. Wehavetestedandaresatisfiedwiththe specificationoftheChromebooks.
WhathappensiftheChromebookisstolen ordamaged?
Ifthedeviceisdamagedorhasdevelopedafault thenitcanbebroughttotheNetworkOfficefor inspectionandarepairwillbearrangedwith FreedomTechifnecessary Ifthedevicehasbeen stolenthenacrimereferencenumberwillbe requiredbeforethedevicecanbereplaced. Accidentallossisnotcovered.
Whataboutsafetyonthewaytoandfrom school?
TheChromebookwehavechosenissmalland lightenoughtofitinstudents’bagsandsowe adviseourstudentsthattheyarekeptintheirbags atalltimesonthewaytoandfromschool,for bothroadsafetyandcrimepreventionreasons.
AretheChromebooksbacked-up?
AsthedeviceisCloud-based,alldatawillbe storedwithinthestudent’sstorageonGoogle Drive.Thismeansifanythinghappenstothe device,noworkwillbelostandcanbe immediatelypickeduponanotherChromebook.
Canmychildputtheirowncontentonto theChromebook(music,videosorapps)?
AspertheChromebookpolicy,thestudent’s devicemustonlybeusedforschool-relatedwork. Itshouldnotbeusedforpersonaluseeitherat homeoratschool.
I’mconcernedaboutmydaughter’swork beingstoredwithGoogle.Isitsafe?
Yes.Duringbothtransmissionandrest,alldatais encryptedwithend-to-endencryptiontoprevent unauthorisedaccess.Googleclaims‘
AreChromebooksessentialequipment?
WebelieveusingChromebookswillenableour pupilstobecomewell-informed,responsible digitalcitizensandlifelonglearners.Wefirmly believethisschemebringsenormouseducational benefits,andhopeparentswillcontinuetoget behindthissuccessfulinitiative.
Willtherebetechnicalsupportformy child?
Wheninschool,yourchildisabletoreceive generaltechnicalsupportfromtheNetwork Team.Hardwareissueswillbedealtwithbythe manufacturerunderwarranty
Howaccessiblearethedevices?
Chromebookscomeprebuiltwithaplethoraof accessibilityoptions,suchaschangingonscreen textsizeoractivatingtheonscreentextreader knownasChromeVox.Therearealsoanumberof ChromeExtensionsthatcanbemadeavailableto aidaccessibility
Howwillinappropriateuseofthe Chromebookatschoolbedealtwith?
InappropriateuseofChromebookswillbedealt withinaccordancewiththefollowingpolicies:
ChromeBookAcceptableUse
Workspace has been built from the ground up to mitigate the unique threats to cloud systems. Google's standards for performance and reliability apply to businesses, schools, universities and government institutions around the world.’Foradditionalinformation,the GoogleWorkspaceWhitePaperonCloud Securityandcompliancecanbefoundontheir website.
CanIbuyacaseformyChromebook?
Theschoolisn’tofferingtheoptiontopurchasea casewithaChromebooksincethedevicesare ruggedisedandshouldfitintoastudent’sbag withouttheextrabulkofanadditionalcaseor somethingelsetocarry However,youarefreeto purchaseyourowncaseifyousowish.
WhatistheSensolicensefor?
TheschoolusessoftwarecalledSensoinorderto meetitsSafeguardingobligations.Thissoftware monitorsstudentactivityondevicesatschooland athomeandalertsseniormembersofstaffabout anyactivitythatmayraiseasafeguarding concern.Italsoprovidesfilteringtoprevent accesstoinappropriatewebcontent.
Myquestionisn’tansweredinthisbooklet
Ifyouhaveanyotherquestions,pleasecontactus viafinance@mggs.org
Willthedevicebeusedineverylesson?
Thiswillvarydependingonthelessoncontext andobjectives.Somelessonswillusethedevice foralargeproportionofthetime,whereasin somelessonsitwillnotbeusedatall.Lessons willbeahybridoftraditionallearningsupported bylearningonthedevice.Studentswillbe expectedtocompleteawiderangeoflearning activitiesastheydoatpresent.
WhereistheChromebookkeptwhenitis notbeingused?
Thedeviceshouldbekeptinthestudent'sschool bagorintheirlocker.TheChromebookshouldnot beleftinschoolandshouldbetakenhomeatthe endofeveryday Therearemanybenefitstousing theChromebookathomeaswellasinschool.Many ofourhomeworktaskscanbesetandhandedinvia Googletools.
DidyoulookatiPads,Windows,Mac, LinuxorAndroidasalternatives?
Yes,veryseriously.Wehavebeenrunninga BringYourOwnDevice(BYOD)schemefor severalyearsnowsoweseemanydevicesbeing usedcreativelyaroundtheschool.Wehave visitedotherschoolsrunning1:1iPadandlaptop programmesandconsultedindepthwithour teachers.Althoughmanyofthesedevicesare indeedmorepowerful,theyarealsomore complex,moreexpensiveandhavepoorerbattery lifetimes.ThesimplicityoftheChromebookand itssynchronisationwithGoogleWorkspacefor Education(whichisalreadyembedded throughouttheschool)ensuresthatthefocuswill beonlearning.