Blog #5 Chromebook vs Laptop

Last year I entered a Canadian classroom for the first time since 2008. I was surprised to see a Smartboard and disappointed to see Chromebook. Although I don’t like Chromebooks because of their limited functions, the fact that more classrooms and schools are using them will broaden the market for online freeware. The online freeware market will continue to develop stream services with similar factuality as programs such as Photoshop and Movie Maker. Personally, I need to use technology for everything I do. I use an iPad for reading remediation, and a laptop for online EFL tutoring, and STEM instruction.   

 

In the article Are Chromebooks Good? Pros and Cons, reviews the disadvantage that Chromebooks have with their storage capacity (Wylie, 2021). At an average of 32 GB of storage, one might need to find an online service that students should use when saving material. However, according to Wylie, the storage capacity is only an issue if you allow it to be. Google allows you to store all your data on Google drive (Wylie, 2021). Google Drive also has a sharing capability that will allow students to share their Google drive with their teacher. Personally, my school in Laos or job in Thailand would have benefited from having to use Google Drive. I was required to email documents or use a USB stick, to transfer files to management. Sometimes having to adapt to different technology such as Chromebooks allows us to work smarter.

 

            In Johnathan Wylies article Are Chromebooks Good? Pros and Cons, he states that Chromebooks have no photoshop or video editing software (Wylie, 2021). However, programmers must be adapting to Chromebook users because you can now find lots of online freeware that does not require you to download. Personally, I use Photopea as an alternative to photoshop. Moreover, Wylies also acknowledges that the Chromebook is unable to use powerful video editing software but we can use the online Wevideo (Wylie, 2021). Personally, I would recommend using FlexClip just because it comes with better stock-free templates.  

 

In my homeroom classroom in Laos, we had Laptops in our very small library. I had the smallest classroom in the school so my students had the advantage of having individual computers. However, the internet did not have a filter, and students would sometimes sneak onto scary ghost videos on the web, or try and view inappropriate content. Furthermore, turning the computers on and off was a challenge. According to Andrew Pillow in the article 4 ways Chromebooks win out vs Other Laptops in Classrooms, states that Chromebooks give teachers and administrators more control over students' activity on the computer (Pillow, 2018). Teachers don’t need to call IT or research complicated ways to block student access to inappropriate websites. Chromebooks have a function that allows teachers to the admin console (Pillow, 2018). This allows teachers to block every website except for the site that you want them to be on. I wish I had this in Laos as one parent got mad because a student saw a scary ghost video.

 

The jobs that I currently hold in Education, are an online English Language tutor, STEM camp instructor, afterschool STEM class instructor, and afterschool remediation in reading tutor. Unfortunately, Chromebooks are not very practical for me because I need to get the students programing robots, using programs like Inkscape, My Paint, and my older students will be using tools like Blender for 3D animation. My online EFL classroom relies on the Magic Ears program and the Chromebook does not support the program for my work. Furthermore, I need to use an iPad app for my reading remediation instruction. This year I will be going into my practicum. I will need to adapt and learn to love Chromebooks because I will be using them a lot over the coming months.  

 

 

Work Cited 

Pillow, A. (2018, September 27). 4 Ways Chromebooks Win Out vs Other Laptops in Classrooms. Indy K12. Retrieved May 29, 2022, from https://indy.education/2018/09/27/4-ways-chromebooks-win-out-vs-other-laptops-in-classrooms/

Wylie, J. (2021, November 29). Are Chromebooks Good? Pros and Cons. TurboFuture. Retrieved May 29, 2022, from https://turbofuture.com/computers/Are-Chromebooks-Good-Enough-to-Replace-My-PC

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