Chromebook Guide

Chromebooks and laptops...what's the difference?

All of the district's laptops use Microsoft Windows as their operating system, as do all of our desktops. Chromebooks on the other hand use a version of the Google Chrome browser as their operating system. That means Chromebooks have some definite strengths and weaknesses.

Strengths:

• fully integrated with Google Apps for Education
• great for anything internet-based
• able to work on Google Drive documents, even without an internet connection
• fast - Chromebooks use solid-state drives, which means no moving pieces, which means faster start up, use, and shut down
• no Windows updates
• changes made to Chrome, like bookmarks, extensions, etc., automatically travel from one device to another

Weaknesses:

• no standalone programs - you can't install things like Word
• while you can edit drive documents offline, Chromebooks really shine when they have an internet connection
• not networked - you can't access your H: drive at school on a Chromebook

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Resources

Google's Chromebook Help Center

Chromebook Keyboard Shortcuts

​Ctrl + Shift + ? - When using a Chromebook, this brings up an on-screen, interactive shortcut guide.

​Kathy Schrock's Guide to Chromebooks