The emergence of the Chromebook in ICSD in September 2015 gave thousands of students a new way of learning in and outside of the classroom. Although the new emphasis on digital assignments and saving paper sounded like a great idea to many in the beginning, after watching hundreds of Chromebooks being handed in for repair, it became clear that there were problems with how students were handling the $200 devices.
With a mix of excitement and cynicism, approximately 3500 students lined up to receive their brand-new Chromebooks. However, within the first month of distribution, there were already reports of broken screens and keys. It was clear that even “responsible” high-schoolers couldn’t be trusted to bring the devices home or even handle them during school hours. Despite the initial criticism and frustration directed towards Chromebooks, students adjusted to the use of Chromebooks in their classes, finding them useful and fun in most situations. Their ability to facilitate interactive activities and games greatly helped engagement in the classroom.
New problems emerged in the censorship of social media and “unknown” sites, which aggravated students who needed to promote clubs in social media, download images from unlisted sites on Google, or research a project during school. This led to a handful of students revolting and “hacking” their Chromebooks into Developer Mode. It was extremely difficult for the IT staff to manage and prevent the “hacking,” which led those actions to be heavily publicized and punished.
This kind of frustration stemming from the inconvenience and limitations of the new devices often led annoyed students to intentionally damage their Chromebooks, some going so far as to throw them across the room or smash the keys until they became unfixable (please do not do this). After all incidents such as this—which were all too common last year—students would then reluctantly haul their damaged Chromebooks into the library the next day, making up some story as to how the device broke and why they required a new one.
Over the 2015–2016 school year, approximately 19 percent of the 3500 assigned Chromebooks were brought in to be repaired for cracked screens, power issues, corrupt operations, damaged cases, internet issues, or broken trackpads. Approximately 5.7 percent of the Chromebooks were damaged or lost beyond the ability to repair, with 4 percent of these recycled or decommissioned and reused and 1.7 percent stolen or lost. The district paid $190 per Chromebook and charger, with about half of the cost covered by state aid, according to Zach Lind, the Chief Information Officer at ICSD.
Almost a quarter of the Chromebooks were broken and lost due either to their lack of build quality, or more commonly, lack of care and patience from students when handling the devices. That’s approximately $82,100 down the drain for the district. Many students complained that the Dell Chromebook 11, the model chosen by the district, was too flimsy and weak. Although this is expected of a relatively cheap laptop, perhaps the purchase of a more durable model could have saved the district the costs in repair and replacement of these Chromebooks.
So, are the Chromebooks really the bane of our sanity, and are they really that bad? Yes, but they can be pretty useful; maybe that’s the sole reason the district is continuing the usage of Chromebooks currently.