At Moanataiari School, we are using Chromebooks in Years 5, 6, 7 and 8. We are recommending the same device for all our students.
In 2022, we are embarking on a programme called ‘The Writer’s Toolbox’. For this to work Year 4 and 5 students will also need access to a Chromebook. We have a small supply of school owned Chromebooks and we are in the process of applying for external funding for more. However, we would encourage parents to purchase a Chromebook if possible.
Devices are required for class organisation purposes, mathematics, writing, assessment purposes, managed research related to topic work and reading. We know that these devices will be able to be used the following two years at the High School.
Chromebooks run on a Google Chrome operating system. These machines are designed to be used while connected to the Internet, with most applications and documents living in the cloud. At Moanataiari School we use Google Suite including Google Docs, Google Sheets, Google Slides and Google Drive.
The students will have a school Gmail account which gives them access to these. For the most part, there's a pretty narrow price range for Chromebooks, and it's on the more affordable end of the spectrum.
Guidelines for buying Chromebooks for use at Moanataiari School.
We recommend your Chromebook has the following:
- 11.6-inch screen
- 4 GB RAM (Memory)
- 16 GB Storage (Most work will be stored online not on the Chromebook)
- 11-hour battery life (We are going to recommend that power chargers stay at home and students charge their computers at home in the evenings)
- Two USB 3.0 ports – these are reasonably standard on Chromebooks
- HDMI output - these seem to be only on some. They are useful and good to have but not necessary
- SD card slot – this is useful but not necessary. They seem to be being phased out
- 3.5mm headphone/microphone jack
- Hard shell case (Not a soft sleeve. Hard shell Protection when transporting)
Beneficial Features:
Meets US Military Standard 810G military standard or similar. Corner shield and bumper keyboard surround protection. Spill resistant keyboard. (For handling day to day use in classroom.)
Headphones:
Will be of benefit for students working with multimedia in the classroom environment.
Mouse:
Not compulsory but some students may find it easier to use them.
We advise against Touch Screen Chromebooks, they are more expensive and not necessary at this stage.
Avoid getting detachable keyboards and tablet mode, they tend to mean more complications in the classroom environment.