Touchscreen or non-Touchscreen Chromebooks?

[Éilish Glacken]

We are purchasing a set of chromebooks. It will be our first purchase of chromebooks and I have received lots of quotes from different companies. Just wondering whether the touchscreen device is worth the extra cost. For a set of 25, the difference is approx €2,000 which would upgrade the Wifi in one of our buildings! So I would love to be able to do both but don't want to regret in a year that we didn't get the touchscreens! 

The chromebooks are for 4th/5th/6th. I have spoken to a few teachers who have the non-touchscreen devices and they are happy. 

Any advice? Those of you with Chromebooks - what would you do?

[Chris Reina]

Hi Éilish,

I think - ask the question: “Why do I need touchscreens”? If the answer is that students find mouse / keyboard skills hard; or its easier; or perhaps a student with extra needs - then perhaps you should spend the extra.

However - if there is no appreciable reason - I would get a standard chromebook…

Also - if you are a Google school (and depending on how many devices you are purchasing) - check whether you are also getting licenses (and also - do you need those?)

Often resellers sell devices without licenses (when you actually do need them) - or with licenses (when you actually don’t!)

Lastly - if you are getting Chromebooks - please consider old machines.

We have a suite of devices we use for general use, coding and much more. (Just this past weekend they were used for Cruinniú na nÓg to deliver both a 3D Modelling and 2D Animation Workshop)

At least 2 of these devices are 10+ years old, running ChomeOS and used to be Windows machines.

In short - old machines are perfectly acceptable to be repurposed as (not so shiny) new Chromebooks! (With little to no cost, just time)

Many thanks,

Chris

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[Éilish Glacken]

Very interesting post Chris - Thank you. Personally I can't think of any website, learning tool or coding needs etc that would demand a touchscreen. But it is also a very useful feature! Which is why I'm torn It also becomes another thing to break and I've heard a few schools having an issue with touchscreens no longer working after 1/2 years so the extra money wasn't worth it long term. 

Yes we do hope to re purpose some old computers when we are up and running - but our old machines are desktops and therefore not portable which is what we need. But I think those old desktops will get far more use with ChromeOS. 

I think based on our needs will will probably need to purchase the licences, need to do more research on this. I certainly would't survive without Jamf for our iPads. We already have G Suite and used Google Classroom a lot during Covid so our senior students already have log ins etc and we are set up with Google Admin. 

[Reddin, Nuala]

Hi Éilish,

Personally, I wouldn’t buy the touchscreen for the whole group. I did that a couple of years ago and it's been a torture with broken screens-they are too expensive to replace. Non touchscreen much cheaper. For our school chromebook trolleys I buy from Green It. Sometimes the devices are refurbished but quite often they are actually brand new and never used but boxes have been opened so they can't be sold as new. We also run a subsidised chromebook scheme for students to buy their own. These I buy new from PC Peripherals and they are brilliant with after service.

Kind regards

Nuala Reddin

Art & IT Teacher - IT Co-ordinator - Creative Schools Co-ordinator - Peer Education Co-ordinator

Crana College-Buncrana-F93 D568-0749361113

nuala...@donegaletb.ie

www.cranacollege.com

Excellence in Education, Care, Equality, Community and Respect

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[Maria O Rourke]

Hi Éilish,

We have had chromebooks for over 3 years now and have a combination of touchscreen and non touchscreen.

Our younger children definitely prefer the touchscreen chromebooks (games, Google canvas etc.) and 4th/5th/6th are fine with the non-touchscreen but also prefer the touchscreen if given the option. Particularly for children who are dyspraxic or have fine motor difficulties it has been a great addition. It depends on what you would use them for. We've also got 12 repurposed Dell laptops running Chrome now which are working really well. 

Hope that's helpful,

Maria

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Maria O'Rourke

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