Student Reviews of the Asus C202 Chromebook

Over the last month, two of Leyden's Tech Support Intern (TSI) students have reviewed the Lenovo N22, HP 11 EE, and generation 2 Dell 11 Chromebooks.  Below are their reviews of the Asus C202 Chromebooks, the last devices they were asked to review.

Review by an East Leyden Sophomore TSI Student...

When I first saw the Asus C202 I was very impressed with how it looked.  It reminded me of a gaming laptop.  I also couldn’t believe that I got to test this Chromebook since it was showcased at C.E.S (Consumer Electronic Show) 2016. 

The Asus C202 contains pleasing specs. This Chromebook has the Intel Celeron N3060 Processor with two cores which run at 1.60 GHz (note that this device contains a different processor than all of the other Chromebooks I have tested) and 3.8GB of R.A.M. These specs allow for the Chromebook to be used for student tasks such as writing essays and manipulating Google spreadsheets.

This Chromebook has a great number of benefits, one of them being that it has a reinforced chassis and a rubber bumper with reinforced corners.  In addition, it has a scratch resistant exterior finish.  Asus claims this Chromebook was designed from the ground up for educational use and that it should withstand bumps, spills, and bruises that students may accidentally cause.

I really liked the keyboard on this device.  First, according to Asus, the keyboard is also spill resistant.  In addition, the letters, numbers, and other symbols on the keyboard are light blue.  For  me, this made the keys easy to locate in both dark and bright environments.  

Another feature that I found useful are the indicator lights located on the right edge of the keyboard.   The first indicator light  lets you know when the Chromebook is on.  The second indicator light lets you know the charging status of the Chromebook: it turns orange when it is charging and light  green when it is finished charging.  I found these features to be useful because most Chromebook charging indicators remain the same color while charging and when done charging (such as the current Dell Chromebooks that we have).  You never really know how charged your device is unless you open the Chromebook and check the battery status bar.

A different feature that this Chromebook has to offer is that the screen (like the Dell Chromebook 11 2nd generation) is anti-glare and is 11.6 inches. This is a useful feature because the screen is easy on the eyes.

I also really liked the modular design of the Chromebook.  The keys on the keyboard, power socket, and the battery are modular.  Asus claims that full dismantling of the device is possible in a few easy steps using only simple tools. This would be a huge benefit for TSI students when it comes to repairing the devices. This could also be a benefit for Leyden students as it may be less expensive the repair the devices.  For example, rather than replacing an entire keyboard when a few keys are damaged, we could easily just replace the keys. 

Finally, the footprint of the device is smaller than other Chromebooks I have tested.  This can either be positive in that the device consumes less space in a backpack or on a desktop or negative in that it can sometimes be harder to work on a smaller device.

As you can see, the Asus C202 Chromebook has many benefits, but it does have its downsides.

The first downside that I noticed is that this Chromebook only has one U.S.B 2.0 port. This may be a downside to some students because as I have mentioned before, they like to connect multiple things like their phone charger and an external mouse. 

The second downside is that the Google Chrome browser starts to lag when only having six tabs open. This may be an issue for some students because they may like to multi-task and have multiple homework assignments open. 

Another downside is the battery life.  Asus claims that this device only lasts about 8.5 hours, which is less than the other devices I tested.  

The final downside that I noticed is that the bottom and top covers are white.  After using the device for about a week, the white covers were noticeably dirty.  In addition, I had black “skid” marks on the bottom of the device.   A quick clean did resolve the issue.

Overall, the Asus C202 Chromebook has a nice design, decent specifications, and a nice rugged exterior which is great for student use. This device has multiple benefits and few major downsides which consumers look for in any electronic device. I think that this Chromebook should be kept in mind when Leyden High School picks the next Chromebook, although I still believe that the Dell Chromebook 2nd Generation is the winner.

Review by a West Leyden Sophomore TSI Student...

The Asus Chromebook is the greatest “looking” Chromebook I’ve had the pleasure of reviewing. It is mostly grey, with a navy blue rubber borders. It has a bumpy texture to it, the first of the Chromebooks. Inside, instead of keyboard consisting of black keys with white letters, it has blue letters. The screen, also, like the previous Chromebooks I’ve tested, lean all the way back. Aesthetically, it is the most gorgeous Chromebook I’ve ever used, and you can tell that Asus didn’t base their design of their Chromebook on any of the previous generations of Chromebooks.

The Asus Chromebook is the smallest Chromebook of the 4 Chromebooks I’ve used. It fits easily in the black Leyden case and could also easily fit in the tighter original blue case Leyden had given students. In terms of weight, it is also pretty light. The size and weight of the Asus make it easy to carry, especially for students who do not like to use their case when walking around Leyden with it. 

The Asus’s Chromebook has a very satisfying to use mechanical keyboard. There is something that just feels right when you tap on a key and it makes a great clicking noise. There’s something rhythmic about it that makes doing classwork more bearable. The touchpad and mouse are also very smooth to use. It moves where I tell it to and it does not flick randomly and in general is very responsive. 

Durability wise, it is tough to say with the Asus. The sides of the Asus are rubberized, so if it falls on its side, the rubber will absorb the impact. Chromebooks, from what I’ve seen in TSI, get damaged on their side a lot, and cracks their edges. Rubberized sides would minimize these Chromebooks problems by a lot. It is the only Chromebook of the 4 I’ve tested to have this quality. Besides the rubber sides, however, I don’t think the Asus is all that durable. The top of the Asus is just plastic, and a weak one at that. I can easily push it in with minimal force. If the Asus Chromebook were to land with the all the force on the plastic, I don’t think the Chromebook would survive. 

The battery of the Asus Chromebook isn’t amazing compared to the other Chromebooks. At the end of the day, this Chromebook was at 60%, which you might say, isn’t so bad. However, since it’s the end of the year and this is my last week at West Leyden, I haven’t had to use the Chromebook as much. Moreover, if I were using this Chromebook during the middle of the year, I’m sure the battery would be at a much lower percentage at the end of the day, maybe 50%, or even 40%. 

Small, extra bits and pieces I want to go over are the speakers and USB ports. In terms of the speakers, it passed the Kung Fu Panda test wonderfully (if you’re confused, please look towards by review of the HP Chromebook). The speakers are the loudest and clearest sounding out of all the Chromebooks. The sound is not muffled and hard to hear like the others. Another one of the good qualities of the Asus Chromebook is the fact that both of its USB ports are USB 3.0s, which allows for faster data transfer speeds than the older USB 2.0. 

The Asus Chromebook has an unbeaten physical design, a small form factor, and a satisfying to use keyboard and touchpad. It’s durability is so-so, better than what we have now, but there is still room for improvement. The battery life isn’t so great and I don’t think it’ll last long for students. The speakers and USB ports are an excellent touch though. However, I believe that the Asus Chromebook just isn’t the right fit for Leyden, because durability is a very important factor and Leyden should go with the Chromebook that excels the most in this quality.

Student Reviews of the Dell 22 (gen 2) Chromebook

In the last few weeks, two of Leyden's Tech Support Intern (TSI) students have reviewed the Lenovo N22 and HP 11 EE Chromebooks.  Below are their reviews of the second generation Dell 11 Chromebook.

Review by an East Leyden Sophomore TSI Student...

This Chromebook has a dual core Intel Celeron N2840 running at 2.16ghz, 3.778GB of R.A.M, internal display with 768x1366 resolution, a screen that is 11.6“, and it only weighs 2.74lbs.  In addition, the device has front facing speakers, co-molded rubber edges, and the LCD can extend 180 degrees (like the HP G4  EE).

The first and probably the most beneficial feature of this Chromebook is that the edges are co-molded with actual rubber (unlike the HP Chromebook 11 G4 EE, which was co-molded with plastic).  This is a huge plus for students in the event they drop the Chromebook.  According to Dell, the device is “specifically built to withstand the abuses inherent to an education environment.  It’s purpose-built design means that this notebook should survive drops, water spills, dirt and dust and most things that the harsh academic environment throws at it.”  In addition to the co-molding, the device has rubber feet.  This allows the Chromebook to grip to desk and table surfaces and helps prevent accidental slippage.

The second benefit is the battery life.  Simply put...the battery life is amazing!  Dell claims the battery will last approximately 8 hours.  During my time with the Chromebook, I found the battery life to last much longer than that.  First I tested the device on low brightness and made sure to have no more than 5 tabs open at a time.  Using this criteria and with normal educational usage, the battery lasted for three full school days.  Then I tested the device on full brightness and did not limit the number of tabs.  Using this criteria, the battery lasted for two full school days.  Based on these tests, this Chromebook’s battery life is the best out of all of the Chromebooks I have tested so far.

An additional benefit to the Dell Chromebook 11 2nd Generation is the anti-glare display. This means that when you are in a bright environment, the display will not reflect the light around you thus making it easier to see what is on your screen.  I was extremely pleased with this feature.  Most classrooms are really bright and with other devices, I was forced to adjust my screen to an uncomfortable position in order to see it.  I did not have to do this with the Dell Chromebook 11 2nd Gen.

Another great benefit is that the keyboard and the touchpad are spill resistant.  Most Chromebooks only have a spill resistant keyboard and not a spill resistant touchpad.  I also found the touchpad to be very responsive.  The plastic and rubber co-molding on the bottom edge of the trackpad is depressed.  This is useful because the user does not have to apply too much force to the touchpad in order to click.

Another neat feature that this Chromebook has to offer is that it has dual front facing speakers. In my experience, this placement of the speakers makes the audio sound clearer and easier to hear.  This is in contrast to the current Dell Chromebook we are using which has bottom facing speakers.

The final neat feature I noticed about this Chromebook model is the interactive light feature.  Located on the left corner of the top cover, this light works nicely with an app that can be installed called Dell Activity Light.  When the app is selected a dialogue appears with three icons: raise hand, question, and discussion.  When the raise hand icon is selected, the interactive light turns blue which lets a teacher know you need assistance. When the question icon is selected, the interactive light turns red.  And finally, when the third icon is pressed, the interactive light turns yellow which lets a teacher know you want to be a part of or start a discussion.  Dell suggests using this feature during quiet class moments, such as testing, to prevent distractions.

Even though the 2nd generation Chromebook 11 has numerous benefits, like all technologies, it does have two negatives that I would like to address.

The first negative is the Chromebook only has one U.S.B 2.0 port, allowing only one peripheral or external storage device to be connected.  This may cause a problem for some students who need to connect multiple devices to their Chromebook such as a wireless mouse, flash drive, or even their cell phone.

The second negative is that the keys on the keyboard are raised a little too much.  Although the keys feels nice and responsive, garbage, food crumbs and dust can easily get under them.  I can see this possibly becoming an issue especially if enough debris gets caught under the keys preventing them from working properly.

To conclude, the 2nd generation Dell Chromebook 11 is almost a flawless device. For $250, you get amazing specs and a well protected and designed exterior.  In addition, the Chromebook is manufactured by Dell.  This is a huge advantage for Leyden as we already have a partnership with Dell.  We already have two years experience repairing Dell Chromebooks, following R.M.A(Return Merchandise Approval) procedures, working with Dell’s warranty, etc.  I think that Leyden High Schools should keep this Chromebook very close to mind when choosing the next student Chromebook.

Review by a West Leyden Sophomore TSI Student...

The Dell Chromebook 11 has many appealing qualities that make it the best fit for the Leyden students. Dell’s design of the Chromebook 11 looks like a revamped version of their original Dell Chromebook. Dell’s new Chromebook is also wider than their last Chromebook, and the difference is big enough that it will no longer fit in the old blue Leyden cases and will now only fit in the newer black cases.

The best quality of the new Dell Chromebook is the hard new shell. The shell for the Chromebook offers much more protection than the Lenovo, HP, and even the previous Chromebooks we’ve had in the past. This Chromebook, in the time I have had it, has not received one scratch or any sort of damage. This Chromebook can take a beating and could probably even be dropped and receive no damage whatsoever. This characteristic of the Chromebook will be very beneficial to students because they constantly drop and break their them, causing them to be charged massive fines and take loaners.

Another great quality that not only this Dell, but all the Chromebooks had was the fact that the screens can bend all the way back. Now students can put the screens back to their preference. They also won’t break the screens and cause them to become unhinged from the system. Hinge problems are one of the most prominent reasons for sending Chromebooks back to Dell. The return rate on these Chromebooks can last from weeks to months, causing students to get long-time loaners and lowering the loaner count we have for all the other students. I’m glad these hinge problems will be minimized.

One of the unique characteristics of the Dell Chromebook 11 is the little LED light in the front of the Chromebook. By using an app on your Chromebook, you can change the color of the light to either red, blue, or yellow. There are a variety of uses for this little light. For example, when the teacher wants to know when everyone in the class is done with a particular in class assignment, they can ask their students to change the color on their Chromebook to red. A teacher could also divide the classroom into groups of 3 and have each group be a separate color.

The touchpad on the Dell Chromebook 11 was not as smooth as I hoped. It was more like the original Dell Chromebook, in the way that it didn’t move as easily and sometimes would be unresponsive. I would have greatly enjoys a touchpad and mouse similar to the HP Chromebook. The keyboard on the Dell Chromebook 11 is average at best, it just seems like the everyday keyboard and is not as comfortable to type on as some of the other Chromebooks I have tested out.

The Dell Chromebook 11 is the best Chromebook so far for the Leyden students and I think that, in the end, it will be the best choice. The fact that it is so durable is one of the biggest reasons to choose it because in the long-run it’ll save Leyden a lot of money. The LED light in the front adds a new layer of innovation that teachers and students alike will benefit from. Even the battery life and speeds from it are not that far off from what we currently have.  Although the touchpad and keyboard are average, I think the pros of this Chromebook really make it stand out from the rest of others.

Student Reviews of the HP 11 EE Chromebook

Last week I posted two Leyden Tech Support Intern (TSI) students' reviews of the Lenovo N22 Chromebook.  For the past week, they have been using the HP 11 EE Chromebook and here are their reviews of those devices.

Review by a West Leyden Senior TSI Student...

The HP Chromebook, just from holding it, felt like a better Chromebook than the Lenovo Chromebook (sorry Lenovo). It was much more Dell Chromebook-like in design, not like the Lenovo, which stuck with more of a Samsung Chromebook design. The thickness of the HP was much more slim than the Lenovo Chromebook, so it felt better to carry inside of the the case that Leyden had given us.

The most satisfying thing about the HP Chromebook is the keyboard. The keys were smoother to type with, and they allowed for faster typing than the Dell Chromebook. I even felt like I wanted to do work in school now with the keyboard that was, in general, much more comfortable to use. Essays became a breeze to type. 

Another thing that I was glad was better in design was the touchpad. When I was using the touchpad for the first time, I was pleasantly surprised to find that it was very responsive. It moved where I wanted it to and it didn’t randomly flick away or not move at all. This was a problem that I, as well as others, have had with the Samsung and Dell and I’m glad that one of the new Chromebooks have finally taken this into consideration and fixing the problem for students. 

The speed of the HP Chromebook was more closely related to that of the Dell. I was glad I didn’t have to put up with Lenovo-like speeds. I didn’t have to wait that long for the Chromebook to power on and connecting to certain websites were not that slow either, maybe even a little bit faster. 

The speakers on the HP Chromebook are not too shabby either. Although I didn’t write it in my Lenovo Chromebook Review, I have been using the song “Kung Fu Fighting” that starred in the hit movie “Kung Fu Panda” to test the speakers. The speakers on the HP were great quality and I could easily hear the music, it was not muffly like the Lenovo’s speakers. 

Now the cons of the HP Chromebook, the biggest being the battery life. Unlike the Lenovo, which would last days, the HP barely lasted 2 days in my hands. I had to constantly charge it, which was a nuisance. The small battery life will lead to more loaner Samsung Chromebooks to be lent out, if the HP was the one you choose. What students need is the bigger battery so that Leyden’s TSI would stop running out of Chromebooks to give to students when they have their uncharged. 

A disappointing characteristic of the HP Chromebook was the number of USB ports. It only had 2 USB ports as opposed to 3, so there if you connect a mouse and a flash drive, you’re limited to just that. For those who want to connect any other peripheral devices will be forced to disconnect their mouse or flash drive. 

From what I have seen thus far, the Lenovo and HP Chromebooks are polar opposites of each other. One has a better trackpad and keyboard, while the other has a better battery. One has a thicker design, while the other, a more slim and compact one. One is modeled after a Samsung Chromebook, the other, a Dell Chromebook. While the HP is a step up from the Lenovo, I feel like it still lacks certain qualities that are needed for it to be the “Leyden’s Next Top Chromebook”. 

Review by an East Leyden Sophomore TSI Student...

The HP Chromebook 11 G4 EE was made for educational purposes hence the EE in the name which stands for Education Edition. The HP 11 G4 EE has numerous upsides and very few downsides. The starting price for this Chromebook is $199 which is a very good price considering the specs: dual core Intel Celeron N2840 running at 2.16ghz; Intel HD Graphics; and 3.778 GB of R.A.M.  With these two internal components (dual core Intel Celeron N2840 running at 2.16ghz and 3.778 GB of R.A.M), the Chromebook operates at a high speed without any major problems.  While I did experience a few lagging issues here and there while multitasking, this did not impact my productivity and is something I expected based on my past Chromebook experience.  Overall, I was very happy with the performance of the device. 

A major benefit of the device is the battery life.  HP claims that it lasts up to 9.5 hours on one charge.  I used this Chromebook for one full week.  During that week, and with normal school usage, the Chromebook lasted for 2.5 days without needing to recharge.  

Another benefit that the HP Chromebook 11 G4 EE has to offer is that the keyboard is spill resistant.  According to HP, the “spill resistant keyboard keeps it safe from leaky lunchboxes”.  As a TSI student, I have helped many students who come into the classroom having spilled various liquids on their devices.  This spill resistance keyboard could be a huge benefit.  I do wonder, though, how easily liquids will go through ports and other vulnerable parts of the Chromebook.

Aesthetically, this Chromebook looks very nice.  The first thing I noticed were the edges of the device.  The exterior is co-molded with rubber along the edges.  According to HP, because of this, the Chromebook passed their 2.3 foot drop tests.  This is a pretty neat feature.  I also like how thin and light the Chromebook is. The HP G4 EE Chromebook is 20mm thin and weighs 2.7 pounds, which can be a very useful feature for a student because it will not take up too much space in their backpack or weight them down.  Additionally, the HP Chromebook 11 G4 EE has the U.S.B 2.0 port, the U.S.B 3.0 port, the headphone jack, and the HDMI port on the right side of the device.  The ports being on the right side of the device feel more natural for right handed individuals since they tend to hold items (such as a flash drive) with their right hand.  The charging port and the SD card slot are on the left side of the device.

Another cool feature of the device is that the screen can lay 180 degrees flat.  While this is pretty cool and reminds me of tablet devices, this feature can also be useful to students, especially when showing work to another student or teacher.

Now that I have named the numerous benefits that this Chromebook has to offer, let’s talk about a few downsides of the device.  The first downside is that the speakers are on the bottom of the Chromebook which makes the sound a little bit muffled and hard to hear.  The sound quality of the speakers are average.  While this placement does not lend itself to optimal performance, I do not think it will be too much of a problem considering students who need audio almost always use headphones.

The second downside that I noticed was that the Chromebook’s exterior consists of a slippery plastic which may cause some students to drop the device.  As mentioned above, the Chromebook passed their 2.3 foot drop tests; however, most drops occur from more than 2.3 feet.  Also, the Chromebook’s feet seem to be made of the same plastic of the rest of the Chromebook.  I used the Chromebook on a wooden desk, a glass desk, and a synthetic countertop.  In all three instances the Chromebook easily slid on the surface.  In addition, I noticed that smudges show up easily on the plastic.

Overall, when I was given the HP 11 G4 EE, I thought to myself “this Chromebook looks high end”.  After using it for a week I still have the same opinion. The device has great specs and a great battery life all for a good price.  I also appreciate that HP had education in mind when developing this Chromebook. I feel that this Chromebook could be a good option for Leyden High School and should be considered for next year.

Student Reviews of the Lenovo N22 Chromebook

Leyden High School District 212 is in our fourth year of being fully 1:1 with all students getting issued a Chromebook.  The Leyden leadership team has recently decided to purchase new Chromebooks for the 2016-2017 school year.  As part of the decision making process, we ask one Tech Support Intern (TSI) student at each campus to use the different Chromebook models being considered for about a week.  They'll write up reviews for each device and I'll post those here on my blog.  Here are the reviews of the Lenovo N22 Chromebook:

Review by an East Leyden Sophomore TSI Student...

The Lenovo N22 was specifically made for educational settings.  This Chromebook can be found under $200.00. It has good specs, such as 3.8 GB of R.A.M and an Intel Celeron processor with 2 cores running at 1.60GHz. The Chromebook’s display is 11.6 inches and it’s resolution is  just below 1080p HD quality at 1366x768 and it has 133.44dpi(Dots per Inch) which is average for a Chromebook. This average display is adequate since the device is being used for school purposes. But like all other technologies it has it’s downsides. 

The first downside that I noticed is the camera. A user is able to rotate the camera the camera about 180 degrees which allows the user to take pictures at different angles.  The first issue with the rotating camera is that I worry it will easily break.  Most students use their phone cameras more than their Chromebook cameras due to quality issues; however, I can see students fidgeting with the camera.  Eventually this may cause the camera to break off or become loose.  It may be hard for the TSI students to fix this issue or for the Tech department to even get parts necessary to fix the issue.  Worst case scenario, we might have to replace the  Screen entirely.   Another issue with the rotating camera is that students can rotate the camera and take pictures of others during class without their knowledge, which is a privacy issue and something students and teachers may be worried about. 

An additional problem with the Lenovo N22 is that it feels cheaply constructed, However the fact that the Chromebook’s exterior is made of plastic makes it sturdy and durable. I think this because the plastic used to construct the Chromebook feels low quality and that plastic is used for most of the Chromebook’s external design.In addition to the Chromebook being made of plastic,. Lenovo claims that the Chromebook is supposed to be sturdy and durable and that is why they constructed the Chromebook using plastic, also I noticed that the plastic was slippery.  I feel that students may drop the Chromebook because of this causing it to break. While students are not supposed to carry their Chromebooks while walking in the hallways during passing periods (especially outside the provided carrying case), they still do.  I can see it already...a Chromebook slips out of a student’s hand, it falls to the floor, gets kicked around by a few students and stepped on by another.

Another  issue I found with the Lenovo N22 is that when the Chromebook restarts or is booted up after being turned off for a while, it logs in slowly and it takes almost 2 whole minutes to be able to fully load tabs even on high speed internet. In addition the battery life on the Lenovo N22 is average for a Chromebook since it gets up to 10 hours of battery life, which can easily be made to last a student 2-3 days if they do not multitask too much and only keep required tabs open because otherwise the Chromebook will most likely only last 36 hours since the battery will drain faster.

Enough about the downsides of this Chromebook, let’s talk about some of the benefits of the Lenovo N22. 

The first upside I will mention is that it never overheated meaning the device was never hot to the touch when multi-tasking and or having a lot of tabs and windows open although it did slow down, the fan did not make noise when being used as so.

An additional upside to the Lenovo N22 is that on the back of the Chromebook it has a handle so that it can be carried like a briefcase which is the biggest and most useful feature of the Lenovo N22. I can imagine a lot of students would find this feature useful  because if they are in a hurry they do not have to pack  their Chromebook into their backpack, they can just carry the Chromebook via  handle.

Another aesthetic feature I liked about the Chromebook is the fact that the keyboard is spill resistant to liquids, the keys peel off which will make it easier for T.S.I students to repair keys if a student spills a liquid on their Chromebook making it a faster repair process.I can imagine this feature being a big help to a lot of students because there are a lot of students who spill some sort of liquid or drink on their Chromebook since they use it during lunch.

An alternate  useful part about the Lenovo N22 is the way that the letter keys and number keys on the keyboard are positioned, it is useful because they are slightly positioned to the left but still centered like most laptops which will make typing easier and feel more natural since most likely students will be used to how the keyboard feels because of their computer at home so this feature will definitely help students make less mistakes.

The final upside to the Lenovo N22 is the sound quality. The speakers are much louder than most Chromebooks and the highs and lows on the audio is normal for a Chromebook. Since the speakers are placed on the side of the Chromebook it sounds clearer and louder because they are not muffled by any surfaces or materials.

Altogether, when I first received the Lenovo N22 it seemed like it was built for rough environments, which I thought would be perfect for a student Chromebook because a lot of students drop their Chromebook and end up breaking their L.C.Ds, but after actually testing the Chromebook the specifications felt like they would not be good enough for the circumstances in which students need it for. For  a Chromebook in its price range the specs definitely felt like a low end computer when it was being used because since it only has 2 cores running at 1.60 GHz, it was not  able to handle multiple processes such as numerous windows and tabs which students sometimes need to leave open and running in the background to work on later or multi-task with different assignments.

Review by a West Leyden Senior TSI Student...

This past week I had the pleasure of using the Lenovo N22 Chromebook for school as opposed to my regular Dell Chromebook. Right away when I saw it, I knew that Lenovo had leaned their design of the Chromebook towards the Samsung Chromebook. The Lenovo Chromebook is about the same size as the Dell Chromebook, so the jump from the Dell to Lenovo would not affect many students in terms of keyboard size. 

From what I had noticed, the Lenovo Chromebook is slower than the Dell Chromebook. When turning on the Lenovo, it takes a few seconds more to turn on than the Dell. Opening websites such as my student email and my Google Drive would also take longer to load than usual. However, the change in speeds did not affect me so much in my daily use of the Lenovo. 

The battery of the Lenovo was one of the best features I enjoyed. At a full 100 percent, the battery lasted me a long time, about 4 days. My brightness was not low either, so I didn’t have to sacrifice anything to get the longer battery life. This would greatly help students who constantly forget to charge their Chromebook when they need to. The charging did take longer than the Dell, but for the extra hours of battery life, I think it’s worth. 

An interesting feature of the Lenovo Chromebook is the swivel camera. The camera, by default, faces forward, towards the user, however, you can turn the camera the other way around to take pictures away from the user. This is a cool feature, but ultimately useless. I only used it the first time I got the Lenovo, just for the sake of trying it. In truth, the camera bought more negatives than positives to the table. For example, if you try lifting the screen from the middle, where the camera is, you’ll just end up turning the camera, and makes the screen awkward to grab. 

Another cool feature of the Lenovo is that it comes with a built-in handle. As opposed to just carrying the Chromebook in your arm as most students who don’t like the cases do, they would now have the option to carry it by the handle. I used it a few times and enjoyed it, however, when I let my friend try it, I discovered that he found it awkward and tight because his hand was bigger than mine, so students with bigger hands probably won’t be using it as much. Another thing to take into account is that, if you use the handle, your Chromebook will not be in its case, meaning that it is free to hit anything and have nothing to protect it. I could see quite a few Chromebooks becoming damaged as a result of swinging the Chromebook too far and hitting the stairs or wall or even another student. 

The Lenovo Chromebook has its strengths, such as the battery life, which will be better for students who forget to charge their Chromebooks, and the form factor, which will make the jump from Dell Chromebooks to Lenovo Chromebooks, if the Lenovo was the final decision, that much easier. The speed of the Lenovo may be slower, but for a Leyden student, the difference isn’t that big that it will cause a huge change in their learning. However, the weaknesses, such as the handle and camera, will cause more hardware problems in the long run, costing both East and West Leyden high schools and its students more money. 

Our End-of-Year Chromebook Procedures

I still can't believe it!  It's May 15 and today is the last day for our seniors.  This year, like most, has just flown by.  I thought I'd share how we are ending our year and transitioning to new Dell Chromebooks for the 2014-2015 school year.  If you've been following my blog, you may recall that at this time last year we were gearing up to collect the Chromebooks from all 3,400 of our students (Chromebook Check In at Leyden - 5/23/13).  Things have certainly changed this year.  Here's an overview of what we're doing:

• All students are being given the opportunity to purchase their assigned Samsung Series 5 Chromebook (and only their assigned device) for the low price of $25.00.
  
• Seniors are being required to stop by a designated location at their home campus after their last final exam today to check-in their Chromebook and charger (we're letting them keep their cases) and either purchase their device or turn it in.
  
• All Freshmen, Sophomores, and Juniors are being allowed to keep their Samsung Series 5 Chromebooks over the summer.  When the new Dell Chromebooks arrive, we'll send out some mass communications and allow the students to stop by our summer school Tech Support Intern (TSI) room to either purchase or turn in their Samsung and check-out their new Dell.  If students don't stop by over the summer, they will complete this process the week before school begins during our traditional registration/book pick-up event.
  
• We set up a web-based system for students to access in order to verify the serial numbers of the Chromebook and charger that are assigned to them or look-up the owner of the equipment they may have in their possession if it's not theirs.
  
• We put together the following check-in form for our students:
  

• Any Samsung Series 5 devices that are not purchases will either become loaner devices next year, put on our district bid-list for community members to purchase, or sold off for parts.

Well, it's 9:00 a.m. and I've got to go start the training for our staff that is going to run the senior check-in.  And so it begins... or ends.

The New Chromebook For Leyden Is...

Leyden High School District 212 is currently in our second year of being fully 1:1 with all 3,400 students getting issued Chromebooks. Our current device is the original Samsung Series 5. For the past few months we have been evaluating the new models that have hit the market (HP 11, HP 14, Acer C720, Acer C720P, Dell 11, and Toshiba 13) with the hope of selecting a new device for next year. Here is the process we used to evaluate the new models:

• Purchased two of each new model as soon as it became available.
• A few administrators and I used the new devices for a couple weeks.
• Two of our Tech Support Intern students used the new Chromebooks as their primary devices for 7-10 days and wrote up a review that I posted on my blog (HP 11, HP 14, Acer C720, Acer C720P, Dell 11, and Toshiba 13).  FYI... Our Tech Support Intern class acts as the Level 1 support for all tech-related issues in our district, including the repair of Chromebooks.  Here are their websites:  East Leyden TSI and West Leyden TSI.
• My tech department team then disassembled and reassembled each device and took notes about the support of each device.
• Our Tech Support Intern classes were then asked to disassemble and reassemble the devices and provide feedback through a Google Form.
• My team read as many reviews about each model as possible.
• My team spoke with all the vendors and asked them lots of questions.
• We analyzed all the information.

Some of the variables we took into consideration when evaluating the devices included the following:  cost, projected durability, ease of repairs, size, user experience, and vendor support systems.  The two models that made it to our final round were the Acer C720 and the Dell 11 (both 4GB versions).  Here's how they measured up with regards to our key factors:

	Dell 11	Acer C720
Cost	Note: The Dell 11 is no longer that much more than the Acer C720.  Contact your rep.
Projected Durability
Ease of Repairs
Size
User Experience
Vendor Support		The Acer support seemed very good.  One of the reasons we gave the edge to Dell is because we have been using their support system for years and have been very pleased with it.

In the end, especially after some very aggressive pricing provided by our Dell rep, we have decided to select the 4GB Dell 11 as our Chromebook for the 2014-2015 school year.  Earlier tonight, I made a final presentation to the Leyden Board of Education and they agreed to move forward with the purchase and refresh our entire fleet of 3,400 Chromebooks for next year!

The tech-infused culture of teaching and learning in Leyden High School Distirct 212 marches on!

If you'd like to learn more about what we are doing here at Leyden, please consider joining us for our 1:1 Summer Symposium from July 31 - August 1, 2014.

Student Reviews of the Toshiba Chromebook

For the sixth and probably last time this school year, I have asked the same two Leyden Tech Support Intern students to use another new Chromebook as their primary device for a little over a week and then write up their reviews.  This time it's the Toshiba Chromebook.  If you haven't already read their previous reviews you can check them out here:

HP 11 | HP 14 | Acer C720 | Acer C720P | Dell 11

Now, on to the Toshiba reviews...

Student 1 - An East Leyden Senior

Hello.  I am Bryn, a junior at East Leyden high school and a first year Technical Support Intern.  Over the last few months I have tested multiple Chromebooks including the HP 11, HP 14, Acer C720, Acer C720p and Dell 11.  This review will be dedicated to the Toshiba Chromebook and will highlight the Toshiba’s speed, battery life, and aesthetics. 

To start things off I will be discussing the speed of the Toshiba Chromebook.  When it comes to using a Chromebook in an educational setting, this is one of the most important factors.  On the Toshiba website, they state that the Chromebook “start(s) up in seconds” and has a “reliable Intel® Celeron® processor”.  While they do not provide a specific boot up time, I found that the Chromebook booted up very fast, allowing me to get to work quickly.  I was also easily able to multi-task and navigate through multiple tabs at a rapid rate.

Toshiba claims that this Chromebook has a 9 hour battery life.  As a student who uses the Chromebook to complete assignments using Google Drive, listen to music and watch YouTube videos, I found this to be true.  In fact, the Chromebook lasted a full two days without needing to be charged.  When it did need to be charged, it took approximately 90 minutes to reach 100%.  

While many other reviews on the Toshiba Chromebook mention its lack of visual/design appeal, I actually found the Chromebook to be very appealing.  The silver color is enhanced with a slight dot design on the top cover that makes the Chromebook look very sleek and sort of futuristic.  The Chromebook is significantly lighter than other models (3.3lbs) and the screen is large at 13.3 inches.  In other Toshiba Chromebook reviews, it was mentioned that the resolution of the screen (1366 x 768) leaves a little to be desired; however, it was not an issue for me especially since the device is being used for educational purposes.  The overall size of the Chromebook is larger than other models (aside from the HP 14) and makes the device feel like a more traditional laptop computer.  I did not mind that is was larger because it was so light in weight.  The Chromebook has two 3.0 USB ports, HDMI output port, headphone jack, built-in webcam, security lock and SD card slot. 

One interesting thing that I noticed about the Toshiba Chromebook was the warning that was displayed in both English and Spanish on the underside of the device: “Caution: PC base can become hot!  Avoid prolonged contact to prevent heat injury to skin.”  Having never seen a warning on any other Chromebook, I was immediately curious and extra aware of the heat while using the Toshiba device.  While I did not experience any significant “hot” heat from the Chromebook, it did feel warm to the touch at times.  I did not find this to be an issue while using the device and did not notice any negative effects on the performance of the Chromebook.

Overall, I think this Chromebook could be a good choice for a school’s 1:1 environment.  One of the best selling points is it’s long battery life.  Of all the Chromebooks tested, the Dell Chromebook is still my favorite for use in educational settings.

Student 2 - A West Leyden Senior

The Toshiba 13 Chromebook is the latest, and probably last, new Chromebook model I tested in school. It mostly resembled the HP 14 that I tried some months ago, and the HP 14 looked like a MacBook; therefore, the Toshiba looks like a MacBook. I even had some students and teachers ask me if it was MacBook. As always, they asked me if those would be the ones they would get next year.

I was surprised by the weight of the Toshiba Chromebook. The last Chromebook I tried was the Dell 11, and they felt about the same in weight even though the Toshiba is larger.

Compared to the color of the flamboyant, sparkly pink HP 14, this Toshiba was much more neutral. It seems that metallic gray is the only color choice for this Chromebook, but it would be a good choice for an educational setting.

The startup and loading speed was no surprise. It takes no more than seven seconds to boot. Websites like YouTube only take about five seconds to load, and simpler webpages like our district homepage appear in no time. The speed was much like the HP 14.

The battery life is what stood out to me the most. One day I set the brightness to the max and forgot about it. I also forgot to charge the Chromebook. Surprisingly, the Chromebook lasted two days on full brightness and volume without needing a charge.

The webcam was actually quite decent compared to those in other Chromebooks. Movement was not too blurry, and video looked sharp. I do not know if these qualities remain when streaming via Hangouts or other video call services because they are blocked.

Like almost all other Chromebooks, the Toshiba has two USB 3.0 ports, HDMI, SD slot, headphone jack, charging port, and a lock port. There is an orange/green light that shows when the Chromebook is charging/done charging.

One problem that occurred while using the Toshiba Chromebook was that it spontaneously restarted. I had not pressed any buttons, and there were no pending updates. I think the more likely culprit would be the Chrome OS software -- or at least the version that was installed when it happened.

Another thing to be aware of is the durability and rigidity of the device. As I inspected the Chromebook while writing this review, I noticed some scratches and dents on the side that usually touches the ground in my backpack. As the tester of new Chromebooks, I have been and am very careful with the devices, so in the hands of other students, the wear and damage may be worse. The size of it would definitely require different cases than the ones we have already.

The Toshiba Chromebook most closely resembles the HP 14. The size of the Toshiba screen is only about an inch smaller, but the speed is about the same. The only thing that really set it apart from the other choices was the battery life, but even so, the HP 14 had a fairly large battery pack. In fact, in my experience all Chromebooks have lasted at least until the end of the school day. This Chromebook did not offer anything special that would make it superior to the HP 14 or the Dell 11 that I had previously elected as the best choice. Nevertheless, it was a better device than the good ol’ Samsung Series 5.

Student Reviews of the Dell 11 Chromebook

For the fifth time now, I have asked the same two Leyden Tech Support Intern students to use a new Chromebook as their primary device for about a week and then write up their reviews.  This time it's the Dell 11 Chromebook.  Here are their previews reviews:

HP 11  |  HP 14  |  Acer C720  |  Acer C720P

It's looking like the possibility of upgrading the Chromebooks for all of our students next year just may happen.  My team and I are currently analyzing all of the available devices and will certainly be using the reviews of our students to help make our decision.

Student 1 - An East Leyden Junior

My name is Bryn and I am a Junior at East Leyden High School.  I am also a first year student in the Technical Support Internship course.  During the year, I was given the opportunity to test new model Chromebooks  So far I have tested five with the Dell Chromebook 11 being the fifth.

All the Chromebooks I have tested have performed better than the Samsung Chromebook (our current Series 5 model) and this Chromebook is no exception.  In this blog post, I will specifically be discussing the Dell Chromebook’s speed, battery life, accessories & aesthetics.

I was unable to find any information from Dell on the Chromebook’s boot up time; however, in my experience it took approximately 8 seconds to boot up after complete shutdown and 4 seconds to boot up from sleep mode.  With a processor speed of 1.4 GHz, I was able to load pages and work in Google Docs at a quicker speed than my fellow classmates.

According to Dell, the Chromebook has a 10 hour battery life.  On my first day of using the device, I made an attempt to drain the battery by using it as much as possible at school and at home in the evening.  The Chromebook lasted for an entire day of use and then some.  The device has a considerably good battery life and a quick recharge time.  While charging, a white LED light on the bottom right of the device was illuminated.  The light turned off to indicate a full charge.  I did notice that the device did get really warm at times. This may be due to the location of the air vents.

The accessories on the Chromebook are nice. They include a charging port similar to a Dell laptop port, a HDMI port, two 3.0 USB ports, and a headphone jack.  Like all other Chromebooks, the device also has a webcam.  The Chromebook itself is a little larger than the Samsung Series 5 but not as large as the HP 14.  Aesthetically, there is nothing exciting about the Dell Chromebook.  In truth, I found it rather plain and bare-looking; however, it is nicer looking than both previously tested Acer models.  It has smoother edges and a more sleek design.

The Dell Chromebook definitely seems like a more reliable device than the Samsung Chromebook.  I don’t like this particular Chromebook as much as the HP14 Chromebook (my favorite thus far), but it is more convenient due to its smaller size.  I think this device would be a nice option should Leyden decide to change devices in future years.

Student 2 - A West Leyden Senior

This week, I tried out the Dell Chromebook 11.  It is a simple, elegant, yet durable-looking device.  It’s black with a glossy Dell insignia on the front cover and has a glossy screen.  The keyboard and area around the keyboard are made of a rubbery material.  The trackpad and keyboard are responsive and clicky. The Dell gave me a good first impression.  Even its charger set itself apart from the others, with a neat light at the tip of the cable.

HDMI, USB 2.0, USB 3.0, SD, and headphone ports seem to be the standard on new Chromebook models, including the Dell.  Since a lot of classroom equipment lacks HDMI input, an HDMI-VGA adapter may be needed to connect the Chromebook to the projector, monitor, etc.

The Chromebook starts up very quickly in around five seconds.  In terms of speed of startup and loading pages, the Dell may be one of the fastest I’ve tried.  It is on par with the speed of the Acer C720/P.  It lets me start searching almost right after booting up.

I had a few problems when using the Dell.  One time, it seemed to have frozen at the login screen.  There was no backlight, and I could barely see the picture and password field.  I tried pressing buttons and clicking, but it did not wake up.  I also tried restarting it, but pressing the power button did not work either.  I brought it to the attention of Mr. Weinert, and he managed to restart it by pressing and holding the power button for a while.

The second problem also involved the Chromebook freezing.  It happened at home while I was doing homework and listening to music.  The Chromebook just stopped responding and I could not click on anything, though I could move the mouse.  Restarting it worked, but because the administrator settings (at Leyden) force the enrolled devices to load certain tabs on startup, the tabs I was working on went away.

The sleeves/jackets that we have now (for the Samsung Series 5) do not fit the Dell Chromebook very well.  It is possible but difficult to put the Chromebook in, and it requires stretching the jacket.  Electing this device to refresh the 1:1 system may also require new cases.

The Dell Chromebook 11 was a great device in my experience. Albeit it had some issues, they were not significant enough to make me completely say no to it as a choice.  In fact, all things considered, I may have to say that the Dell Chromebook seems like the best contender for an educational setting.  It feels more solid than any other Chromebook; it is faster than most other Chromebooks; and it is as responsive and smooth with the same capabilities as the other Chromebooks.

Leyden at ICE 2014

Here is the schedule of ICE 2014 presentations by Leyden teachers and administrators:

WORKSHOP

• Thursday, February 27
• 10:00 am - 12:30 pm
  How to Build a Student Run 1:1 Help Desk
  by Tony Pecucci and Lauren Martire

BREAKOUTS SESSIONS

• Thursday, February 27
• 10:00 am - Salon I
  Empower Your Students Through 1:1 Access
  by Digital Principal of the Year, Jason Markey and a few special guests
• 11:00 am - Salon I
  Who is Telling Your Story?
  by Digital Principal of the Year, Jason Markey
• 1:00 pm - Exhibit Hall Spotlight Stage
  Empower Your Students Through 1:1 Access (repeat of 10:00 am session)
  by Digital Principal of the Year, Jason Markey and a few special guests
• 1:00 pm - Ruby
  A Panel Discussion: Examining Different Approaches to 1:1 Initiatives
  Leyden's Director of Technology, Bryan Weinert, will be a member of the panel
• Friday, February 28
• 12:45 pm - Salon III
  Using Web-Based Resources to Enhance Digital Education
  by Chuck Skrabacz and Andrew Sharos

Student Reviews of the Acer C720P Touchscreen Chromebook

Once again, I have asked the same two Leyden students to review another new Chromebook model.  This time it's the Acer C720P touchscreen.  This is the fourth new Chromebook they've used as their primary device for one week and then written up a review.  Here are their previous reviews:  HP 11, HP 14, and Acer C720.  Hopefully, by the end of February, we will have a plan in place to begin replacing our current fleet of Samsung Series 5 Chromebooks.  I hope you enjoy these reviews and stay tuned for a review of the new Dell Chromebook in a week or so.  We just got them in yesterday!

Student 1 - An East Leyden Junior

My name is Bryn and I am a Junior at East Leyden High School.  I am also a first year student in the Technical Support Internship course.  In total, I have been able to test 4 new Chromebook models in an educational setting.  The opportunity was granted by Mr. Jason Markey, East Leyden’s Principal, and Mr. Bryan Weinert, the Director of Technology.

This week I tested the Acer C720P Touchscreen Chromebook.  This Chromebook has all the same specs as the Acer C720 I previously tested (click here to read my review on the Acer C720).  The only difference is the addition of a touch display.  

Since I addressed the loading time, keyboard/trackpad performance, screen, and ports of the Acer C720 in my previous post, I will use this post to address the boot time, touch display, audio capabilities and battery life of the Acer C720P.

According to Acer, the C720P has a 7 second boot up time.  I found this to be true.  The device was very quick to boot.  This 7 seconds is quicker than the Samsung Series 5 boot time of 10 seconds.  Although I mentioned web site loading time in my previous post of the Acer C720, I did want to emphasize that the loading time of this device compared to the Samsung is significant.  I found this particularly true when trying to access multimedia sites.

This is the first Chromebook I have tested that has a touch display.  It is a rather fun addition.  The touch display is precise to the touch and in most cases, I preferred using it over the trackpad.  For me, the best part of the touch screen is that I can drag the screen right or left to access previously loaded pages.  There were times, though, when the page would freeze when sliding left or right.  Overall, I believe I was able to work more quickly due to the touch display.  Due to this, I believe it could be very helpful in an educational setting.     

While the Samsung’s volume is incredibly low in both strength and sound, the Acer C720P Chromebook bypasses the Samsung with ease.  In fact, many students commented on the volume of the music I played when using the speakers or my headphones.  I definitely approve of the sound quality and strength.

The biggest downfall of the Acer C720P is the battery life.  According to Acer, the battery life is “up to 7.5 hours”.  Unfortunately for me, my Chromebook never made it to the 7.5 hour mark.  The Chromebook died before getting to last period (approx 6 hours) on all days that I was using it.  The fact is that many students use the Chromebook for non-school related purposes (ex. using YouTube to listen to music) and have multiple pages open at all times during the day.  This is a serious blow to the device when it comes to using it in a 1:1 computing environment as it may require students to bring their charger to school and possibly charge during class.  On the bright side, the recharge time was very quick.

Overall, I believe the Acer C720P is a good Chromebook for personal use and the addition of the touch screen adds an element of fun.  However, I would not recommend it for use in schools due to its limited battery life.

Student 2 - A West Leyden Senior

For the fourth time, I received a new Chromebook model to try out and review.  This time it was an Acer C720P, essentially a C720 with a touchscreen.  The color, materials, weight, size, and overall appearance were the same as the C720.  They are both dark gray aluminum, weigh lightly, and operate impressively fast.  They both have the same ports (USB, HDMI, SD), vents, and general specs.

I already covered the C720 a little more specifically in a previous review.  The focus and highlight of this C720P Chromebook was its touchscreen.  It was a nice glossy 11” HD screen, which looked better than the screen on the C720.

As soon as I saw this Chromebook, I tried thinking of cool, productive applications or programs to use with a touchscreen.  It did not come with a stylus pen, unfortunately, so I had to use the touchscreen with my finger.  It was pretty accurate, but I had to get accustomed to precisely executing maneuvers in order to write and select on the screen.

I looked in the Chrome store for applications that could be useful, and I came across Sketchpad 3.3.  This application allows the user to draw on the screen.  The problem with it was that it had a very limited canvas.  It was also kind of glitchy when I drew using certain tools.  I tried using this app as scratch paper for classes like math, and it worked okay that way.

Another application I used was express.smarttech.com.  It is a very simplified version of SmartBoard Tools.  The user can add multiple pages, kind of like adding slides in a PowerPoint, and draw on each of them.  I used this once in AP Calculus, but it was difficult to write and take notes quickly.  I resorted to regular pen and paper the next day.

As I mentioned, the real highlight of this Chromebook compared to others is its touchscreen.  I would anticipate problems with this feature because it would give our Tech Support class a new problem to deal with.  I do not know how hard the process of troubleshooting and replacing a touchscreen is, but I cannot find any settings that could provide a starting point within the OS.  I also tried a few stylus pens on the screen, but they did not work.  The idea of reducing paper consumption would work great with a device like the Acer C720P, but it needs to be at least as easy as using pen/pencil and paper, and from my experience, it was not.

I would choose this model over the plain Acer C720, but I would need to see better functionality and accompaniment for a touchscreen on a Chromebook.