10 Rules Students & Teachers Should Follow When Using Chromebooks.

Some teachers who are new to Chromebooks are rushing to put them into their classes without the thought of rules and procedures for their use. Classroom protocols that students should follow when using Chromebooks in the classroom should include:

1. No Food and Drink: Absolutely, under no circumstances, should there be food or drink around the Chromebook. We’ve all seen it, a spilled drink or crumbs on the keyboard. Or, a student opens up their Chromebook to find the keys covered in Cheetos powder.

2. Do Not Alter the Chromebook: How might a student alter their Chromebook you ask? Well, one of the popular ways for a student to alter their Chromebook is to change the language settings much to the dismay of other students who use the Chromebook. Another way students can alter their Chromebook is through the wallpaper. Much to their shock and surprise, a student opens their Chromebook to find a bizarre wallpaper or even offensive wallpaper staring them in the face.

3. Charge Those Chromebooks: Few things are worse than a student opening up their Chromebook to find there is no juice. Make sure the Chromebooks are plugged in and charging at the conclusion of their use. And, I’ll take it one step further, make sure the Chromebook cart is plugged in. It’s a tragedy when you plan on using the Chromebooks only to find that they are very low on power.

4. Assign Chromebooks: If you have five classes, there should only be five logins for one Chromebook. That way, if there is an issue with a Chromebook, you can narrow down who might be responsible.

5. Make Sure All Chromebooks Accounted For: Counting 29 Chromebooks when you should have 30 is a terrible feeling. Make sure it doesn’t happen to you. Before the students leave, make sure you’ve accounted for all of your Chromebooks.

6. Use Chromebooks While Sitting and on a Flat Surface: Don’t let the students use the Chromebooks while they are balancing on a a pile of books or teetering on the side of a desk. Using the Chromebook while standing is inviting disaster — someone bumps into the person with the Chromebook sending falling to the floor only to crack the screen.

7. Don’t Let Those Chromebooks Leave: Don’t let students use the Chromebooks outside of the classroom or let students borrow them, promising they’ll return them before the end of the period. They become too difficult to account for if you let them leave your class.

8. Know What Your Students Are Doing: There are apps that some districts are putting on their Chromebooks to allow teachers to see exactly what their students are doing. And, one of the benefits of using Google tools such as Docs and Slides is that you can see what the students are working on. Even so, make sure you have access to each of your students screens. The ideal seating arrangement would be for you to be able to look up from the back of the room and see each of your students screens.

9. No Personal Web Surfing: Letting the students wonder not only distracts them from getting their work done, but distracts the students around them. Make sure the students are using those tools needed for the assignment.

10. Don’t Decorate That Chromebook: We see them all the time, a laptop covered in stickers. But the difference is that those laptops belong to those people. Advise students that putting stickers on the Chromebook is a no no. Because before you know it, the laptop is covered in stickers, some of which may be inappropriate.