This is the first year of the Chromebook Rollout program in the high schools in this district. It allows for students to take home their chromebooks and have responsibility over them for the school year. Students are expected to return their chromebooks at the end of the year and receive the same one again for the next school year, with the exception for seniors, who will have the option of purchasing theirs for $120 at the end of the term. As the self-proclaimed “chromebook guy,” I feel like it’s my duty to also express my opinions on the matter as I took part in its promotion. 

Yea, that was me in the commercial featuring both East and High kids explaining the Rollout.

The Chromebook Rollout is a great idea and the students are extremely fortunate to have access to this technology. However, it could’ve been handled better as the restrictions placed on the device are too extreme and make using the chromebooks difficult.

My biggest problem with the chromebook restrictions is the chrome extension GoGuardian. It’s software that is programed to keep students safe on the internet by blocking certain websites and specific videos. My problem with this is that the websites blocked are not always needed to be blocked. For example, logging onto non wylie google accounts is not blocked on the school computers and can be accessed with other devices even if they are connected to the school wifi. However, thanks to GoGuardian its blocked on the chromebooks. It’s illogical for students to be allowed to access their personal accounts on the school’s computers but not on their personal chromebooks. GoGuardian blocking websites that don’t need to be blocked makes the experience with the chromebook all the more frustrating. 

A problem that also results with the silly restrictions of GoGuardian is that it prones students to bypass it, making the district’s efforts meaningless. Similar to the saying, “Strict parents create sneaky kids,” if students are presented with an obstacle that prevents them from doing what they want, they’re going to try and get past it. Which makes the whole process more complicated for the district, and then no one is happy.

The handling of the Chromebook Rollout created problems for both students and themselves. If they had more trust in the students and loosened their restrictions, most problems associated with the chromebooks and their usage would be eliminated.