Chromebooks
What are Chromebooks?
A Chromebook is a laptop computer running ChromeOS as its operating system. Its core software is the Google Chrome browser and is designed for web browsing as its primary function. As such Chromebooks are designed to work with Internet access, and will only function minimally without a connection.
Chromebooks are emerging as a popular technology in CEDP schools, as a cost-effective alternative to Mac or Windows laptops (at roughly one-third of the cost). Integration with CEDP's Google Apps deployment allows devices to be centrally managed, enabling app deployment and change of settings without the need to physically access the device.
The primary consideration when looking to incorporate Chromebooks in a school is network capability. A constant connection is required for the devices to function correctly, and the decision to purchase Chromebooks should be made only after analysing the site's network performance.
BYOD Chromebooks and personal accounts
All BYOD Chromebooks need to be enrolled onto our network, please find the guide here.
CEDP recommend that parents purchase Chromebooks from our preferred suppliers, this is to ensure the device complies with the minimum device specification as well as the Chromebook Management License that is needed during enrolment. However, parents are not restricted to our preferred suppliers, they can purchase a Chromebook from any shop as long as it meets CEDP's device specifications and the requirements in the Technology Life Cycle. Schools will then need to purchase a license for this device or have the parents purchase a license from one of our preferred suppliers. Schools can purchase this on the parents' behalf and charge them for this license.
CEDP can allow personal accounts to work on BYOD Chromebooks. Please be aware that this will allow students to sign into any account throughout the school day. The student's device must be enrolled.
To have a Chromebook's settings changed to allow personal accounts please log a ticket into ServiceNow with the following information:
School
Chromebook Serial Number/s
If this is the first time the school is requesting this, Principal approval must be provided. This approval will need to be obtained each year if new devices are added.
How do I use it?
Device Enrolment
Please follow the guide that can be found on the Device Registration page.
General Use
For general use of Chromebooks, please see in the Links section Chromebook Help Center. This page provides a variety of instructional documentation from Google on how to use the basic and advanced features of Chromebooks. However, it is important to keep in mind that some features may behave differently from what is shown, due to CEDP's enterprise management of devices for education (e.g. limiting social media features).
While at schools, Chromebooks should connect to the CEDP EdNet wireless network. They may not function as expected on other CEDP networks.
CEDP does not currently support Google Cloud Print over the network.
If you continue to receive this error message after wiping the device, or if you receive a different error message, please contact the ICT Service Desk for Account Verification error
If a user has never previously accessed their Gogle account via Gmail, two-step verification can cause issues when a user attempts to log into a Chromebook by generating a verification error or requesting a mobile number. To prevent this, log the user into their Google account on another device and accept the usage prompts that appear on first login.
Other Issues
Please create a ServiceNow log for support if you experience any Chromebook issues not covered above.