Chromebook Offer

Hi Team,

We'd like to offer parents and caregivers an opportunity to get in on a bulk order we're doing on two models of Chromebook.

We see Chromebooks as our "workhorse" device around school - they are quick to log-in (about 10 seconds), they have a long lasting battery, built in anti-virus and non-intrusive updating. They run on Chrome OS, which takes advantage of web services and applications. Chrome OS is not a traditional operating system (ie, you cannot instal Windows / Mac software), but does everything we need at school and beyond - word processing, presentations, spreadsheets, online photo and video editing etc. Chrome OS lives in the cloud and the web, and if you find yourself spending the bulk of your computer time online in a browser like myself, this could be the device for you - it certainly is for the things we want to be doing at school. For the things it can't do yet (programming / coding, HD video editing etc) we still have high-powered desktops available at school for use.

Please visit this link if you'd like a bit more in-depth information on Chromebooks.

The two models we have on order currently are:

Samsung Series 3 ($475)
Acer C720 ($455)

The Acers should be coming through in the next few days. We've got 2 units available of those. The Samsungs are scheduled for mid-December (the supplier said "hopefully"), and we've got 4 available units of those.

We can make another bulk purchase at the start of Term 1, 2014 if there is enough interest.

A few notes:

• Students can bring their Chromebooks to school to use in the learning programme, but it must be named!
• As a part of accepting this offer, the Chrombook will come with a "management console". This allows me to supervise all aspects of the device, push out apps and extensions useful in class, and set certain policies. This requires me to open the box, enrol the device, then re-package. The management console can be removed when moving schools.

So, if you're happy with all that or have any other questions, get in touch with me and we can go from there.

Thanks,

Matt (matt@amesbury.school.nz)