By CTL and LogicWing

For the last decade, schools have focused on outfitting students with Chromebooks to deliver digital equity in learning. Some teachers have maintained their Windows or Mac machines. However, the newest Chromebook Plus devices now offer a viable alternative to these heritage machines used by teachers. 

While traditional Windows-based laptops and Macs have been a mainstay for teachers in many schools, now is the time to transition teachers to Chromebooks. Making the switch this year offers several distinct advantages:

1. End of Windows 10 Support and Rising Costs

Microsoft's impending sunset of Windows 10 support signals a significant shift. This means:

• Increased vulnerability. Continued use of Windows 10 will leave your school exposed to security threats and vulnerabilities, potentially compromising sensitive student data.
• Soaring maintenance costs.  Patching and fixing older Windows systems will become increasingly expensive and time-consuming, draining valuable IT resources.
• Uncertainties. The official support parameters and costs associated with the Microsoft Extended Security Updates (ESU) program for Windows 10 is unclear at this time.

Chromebooks, on the other hand, receive automatic updates directly from Google, ensuring robust security and eliminating the need for costly and time-consuming manual updates.

2. Empower Educators with AI Tools

Modern education demands the integration of cutting-edge technology. Chromebook Plus devices offer both native AI tools for teachers and seamlessly integrate with a wide array of AI-powered tools that can revolutionize teaching and learning. Here are the AI tools that are specifically beneficial for teachers:  

• Gemini. This powerful AI assistant can help with various tasks, such as:
  • Creating lesson plans. Generate ideas, draft outlines, and even write parts of lesson plans.  
  • Developing engaging activities. Brainstorm interactive exercises, games, and projects.  
  • Summarizing research articles. Quickly understand key findings from educational research papers.  
  • Creating personalized learning experiences. Tailor lessons and activities to individual student needs.  
    
    
• Help me write. This feature can assist with:
  • Writing emails and communications. Compose professional emails to parents, colleagues, and administrators.  
  • Drafting assignments and assessments. Create clear and concise instructions for students.  
  • Generating creative writing prompts. Inspire student creativity with unique writing challenges.
    
    
• Help me read. This tool can help teachers:
  • Quickly summarize educational articles and research papers.
  • Analyze complex texts and identify key concepts.
  • Prepare for professional development by quickly understanding key takeaways from presentations and workshops.
    
    
• NotebookLM. This AI research assistant can help teachers:
  • Summarize and analyze educational resources.  
  • Generate discussion questions and study guides.  
  • Create quizzes and assessments based on course materials.  
  • Create inventive content such as podcasts to expand the way students learn.
    
    
• Google Workspace for Education. The apps included here offer several AI enhancements for teacher use: 
  • Gmail. AI-powered features like Smart Compose and Smart Reply can help teachers save time on email communication.  
  • Google Docs. AI-powered features like Grammarly and suggestions can help teachers improve their writing.  
  • Google Slides. AI-powered features can help teachers create visually appealing presentations.  

It’s important to note that features like “Help Me Read” and “Help Me Write” are only available on Chromebook Plus devices. However, standard Chromebooks still have access to other helpful accessibility features like:

• Select-to-speak. This allows you to highlight text on a page and have it read aloud.
• ChromeVox. This is a built-in screen reader that can read aloud all the content on a page.

While these features don't offer the same AI-powered summarization as "Help Me Read," they can still be valuable tools for students and teachers who need support with reading or accessing digital content.

3. Bring the Power of the New Google Classroom to Teachers

Google Classroom already provides AI-powered features to help teachers automate tasks, such as grading and providing feedback. But Google is bringing it to a whole new level in 2025, as announced recently in this blog. 

Some of features that are exclusive to Chromebook Plus include Live Translate (real-time translated captions). Live Captions are currently available on all Chromebooks.

Here’s a snippet from the Google's blog post:

Streamlined class management tools for educators

1.We're making classroom management smoother with Class tools, coming to Chromebooks with Google Workspace for Education Plus. Class tools are like a remote control for Chromebooks in your classroom, helping educators keep students on task. Educators can share content directly to student screens, check their progress by viewing their screens remotely, share exemplary student work with the whole class, and use live translated captions for students who need them — all in real time.

2.We’re also adding new Google Classroom features that will allow educators to easily group students for differentiated assignments and grade assignments more efficiently.

4. Chromebooks Are Lower Cost Teacher Devices

The end of ESSER funding necessitates a careful examination of educational expenditures. Chromebooks are the most cost-effective solution available right now for teachers:

• Lower initial investment. Chromebooks typically have a lower upfront cost compared to Windows laptops.

• Save on fewer required specs. With most of the daily tasks in the cloud, teachers no longer need a high-powered i7 or equivalent machine.  With enough RAM such as the 16 MB included in CTL’s Chromebook Plus, they can easily power through the day.

• Reduced IT costs. Automatic updates and simplified management significantly reduce IT support overhead.

• Longer lifespan. Chromebooks boast a longer lifespan, maximizing your investment and minimizing the need for frequent replacements.

By switching to Chromebooks, schools can stretch their budgets further, ensuring that resources are allocated effectively to support student learning.

These features significantly reduce the burden on IT staff, freeing up valuable time and resources for other critical tasks.

5. And Finally, Gain Tighter School Cybersecurity with Chromebooks for Teachers

Although we probably don’t need to say it, we’re including this point here because cybersecurity at schools is of paramount importance. Every week schools are experiencing breaches in student data privacy or being held hostage by ransomware. The problem is projected to escalate, and by switching teachers to  Chromebook Plus now you’ll gain the inherent protections offered by ChromeOS, which has never been hacked. Chrome OS incorporates strong security features, such as automatic updates and built-in malware protection, to safeguard sensitive student and school data.

Cybersecurity insurance policies for schools are increasingly demanding robust security measures to qualify for coverage and mitigate risk. Key requirements often include strong access controls, regular vulnerability assessments, incident response plans, employee training, multi-factor authentication, data encryption, and privileged access management. Chromebooks have an inherent feature set that checks many of these boxes due to the security-first posture of the ChromeOS.

To fully understand the cybersecurity features offered in ChromeOS, please view our recent webinar, “What’s New with Chromebook Cybersecurity.”

Conclusion

Transitioning to Chromebook Plus for teachers this year offers a compelling solution for schools to embrace the new AI toolsets of the future while successfully navigating the challenges of today’s funding crunch and protecting school data. By switching teachers to Chromebooks this year, IT admins can help educators enhance their teaching practices, improve student outcomes, reduce risk, and maximize their budget effectively.

Learn more about the Chromebook Plus for teachers

Special thanks to LogicWing for their input on this article.