As more schools have incorporated 1-to-1 technology into their classrooms in the wake of COVID-19, Chromebooks have become the preferred laptop for many school districts. While Chromebooks help to optimize organization and student collaboration in the classroom, many K-12 IT teams have suddenly been tasked with maintaining fleets of thousands of devices. Keeping all devices up and running is essential for both individual student learning outcomes and the success of whole classrooms. Thankfully, all Chromebooks are compatible with the Google Admin console. Through the Admin console, IT professionals can easily manage devices across schools, classrooms, and grade levels.
How Google Admin Console helps K-12 IT teams manage their district’s devices
There is no easy way to execute manual enrollment for every device in a school, and certainly not for an entire district. Google Admin console comes with a zero-touch enrollment feature that can deploy thousands of devices remotely at the same time. Once a Chromebook device is turned on and connected to Wi-Fi, it will automatically register to the student’s domain. This is especially helpful when you have remote or hybrid learners, small tech teams, or multiple schools spread out over a wide geographic area.
If a school Chromebook goes down, a student could be left unable to participate in class or a teacher may no longer have access to their assignments or teaching materials. That’s why K-12 IT teams need to be able to diagnose and resolve issues quickly and accurately. Google Admin console provides administrators access to detailed metadata for each device including the model, what version of Chrome OS the device is currently running, last login date, and information about the device’s firmware. With this data, team members can more efficiently provide technical support and ensure students can complete their classwork.
As with any large fleet of technology, data and device security is a big concern with school-issued computers. Because school devices store information about minors, it can be especially dangerous if that information falls into the wrong hands. Google Admin Console has a number of ways to mitigate these risks. If a Chromebook is lost or stolen, the IT team can remotely lock or disable it. Within the console, one Super Administrator, such as the IT lead for the entire district or school, can manage all other team members’ permissions. Not only can this feature prevent widespread access to sensitive student information, but with custom administrator roles available in the console, IT teams can more effectively distribute management tasks across team members.
Technology of any kind can be a big investment for schools, and they need to ensure that students are using it appropriately. The Google Admin console includes a devices audit log that regularly records any changes to district devices. If a student attempts to add additional accounts or make other unauthorized changes to their device, the IT team will be alerted via an instant notification.
Chromebooks don’t just help students learn more effectively; they help IT teams support student learning by providing a comprehensive built-in management platform.
