Chromebooks Edging Out iPads in the Classroom

Perhaps the biggest trend in K-12 ed tech right now is the movement toward providing students with tablets and/or laptops for use in their schoolwork. Many of Houston’s best private schools provide this technology for their students, and under HISD’s PowerUp Initiative, Windows laptops will be made available on a one-to-one basis for all high school students in the district.

When the trend started, the most commonly used product was the iPad – less expensive and more portable than the average laptop. But recent data shows that Google’s Chromebook – a small laptop with limited, streamlined features – has begun to outsell iPads in the K-12 market for the first time. The Chromebook rivals the iPad in size and portability and has many of the same features, and on average, the Chromebook is significantly less costly.

While it has already been determined that the PowerUp Initiative will not involve Chromebooks, some of Houston’s private schools are likely to consider Chromebooks when updating their one-to-one technology offerings.

You can read more about the ascendancy of the Chromebook at Education Week.

Feature image courtesy of bgr.com.