Hardware

Students in Lynne Martin's 5th grade class study math using Chromebooks at Markham Elementary School in Oakland, Calif. on Sept. 5, 2019.
Students in Lynne Martin's 5th grade class study math using Chromebooks at Markham Elementary School in Oakland, Calif. on Sept. 5, 2019. The least trend affecting schools is prompting students to set their Chromebooks on fire, which can lead to damage, fines, and even criminal charges.
Paul Chinn/San Francisco Chronicle via AP
Classroom Technology Exploding Chromebooks? How to Counter the Latest TikTok Trend
The social media challenge has kids damaging school-issued devices.
Jennifer Vilcarino, May 21, 2025
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4 min read
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IT Infrastructure & Management Sponsor ChromeOS Flex Extends Usability of End-of-Life Devices
As school technology budgets face increasing scrutiny, administrators seek innovative and cost-effective solutions for their existing device fleets. ChromeOS Flex has emerged as a powerful problem-solver, offering a way to revitalize aging PCs and Macs by extending their lifespan and bringing the benefits of ChromeOS to familiar hardware.
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Tightly cropped photo of a group of students sitting at their desks in the classroom using laptops.
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Classroom Technology From Our Research Center Who Pays for Repairs to Students’ School-Issued Devices?
Providing every student with a school-issued device has become commonplace in K-12 schools, but it's costly to maintain.
Lauraine Langreo, January 27, 2025
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2 min read
Art and technology teacher Jenny O'Sullivan, right, shows students a video they made, April 15, 2024, at A.D. Henderson School in Boca Raton, Fla. While many teachers nationally complain their districts dictate textbooks and course work, the South Florida school's administrators allow their staff high levels of classroom creativity...and it works.
Art and technology teacher Jenny O'Sullivan, right, shows students a video they made on April 15, 2024, at A.D. Henderson School in Boca Raton, Fla. After districts equipped every student with a device early in the pandemic, they now face the challenge of recycling or disposing of the technology responsibly.
Wilfredo Lee/AP
IT Infrastructure & Management What Districts Can Do With All Those Old Chromebooks
The Chromebooks and tablets districts bought en masse early in the pandemic are approaching the end of their useful lives.
Caitlynn Peetz, July 16, 2024
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3 min read
Brandon Hernandez works on a puzzle on a tablet before it's his turn to practice reading at an after school program at the Vardaman Family Life Center in Vardaman Miss., on March 3, 2020.
Brandon Hernandez works on a puzzle on a tablet before it's his turn to practice reading at an after-school program at the Vardaman Family Life Center in Vardaman Miss., on March 3, 2020. Districts that acquired devices for every student for the first time during the pandemic are facing decisions about what to do at the end of the devices' useful life.
Thomas Wells/The Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal via AP
IT Infrastructure & Management Aging Chromebooks End Up in the Landfill. Is There an Alternative?
Districts loaded up on devices during the pandemic. What becomes of them as they reach the end of their useful lives?
Caitlynn Peetz, June 24, 2024
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5 min read
Sawyer Wendt, a student intern for the Altoona school district’s IT department, repairs a Chromebook.
Sawyer Wendt, who's been a student intern for the Altoona district's tech department since junior year, is now studying IT software development in college.
Courtesy of Jevin Stangel, IT technician for the Altoona school district
IT Infrastructure & Management One Solution to Maintaining 1-to-1 Devices? Pay Students to Repair Them
Hiring students to help with the repair process is one way school districts are ensuring the sustainability of their 1-to-1 programs.
Lauraine Langreo, December 19, 2023
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4 min read
Photo of teacher working with student on laptop computer.
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IT Infrastructure & Management Schools Get Relief on Chromebook Replacements. Google Extends Device Support to 10 Years
Schools have typically had to replace Chromebooks every three to five years.
Alyson Klein, September 21, 2023
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4 min read
070523 middle school genius bar 01 BS
Students help repair laptops and work in the school library as part of the "Genius Bar," an IT help desk modeled on an Apple computer concept that is used at Anne M. Dorner Middle School near New York City.
Photo courtesy of Elizabeth Blye
Classroom Technology A Student-Staffed 'Genius Bar': Why It's Working for This Middle School
Starting a "Genius Bar" helped a suburban New York City school teach tech skills and support students' social-emotional needs.
Alyson Klein, July 5, 2023
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4 min read
Illustration of a broken laptop.
Uniquepixel/iStock/Getty + Laura Baker/EdWeek
Classroom Technology Chromebooks’ 'Short' Lifespan Costs Schools Billions of Dollars, Report Finds
Doubling the lifespan of Chromebooks would save schools $1.8 billion, a U.S. PIRG Education Fund report estimates.
Lauraine Langreo, April 26, 2023
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4 min read
A multi-ethnic group of elementary age children are in the computer lab using laptops. A little boy is watching a video and is listening to music.
FatCamera/Getty
IT Infrastructure & Management Why Schools Struggle to Keep Track of Students' Laptops
Districts should be tracking their technology assets as much as they can, but it's easier said than done, experts say.
Lauraine Langreo, April 17, 2023
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4 min read
Students using computers.
E+/Getty
Classroom Technology 5 Big Technology Challenges Teachers and Administrators Will Face This School Year
Grappling with cybersecurity and what to do with all those new devices are big ones.
Alyson Klein, August 26, 2022
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5 min read
Classroom Technology Reports Laptops and Learning: 5 Trends in 5 Charts
This report from the EdWeek Research Center highlights five key findings from a survey about 1-to-1 computing.
July 27, 2022
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Illustration by F. Sheehan/Education Week (Images: iStock/Getty and E+)
Special Report Laptops & Learning: How Technology Is Giving K-12 Education a New Look
Education Week examines the massive expansion in the use of laptops and digital curricula in K-12 and what it means for student learning. 
May 17, 2022
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