Chrome will bring about the ICT revolution in schools

[somabc]

Google Chrome netbooks are being targeted directly at education and for good reason. Initial press reactions to the Chrome-book are enthusiastic ... with two caveats. These are: ‘it’s a bit expensive for an empty book isn’t it?’ and ‘great concept … maybe too soon?’.

 

Nonsense, the Chrome books will save education an absolute fortune and render existing ICT models obsolete: here’s why.

 

The complicated bit: renting not buying.

 

School ICT write-down costs are done on a 5 year cycle, or should be. So, given a stock initial capital valuation of £100,000 that would represent about £20,000 per year depreciation. Of course historically few schools budget ICT this way and now have a shed load of near obsolete kit with running XP with no capital to replace it but needing an army of technicians to keep it going.

 

Google may have found the solution by offering a rent deal on their net-books. It all depends on the final monthly price offered to education (what price a generation of Chrome lovers?) and how long you have to pay before you get it to own it whether or not this is going to work.

 

But even so, taken in the round moving to rented netbooks should save enough per year to rent quite a few and at the same time free schools of the awful burden of maintaining let alone replacing complex ICT inventories.

 

I estimate real TCO reductions are in the order of £70k for a school of a thousand pupils.

 

My calculations tell me that, if Google can do this, a £11 per month rent and 18 months to ownership would enable schools to change to a sustainable, simpler and better way of computing.

 

Chrome will bring about the ICT revolution in schools. - Spannerman's Edublog

[CAM]

For curriculum systems, maybe. If the education sector is capable of providing support instead of slapping CD-ROM''s dating back to Windows 98 on subject leader;s desks.

 

For admins and teaching staff, still got to stick with the Win 7/Office 2010 combo to support the MIS.

[dhicks]

For admins and teaching staff, still got to stick with the Win 7/Office 2010 combo to support the MIS.

 

Fortunatly, Google seem to have realised that there'll need to be a transition period where everyone still has a bunch of crusty old Windows-only stuff that they need to run, so it looks like Chrome OS will include a Citrix client. That might be a corporate/education only version of Chrome OS, and I don't know if they'll also include a plain (and cheaper to implement) RDP client.

[teejay]

The rental is ongoing, it doesn't finish after 18 months, but it does include hardware upgrades, so you have 5 years rental not 18 months to compare like for like. You cannot get rid of MS licensing completely as you'll need to connect to a Cirix/RDP farm to run your Windows apps. You also need to seriously look at redundant internet connectivity as all your data will be in the cloud. You've also got to consider the apps which won't run through Citrix/TS so your going to need some PC's as well. You will still need technicians, they are still computers and will break, plus you'll need someone to shout at each time the cloud service breaks.

It's a nice idea, but the supposed TCO he is quoting is fantasy, in fact I can quite easily see a higher TCO than traditional PC's.

[dhicks]

The rental is ongoing, it doesn't finish after 18 months, but it does include hardware upgrades, so you have 5 years rental not 18 months to compare like for like.

 

So you get new laptops every 18 months?

 

You cannot get rid of MS licensing completely as you'll need to connect to a Cirix/RDP farm to run your Windows apps.

 

Initially, yes, but I reckon you can phase that out in the next 3 to 5 years. Don't forget there's the CALs cost for each client authenticating against Active Directory, too - there'll be a fee to pay for each device, whether it's connecting to a remote desktop server or not.

 

You also need to seriously look at redundant internet connectivity as all your data will be in the cloud.

 

I think the idea is that Chrome OS is designed to be able to locally cache data in some way, via Google Gears or a similar mechanism. I await the actual devices to see how much Google Docs, etc, are integrated into the OS - as a school or corporate customer, I think we'd prefer to keep our data on our own local servers and ignore Google's offerings if possible.

 

You've also got to consider the apps which won't run through Citrix/TS so your going to need some PC's as well.

 

I thought with the new server-side graphics cards it was possible to run video/3D applications over RDP? Expensive, perhapse, but probably worth it if you can cut down on the support needed.

[Arthur]

So you get new laptops every 18 months?

I think what TeeJay meant was that you don't get to keep the ChromeBook's after 18 months - the rental period is actually 3 years. Once the three years is up you either give them back to Google and end the contract or sign up for another 3 years (and get brand new ChromeBooks - which is what the hardware auto-updates in the slide below refers to).

 

 

How many schools would be willing to pay ~£792 (£11 * 72) over six years for each ChromeBook/Box when they could get Windows laptops for the same price (or cheaper) and continue running all the software that they currently use today?

[SYNACK]

Oh goodie, another 'this will solve everything' thread, that always works out. I do however like how the chromebooks are helping me prove my point to the thickwits here in NZ.

 

NZ MoE neanderthols: Oh the cloud will solve everything, we can just put all the nasty complicated stuff that requires half a brain on teh interwebz thingy my nephew was talking about.

Chromebook suppliers: We are not releasing any Chromebooks in NZ at all because your internet infrastructure is too infantile to handle it and it would make us and the service look bad. Data caps, data rates, reliability etc.

 

It really does help prove my point that the clueless cloud boffins here in NZ are currently barking up the wrong tree, at least until we get the propper infrastructure to actually support it and that does not include schools running off single ADSL lines.

[spannerman2]

For admins and teaching staff, still got to stick with the Win 7/Office 2010 combo to support the MIS.

 

Yeh, there you're right the MIS lockin is total, almost a crime in my opinion...just when does the obligation expire..never?

[spannerman2]

It's a nice idea, but the supposed TCO he is quoting is fantasy, in fact I can quite easily see a higher TCO than traditional PC's.

 

You just can not say that any change means that it will simply cost more...the logical corollary of this (oft repeated) assertion about any change is that the only 'solution' is a tweak of the status quo...sorry you of course CAN keep saying just that but fewer are listenng.

[spannerman2]

Forget the rent period and price as is now. The easiest thing in the world for a mega corp is to pitch the price right..my post suggested the right price not the press quoted prices..we all know that the likes of Google and Microsoft for that matter could give it away free to education if they wanted to..and they just might

[AngryTechnician]

You're right, if they did it for that sort of money it would be a great deal. I for one am extremely interested to see how this pans out. Unfortunately, Google have announced the pricing for Europe, and it's the same for Business and Education: €21/month for the cheapest model. At current exchange rates that's nearly £18.50/month.

 

Saying we can forget the current pricing is no different to saying we can forget Microsoft's current pricing. Yes, we like to dream, but that doesn't change reality. Personally, I hope it does get cheaper, but I don't think Google will drop it significantly. Indeed, recent moves indicate they are actually tightening up on the freebies.

[spannerman2]

You're right, if they did it for that sort of money it would be a great deal. I for one am extremely interested to see how this pans out. Unfortunately, Google have announced the pricing for Europe, and it's the same for Business and Education: €21/month for the cheapest model. At current exchange rates that's nearly £18.50/month.

 

tightening up on the freebies.

 

 

You may be right and at the price you say I think it's too much to make th echanges happen..but the edu prize is such a big one maybe with gov help?

[dhicks]

You may be right and at the price you say I think it's too much to make th echanges happen..but the edu prize is such a big one maybe with gov help?

 

Or just good, old-fashioned competition - there's nothing stopping another company providing Chrome/whatever OS laptops for £10 each a month if they think that's what they can do them for.

[AngryTechnician]

the edu prize is such a big one maybe with gov help?

Given the amount of money our current government has slashed from school IT, and school budgets in general, I'm not going to hold my breath on that one.

[somabc]

Just got a message from the Editor at IDG telling me off for quoting the article . . unusual!

[CyberNerd]

Just got a message from the Editor at IDG telling me off for quoting the article . . unusual!

 

They must have decided their own article was a load of bobbins

[AngryTechnician]

I'm sure their advertisers won't mind if you don't send any more traffic their way.

[teejay]

Just to respond to some of spannermans comments:

Forget the rent period and price as is now. The easiest thing in the world for a mega corp is to pitch the price right..my post suggested the right price not the press quoted prices..we all know that the likes of Google and Microsoft for that matter could give it away free to education if they wanted to..and they just might

No it's not, you are forgetting that to make hardware the company has to pay someone to physically manufacture the devices. Are you suggesting just for the UK Google are going to write off £200 million to provide education chrome netbooks? The can do it with software as there are just costs involved in development/support/distribution, not high per unit costs.

 

You just can not say that any change means that it will simply cost more...the logical corollary of this (oft repeated) assertion about any change is that the only 'solution' is a tweak of the status quo...sorry you of course CAN keep saying just that but fewer are listenng.

No, the change has to be costed properly, within budget and of a benefit to drive eductaion forward within the school. We do absolutely loads of innovative stuff with IT within our school, some using open source, some using the cloud, some using proprietory software, some using mobile devices etc etc. We COULD rip all this out, buy in chromebooks and have a very limited vision of IT use based around some web apps and Googles corporate cloud, but that just limits our flexibility and choisce for students/teachers. Our vision encompasses a broad range of IT experiences, we don't want to limit it to any single corporates vision of IT, be that Apple, Google, Microsoft, that's not what education should be about.

 

 

You may be right and at the price you say I think it's too much to make th echanges happen..but the edu prize is such a big one maybe with gov help?

Maybe in the past under Labour in the boom years if Google made a few contributions to party funds...

[sted]

can you store a local version your cloud as im not sure id be happy storing potentially sensative data somewhere i have no control over (if sony can be hacked it can happen to google) it would also mean it should be quicker to access stuff

[dave.81]

I dont think the current "business" model is right for education IT. I think ipads/chomebooks/whateverthenextoneis is a more forward thinking model that is more suited. Are the current offerings the answer, who knows only time will tell. I'd be very interested in getting my hands on one when it comes out. We used very very little software that isn't already browser based, you'd never dream of replacing the Media suite with these so specialist software is removed from the argument.

 

Will Google create an ICT revolution, doubt it, will Apple create an ICT revolution, doubt it.... but i do believe ICT in schools needs to change, what to is the question!

 

Sted... if Sony can be hacked so can you. The idea that data held in the cloud is less secure than being held onsite i find amazing. Are your security systems better than Sony, Google or any other company you wish to name? Yes higher profile but not less secure.

 

Infrastructure is obviously key to this and i do not believe for 1 moment that it is in place here or in the majority of schools.

 

Well thats my thoughts anyway...

[sted]

Sted... if Sony can be hacked so can you. The idea that data held in the cloud is less secure than being held onsite i find amazing. Are your security systems better than Sony, Google or any other company you wish to name? Yes higher profile but not less secure.

 

 

point taken but id wager its more worth someones time to hack google than find a school system and hack it

[dave.81]

point taken but id wager its more worth someones time to hack google than find a school system and hack it

 

Oh i completely agree, a large company is a more interesting target for someone to hack over us small schools, but i dont think the system i have in school is in the same league when it comes to how secure it is.

[SYNACK]

Sted... if Sony can be hacked so can you. The idea that data held in the cloud is less secure than being held onsite i find amazing. Are your security systems better than Sony, Google or any other company you wish to name? Yes higher profile but not less secure.

 

Infrastructure is obviously key to this and i do not believe for 1 moment that it is in place here or in the majority of schools.

 

Well thats my thoughts anyway...

 

Sony made idiot decisions like using three year old versions of web server software, something that can easily be bettered locally. I do find the contention that computers are secure absurd though, just look at the pawn to own competiton and how the supposedly secure Apple system was the first to be hacked each time for the last several years. It is largely not about what has an open door to exploitation and does is not, it is about who is knocking on those doors and the skilled types are likely to be knocking on much bigger and shinier doors than the skoady 15 year old door of some random school.

 

The cloud is still an undefined risk, just look at the Amazon outage, it is not some sort of IT perfection, its just another system.

[dave.81]

Anything connected to the internet is in-secure. I've not got mis-givings about that.

[localzuk]

I just don't see how these will be useful to a school at the moment. Ok, if you are a *big* school, then you may find some use for them, but if you're a smaller school (say, up to 600 kids), then they make no sense.

 

As I've said before, we have various pieces of software which place demands on what we provide.

 

DT: Systems and control

Art: Photoshop

ICT: Dreamweaver/Fireworks, Audacity.

English/French: USB microphones

 

The list goes on. Each department doesn't have its own ICT provision, they make use of the shared suites we have. So, the machines have to be capable of doing all the specialist stuff, as well as the 'web based' or 'office' stuff.

 

These sort of machines would mean we'd have to maintain a stock of machines for all the existing stuff, and also maintain these machines too. Just not feasible.