Google Classroom on MacBook Pro?

[ejin222]

For the parents out there.

My children have had bad experiences with the school issue Chromebooks. We were able to borrow one friend's Chromebook in which she's not using but I still have another child who needs a device.

If you have children using a MBP for Google Classroom, is the experience similar to a Chromebook? My daughter is used to the Chromebook experience and I've resisted letting her use my MBP up until now hahah. But I'm just fed up at how terrible these Chromebooks are. Rather than shelling out money on purchasing our own Chromebook and using it only for a year, I would rather have her use my MBP.

So, to parents out there, what have your experiences been like? Thank you.

 

[JosepPont]

I'm not parent but professor who use the platform and a MBP.


No matter if you use an Apple device or another one coz Classroom will run across the web browser so spend much money for that is waste a lot of money (if it is only for Google Classroom).

 

[ejin222]

Ok, as long as it is the same experience. I already have a MBP and I don't want to spend money on a Chromebook laptop that I may use only for a year. Of course, I fear that my daughter will spill something on it, haha, but I have AppleCare anyway.

 

[LinkRS]

For the parents out there.

My children have had bad experiences with the school issue Chromebooks. We were able to borrow one friend's Chromebook in which she's not using but I still have another child who needs a device.

If you have children using a MBP for Google Classroom, is the experience similar to a Chromebook? My daughter is used to the Chromebook experience and I've resisted letting her use my MBP up until now hahah. But I'm just fed up at how terrible these Chromebooks are. Rather than shelling out money on purchasing our own Chromebook and using it only for a year, I would rather have her use my MBP.

So, to parents out there, what have your experiences been like? Thank you.

Hi ejin222,

I am a parent, and we purchased an inexpensive Chromebook for my son when he was in Middle School (grades 6 - 8, he is a Junior now). I think we paid around $280 for it at Best Buy. At the time, he was toting it back and forth from home and school, and we did not want him to have an expensive machine that he might drop. We still have that Chromebook, and although it is a little dinged up (he dropped, it sat on it, you name it LOL) but still works! Up until this school year, the majority of their work was in Google Classroom, which basically means the Chrome web browser, and anything, including your MacBook Pro, that can run Chrome, can use Google Classroom. However, due to COVID-19 forced changes, my son's school district has switched to a system called Schoology, which (in my humble opinion) is vastly superior than Google Classroom for parents. It gives us much more insight into how our son is doing, and we can actually see what he turns in, and can communicate to his teachers using a parent account. He is using his Windows 10 laptop for that, as he is attending school from home. If he needs to take a computer back and forth to school (which he will when he starts back), I plan on having him take his well-loved Chromebook, as it is still getting updates (it is a Samsung model) and will work with Schoology just fine.

BTW, I imagine that Google Classroom would work in Safari (on your MacBook Pro) just fine, so you wouldn't necessarily need to install Chrome on it. However, if you already have Chrome, it wouldn't hurt to use that .

Rich S.

 

[JosepPont]

Ok, as long as it is the same experience. I already have a MBP and I don't want to spend money on a Chromebook laptop that I may use only for a year. Of course, I fear that my daughter will spill something on it, haha, but I have AppleCare anyway.

Well, IMHO I'll never spend that amount of money for a kid wich only will use Classroom but.....is up to you As Rich S. tell you in his comment, a regular Windows laptop that costs less than 500 bucks is far enough to do that.

If you will go ahead to a MBP, yes, is totally capable to Classroom with Safari, I'm on it right now.

 

[ejin222]

Well, IMHO I'll never spend that amount of money for a kid wich only will use Classroom but.....is up to you As Rich S. tell you in his comment, a regular Windows laptop that costs less than 500 bucks is far enough to do that.

If you will go ahead to a MBP, yes, is totally capable to Classroom with Safari, I'm on it right now.

No, that’s not what I meant haha.
I ALREADY have a MBP for myself and the school issued Chromebook is garbage. The question is: does Google Classroom work as well on a MBP than it does on a Chromebook? If the experience is worse, then I will purchase a Chromebook for her 😇

 

[cardfan]

Full time virtual school parent here. 6r old. 14 yr old. Let me just say chromebooks are garbage. They’re required to check out chromebooks. They sit here as spares. Or some assignments need them for authentication purposes for an occasional quiz or test.

But otherwise my 6 yr old uses a windows desktop with a mouse. 14 yr old uses a windows laptop and hates her chromebook.

I have let 6 yr old (having him focused all day 8-3 with small breaks is no easy task and time consuming) use my mbp. Is this better than chromebook? Umm. It’s light years better. Better sound. No lag. Dependable. Can airplay to 85” tv.

It’s the little things. Copy and past is easier. Printing if needed. Retina screen. Multitasking is much easier.

I found it best to just use an external kb and mouse. The less a 6yr old touches mbp the better. But this is why he’s on desktop mostly.

 

[JosepPont]

No, that’s not what I meant haha.
I ALREADY have a MBP for myself and the school issued Chromebook is garbage. The question is: does Google Classroom work as well on a MBP than it does on a Chromebook? If the experience is worse, then I will purchase a Chromebook for her 😇

Yes, it will be run well by the web browser no matter if is chrome or safari, I work creating classrooms, uploading resources, posting messages to all the students and doing Meets without a problem using safari.

 

[ejin222]

Thank you all for the replies.

It didn't occur to me that Google Classroom is entirely on the web and not a device-specific experience hahah.

 

[LinkRS]

Thank you all for the replies.

It didn't occur to me that Google Classroom is entirely on the web and not a device-specific experience hahah.

Not that I am suggesting that everyone should use Chromebooks, but you should realize that not all Chromebooks are created equally. Some of them, typically the really inexpensive ones use very under-powered CPUs, ironically many are ARM based like AppleSI. The more expensive ones, like the one we purchased for my son, actually use a low power Intel CPU, and it works fine. He can print from it, and use the full suite of Google Classroom and even Office 365 (as they are all web based). For a computer that we paid $279 for 5 years ago, I think it was worth it, and not garbage . Also, I am not trying to imply that ARM = bad, but before Apple came along and started to design their own ARM CPUs, most were very under-powered. This is why Apple is so far ahead in the smartphone and tablet performance space, no other ARM implementation in use by consumer devices can compete.

Don't misunderstand me though, even decent quality Chromebooks are not better than a traditional notebook computer like the MacBook Pro, or any good quality Windows 10 device. Chromebooks are good for what they were designed for, and that is living on the Web, and using only web apps. As soon as you need something more robust, it will fall on its face.

The "beauty" of Google Classroom is that since it is web-based, it will work on anything that can run Chrome. This means things like iPhones, Smart Phones, iPads, Google Tablets, and I would not be surprised if some poor soul tried to use it on a Smart TV. So, if your child needs to interface with Google Classroom from home, you don't have to give them access to your expensive MacBook Pro if you have other compatible devices around, but since any Mac computer can run Chrome, they can all run Google Classroom too . @cardfan has a great idea, get your child a compatible external USB keyboard and mouse, and that should limit how much physical interaction they have to do with your MacBook Pro.

Good luck!