A new update for school-issued Chromebooks at Spring Lake High School was put into place recently. If your device was updated, every time the Chromebook lid is shut, you will have to re-enter your password when re-opening. Many students are questioning why this update was made, and how it is effective.
The district regularly updates the software and security features of one-to-one student devices to ensure devices remain safe and reliable.
Before the update, students would leave their Chromebook unattended, which would often result in other students messing around on devices that do not belong to them. Students could go on others’ devices to invade their privacy and look up inappropriate things, which would result in the Chromebook owners getting in trouble for things they really did not do.
Students have mixed feelings about the new update. Several students said they are opposed to the new inconvenience of having to log into your computer regularly.
“It takes more time to get to my work, it’s annoying to keep getting logged out after closing my chromebook,” said one sophomore, Megan R.
“It’s annoying but it protects me from getting in trouble because of people searching things on my chromebook when I’m not looking,” added sophomore Sam R.
One-to-one Chromebook devices will be collected at the end of the school year to be serviced and updated students return in August. The devices, which are commonplace in schools around Michigan, are funded through county millage initiatives in conjunction with area schools.