Because they’re often cheap, durable and secure, Chromebooks are popular laptops in schools. Google wants to make them even more student-friendly and is announcing a set of new features today alongside a host of updates to its Education-focused products. In addition to promising 40 new Chrome devices, the company is also bringing accessibility improvements and a built-in screen recorder to the OS.
The screen recorder will arrive in the latest Chromebook update in March, which should make it easier for users to teach others how to do things. Though Google didn’t share details on what its 40 new devices are, it did say these include convertibles and offer things like touchscreens, stylus support, dual-cameras and LTE connectivity. Since there are going to be so many Chromebooks to choose from, the company also launched a new guide to picking the right one for you.
As for its accessibility improvements, Google says its ChromeVox screen reader for the OS has new features “including improved tutorials, the ability to search ChromeVox menus and smooth voice switching that automatically changes the screen reader’s voice based on the language of the text.”
The company is also allowing parents to add their children’s school accounts (through the institution’s Workspace For Education) to their kids’ personal accounts managed with Family Link. This way, students can log into their school accounts at home and use the apps and websites they need, while their parents can still set permissions for device and app use.
