Serendipity35

I have read a few posts about Google's initiative this month to get schools to adopt Chromebooks by offering the chance to get them for a special, discounted price of $99 including hardware, management and support.

I am all for getting Chromebooks into classrooms at a price that means more computers for more students. But another important part of the story is Google working with DonorsChoose.org, an online charity that connects donors directly to public school classroom needs.

Public school teachers from every corner of America post classroom project requests on our site, and you can give any amount to the project that most inspires you. When a project reaches its funding goal, we ship the materials to the school. You'll get photos of the project taking place, a letter from the teacher, and insight into how every dollar was spent. Give over $50 and you'll also receive hand-written thank-yous from the students.

Chromebooks may not be the perfect computer for all school needs, but they are fast, easily sharable, and require almost no maintenance. Google reports that more than 1,000 schools have adopted Chromebooks in classrooms. For the holiday season, teachers can request in this initiative the Samsung Series 5 Chromebook.

For the Chromebooks program, go to DonorsChoose.org and follow the instructions.

---

For the rest of us, a Chromebook will cost more, but it is still an attractive price if you are looking for a laptop that lives in the cloud.