Chrome OS now has a built-in screen recorder

Google has announced that a built-in screen recorder will be coming to Chrome OS in March. Google hopes the tool will make it easier for students and teachers to record virtual lessons. “Teachers have long taken lessons in helping students do homework and study for tests, but in recent years it has become critical for virtual learning,” reads Google’s blog post.

It seems pretty simple. After pressing the appropriate button on your Chromebook, you’ll see a countdown in the center of your screen. As you pick up your Chromebook, a red circle will appear on the right side of the shelf.

A few other tools for Chromebook learners are also underway, and some have already arrived. Chrome OS’s screen reader, ChromeVox, has some new features: the voice now changes based on the language of the text it reads, and you can now search its menus.

In addition, parents can now use Family Link (Google’s parental control app) to manage their children’s school accounts in addition to their personal accounts. This means that screen time limits, sleep time and other restrictions that parents place on their children’s personal accounts can also apply to their school accounts.

On the hardware side, Google has announced that they are launching more than 40 new Chromebooks this year. It claims that each model is “equipped to deliver exceptional Google Meet and Zoom experiences”.

To help schools navigate through the new versions, the company has a list available with available Chromebooks, which include configurations from Samsung, Lenovo, HP, Dell, Asus, and Acer, and tips for choosing the right one. The company recommends a number of basic models, such as Acer’s Chromebook Spin 511 and Lenovo’s 300s, as well as most popular devices such as the Chromebook Spin 713 (The edgeBest Chromebook Choice) and Samsung’s $ 1,000 Galaxy Chromebook.

A number of these devices have LTE connectivity – Google calls them ‘Always Connected’ devices and emphasizes their importance for students with limited internet access (although buying a device with LTE may increase the price)

Chromebooks are big sellers in the education market, in part because of their affordability and widespread use of Google Classroom, Google’s online education portal. 2020 was the best year of the Chromebook ever, mainly due to the greater demand from schools offering homeschooling for the first time.

Google has been expanding its remote school and meeting services since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. In the early months of remote schooling, Google Meet made meetings with up to 100 attendees available to anyone with a Google Account. It also added a number of features to Meet in an effort to keep up with major competitors Zoom and Microsoft Teams. The company has built in custom wallpapers, vague effects, real-time captions, poor light mode and hand-raising in recent months.