Hi Reader,

A small, seemingly insignificant policy change can have a HUGE impact on how teachers and students use your devices.

🤯 Today I am sharing one of those changes.

If your district is 1:1 with Chromebooks, enabling PIN unlock can simplify the login process. Students can use a personal PIN code to unlock their Chromebook quickly, without entering their full password.

A few important details:

• PIN numbers can’t be used to sign in to a device.
• PIN codes are ideal if your devices are set to "lock on lid close".
• PIN codes must be locally set by the user, on their device.
• PIN codes will NOT work in a shared device environment.
• If you forget your PIN code, you can always use your password to unlock the device.

Sponsor

Chromebook Academy for IT Admins

Join me for a five session deep dive into managing Chromebooks through the Google Admin Console! We'll cover device selection, enrollment, policies, repair, and more!

Note: we will also review for the ChromeOS Certification Exam which is FREE through January 2025!

• Dates: Nov. 6-20, 2024 (Tues / Thurs)
• Time: 1-2:30 PM EST
• Where: LIVE via Google Meet (sessions are recorded for on-demand viewing if you are unable to attend live)
• Cost: $249/person (CC and purchase orders accepted)

Path: Devices > Chrome > Settings > User & browser settings > Security > Quick unlock

Once enabled, users have the option to set up a PIN code to unlock their device. Creating a PIN code is not required.

I configured PIN unlock on a set of elementary Chrome tablets which made the elementary teachers very happy!

Additional resources:

• ​Class login challenge (for teachers)​
• ​Simple strategies for improving district Chromebook usage​
• ​Help Center: lock or unlock your screen​
• ​Power and shutdown policies​

Learn with John

Join me at one of these great events! Need a speaker? Get in touch!

• ​MAEDS Conference (Michigan): Oct. 23, 2024
• ​Chromebook Academy (online): Nov. 6-20
• ​Ohio Google Summit: Oct. 28-29, 2024
• ​miGoogle conference (Michigan): Nov. 4-5, 2024
• ​FETC Conference (Orlando, FL): Jan. 14-17, 2025