Amy Kats, Senior Product Marketing Analyst at SMART Technologies
  • September 24, 2025
  • 4 minutes
  • Amy Kats

Chrome OS + SMART: The Perfect Match for Google-Powered Classrooms

A SMART Board with split screen. On the right is the Google Workspaces and on the left is the in-built SMART Whiteboard. Image shows interoperability between the two systems.

So many classrooms today run on the Chrome operating system (Chrome OS). With Chromebooks in students' hands and Google' new Class Tools guiding instruction, teachers need a front-of-room display that doesn't just keep up—it elevates the experience.

That's where SMART comes in.

SMART Board® interactive displays are built to work seamlessly with Chrome OS, giving you the same familiar Google tools your students use—only bigger, brighter, and more interactive.

Why Schools Choose SMART Boards for Chrome OS

  • Seamless integration: Google tools look and feel the same on SMART as on Chromebooks.
  • Hybrid flexibility: Switch between Chrome OS and built-in Android in seconds.
  • Compatible with Google Workspace tools: As a Google for Education partner, your EDLA-licensed SMART Board gives you walk-up-and-use access to your Google Workspace apps and tools natively, even if you don't have a Chrome OS device connected.
  • Engagement built in: From annotation to screensharing, collaboration is at your fingertips.
  • Future-ready: Scalable, reliable, and designed to maximize return on your investment in Chrome OS.

A Win for IT and Administrators

SMART displays don't just support teachers—they simplify life for IT too, with important tools that don't come with your Google Workspace.

  • Google Admin Tools manage Chrome OS computing devices like Chromebox OPS.
  • SMART Remote Management provides important admin tools to manage your interactive display hardware, including display settings, updates, and even power usage—remotely.
  • Easy-to-manage Android: Unlike other Android devices, SMART displays with iQ 4 are truly built for shared classrooms. Only SMART allows you to access the display after a forgotten Android PIN without needing to factory reset the device and erase your data.
  • Durability and ROI: With long-lasting hardware, better integration, and deeper student engagement, SMART displays deliver more value over time than traditional panels.

Systems You Already Know, But Bigger and Better

When you run Chrome OS on a SMART display, what you see is exactly what your students see on their Chromebooks. That familiarity makes modeling lessons simple and intuitive. Touch, write, gesture—it all works just as naturally on the display as it does on a student device.

And with the tap of a button, teachers can switch to the display's built-in Android system, gaining access to:

  • Ink tools to write over any Chrome OS app.
  • SMART Mirror to connect student devices and share up to nine screens at once.
  • Lumio® for collaborative whiteboarding and interactive lessons.
  • Google Play apps that are not available on Chromebooks that extend learning beyond Chromebook-only limits.

It's the best of both worlds: the Chrome OS experience teachers expect, plus the flexibility and power only SMART adds.

Supercharging Google Class Tools

Google's new Class Tools provide teachers with real-time visibility and control over student Chromebooks, allowing them to set focus modes, share resources, and even live-transcribe lessons. But when paired with a SMART Board, those capabilities expand:

  • Run Class Tools directly on your SMART display. With a SMART Chromebox OPS, the board becomes your teacher device.
  • Showcase student work. While Class Tools displays one Chromebook screen at a time, SMART Mirror - available on the SMART Board embedded Android - lets you share up to nine, from any device—not just Chromebooks.
  • Keep everyone on track. Eliminate the guesswork when it comes to what students are seeing on their devices. Class Tools pins student Chromebooks to your selected webpage, allowing guaranteed alignment, while Lumio guides students through your engaging lesson material. Learn more about Lumio.

Together, Google's Class Tools + SMART unlock teaching moments that are more collaborative, more controlled, and more impactful.

Big screen. Big engagement. Big results.

If your school is investing in Chromebooks and Google Class Tools, pairing them with SMART is the smartest move you can make. Teachers get a familiar, flexible platform. Students get interactive learning that sticks. And IT gets the tools to keep it all running smoothly.

That's Chrome OS + SMART: built for the classroom, built for what's next.