Using Shared School Computers Safely
Managing browser profiles, student handovers, device cleanup routines, and avoiding accidental loss of classmate work.
The Classroom Handover Cycle
When multiple students share a single classroom laptop or lab computer throughout the school day, understanding browser persistence prevents confusion and keeps work private:
Classroom Device Handover
Three Golden Rules for Shared Class Laptops
1. One Student's Profile is Another Student's History
If your school uses generic computer logins (e.g. student_laptop_04) where students do not sign in with unique accounts, Chrome or Edge will retain whatever data was stored by the previous user. When Student B opens Raynah Stop Motion, they will see Student A's animation!
The Routine:
- Student A exports their
.raynah.zipto their USB stick or OneDrive. - Student A clicks Project → New Project or Clear Media.
- The computer is now ready for Student B.
2. School Nightly Cleanup & Deep Freeze
Many school network environments use software (such as Deep Freeze, Reboot Restore, or managed Chromebook guest sessions) that wipes all local browser storage whenever a student logs out or the computer restarts.
⚠️ Never Rely on "It Was Here Yesterday"
In a school environment, never treat the web browser as a permanent filing cabinet. Always have students download a file copy before leaving the lesson.
3. Clearing Browser Data Affects All mrsutherland.net Apps
If a teacher clicks "Clear browsing data and cookies" in Chrome or Edge to remove one student's work, this wipes the storage for all tools on that origin. That means Maths Command Station XP, Reading Lab drafts, and Raynah animations will all be cleared simultaneously. Use each tool's built-in reset buttons instead of nuking the entire browser cache.