District Launches 1:1 Technology Program
At the start of the 2017-18 school year, students in grades six through 12 will be issued a Google Chromebook to use for their coursework at school and home.
The District is making the technology available to students in order to promote creativity and collaboration in the classroom and better prepare students for college and career, said Garilee Ogden, director of curriculum, instruction, and professional development. The devices will provide students access to the most up-to-date information for learning and allow for learning to extend beyond the classroom, she said.
“The long term impact on our students in a 1:1 setting will help ensure that students are able to be literate in technology and in the digital world that we live in,” she said. “Students will have the ability to produce assignments, work together, research, and problem solve much more efficiently, and be better prepared for the future. Technology and devices are a large part of the workplaces, which they will move into someday.”
Students at the District’s six elementary schools also will be issued devices—although they won’t initially take them home, said Peter Dotson, chief technology officer. “Everyone will be assigned a device even if it stays in the building,” he said.
The District will need to purchase about 1,800 additional Chromebooks in order to ensure that every student has a device. The technology department has software that will make it easy to keep track of the devices. Each one also will be laser-etched with the District’s name and logo. “I’m really excited about giving our students this opportunity,” he said.
The ability to have daily access to technology will have a big impact on student learning, Ogden said. “There will be a variety of ways that technology will be used to amplify student learning,” she added. “The exact ways of how it will be integrated into the lessons are endless and we are excited to see where this journey takes us.”
Posted: Friday, May 26, 2017