Over the past several years, a growing trend in education has been to put a computing device in every student’s hands. The initial forays and fads using technology in the classroom have been tried and sifted long enough to produce convincing evidence that, used appropriately, it does indeed enhance learning. Plus, the use of technology has now become a vital life skill, and we cannot ignore that.
We at Westlake have been studying and absorbing this information, considering how we might best use digital technology in our learning environment. Last school year, we began working with the Grayslake High School technology department to determine what practices they were pursuing in this area. What we learned is that they have also approached this issue carefully and deliberately. After piloting three separate scenarios, the technology director has indicated that the Chromebooks have been most successful, and they will soon migrate to a 1:1 program based on the Chromebooks. We are now poised to proceed down this path ourselves.
We are putting together the robust infrastructure needed for roughly doubling our current use of web resources and are looking for reasonably priced hardware for our students. We will build it on the Chromebook Google platform, using the rapidly expanding suite of Google Apps for Education. We would confine our use of the Chromebooks initially to our secondary grades (7-12).
Here are some benefits which we anticipate in this move. (1) We will adopt a learning management system (Google Classroom) which will allow paperless assignments, student collaboration, and improved communication. (2) Teachers will have at their disposal a host of research and analysis tools to lead students in higher ordered thinking. (3) Teachers will be able to differentiate both in terms of how they teach and how the students are expected to demonstrate their learning. (4) Student creativity and problem-solving skills will be enhanced. (5) We will be able to begin incorporating digital textbooks as needed.
Why Chromebooks? Education Week (2014): “Purchases of Chromebooks by schools have surged over the past year and are quickly becoming the device of choice over traditional laptops and tablets.” This is because the appliance is fully manageable, allowing the school to control how it is used (not as a gaming platform or a social media extension) and is supported by a wide array of education apps and professional training for teachers. It is also easily and affordably repaired.
We are researching the best Chromebook for our students, and at this juncture, we are confident we can obtain very adequate, high-quality new units for less than $200 each. Every student in grades 7-12 will be required to make this one-time investment for a unit which will last for the rest of high school. While a student is enrolled at Westlake, his Chromebook will be part of the managed technology environment of the Academy, but if he leaves early, or after he graduates, it will be completely released to the student.
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