Chromebooks+to+Classrooms

The Impact of Google Chromebooks in Classrooms at CAPCS

(What's cool about Google Apps for Education? click here to find out....What's possible with Google Apps for Education? click here to find out)

Over the course of our first 15 years CAPCS has tried to capitalize on a variety of programs, philosophies, resources and technologies to increase student achievement. Never let it be said that we don't succeed for lack of trying. While many of these approaches were research based, no one tool in the history of the organization has had the ability to transform teaching and learning as we know it at CAPCS like the Google Chromebook. These devices, mixed with a comprehensive initiative to transform teaching and learning, can serve to finally launch CAPCS into the conversation of world class educational institutions. The influx of 460 Samsung Chromebooks radically changes the platform upon which we present information to children. "Meeting them where they are" has been a long-standing educational buzz phrase. It's the idea that every child comes to us with a certain set of skills, nurtured by their environment, that we must figure out how to work with. We we've figured out that our children all have varied skill sets, varied support systems and varied belief in their abilities. We've also become aware that one strong common variable that binds them is that they are all children of the digital age. Today, meeting them where they are has more to do with tapping into the way that they are "pre-wired" for processing information when they get to us than trying to differentiate what information they may have already missed‍‍. ‍‍

This year we will introduce 460 Chromebooks, on 16 mobile carts. Just from a logistical standpoint, that increases our current "computer lab" capacity by 900%. These mobile labs will put the power of the internet into the hands of EVERY 3rd-5th grader in EVERY testing grade classroom. The new student to computer classroom ratio of 1-to-1 in these grades is in stark contrast to the 8-to-1 setting that we provide now. Providing teachers and students with this opportunity puts them in the top 3% of all classrooms in the US. While the impact of 1-to-1 computing is a hotly debated topic, no one argues the point that the hardware provides the opportunity to expand the instructional platform for progressive teachers who decide to inspire and are determined to raise student achievement by utilizing every available resource.

So What?!!

We are currently conducting literature reviews, including white papers, case studies and webinars to collect a wide variety of opinions, critiques, and best practices in order to plan for chromebook rollout in early October. To be considered: Development of IT rollout procedures, staff and student training, storage and security, inventory plan, warranty specifications

Action Plan:


 * 1) Complete review of roll out best practices.
 * 2) Implement storage and security plan
 * 3) Create opportunities for teacher training. Need a core group of 3 or 4, 3rd - 5th grade teachers to receive training and support.
 * 4) Target date for identifying teachers?
 * 5) Target date for completing training?
 * 6) Piloted launch with population of pre-trained teachers. Preferably at least one in each building.
 * 7) Training for testing environments (K-2)

Project budget: (file attached)