After reading Nicole Krueger's 5 questions to ask before choosing a 1:1 device I began reflecting on how I've implemented the 1:1 Chromebook in my classroom full-time in the last two years.
In August of the 2017-2018 school year, my director at the time made the investment to have 1:1 Chromebooks in the upper elementary all the way through high school. The lower elementary classes had iPADs in the classroom and a large portion of the school funds were also allocated for a new Technology & Design lab. With this new initiative to use Chromebooks, money was now also being allocated for Schoology.com, a learning management system, in order to encourage teachers to use technology for classes, assignments, wiki collaborations (Google.docs), and communication. It wasn't just a tool we were "adding-on" to enhance our school curriculum, it was becoming a cultural shift in the way we saw our learners and how we had to carry ourselves as educators.
Krueger quotes Rushton Hurley, founder of Next Vista for Learning, who says, "There needs to be a larger discussion that happens at school on the way to a 1:1 or BYOD environment... I want to make sure that when schools go through that process, they're talking about the things that are important."
Since my director was new, he didn't have a school year to prime the teachers of his initiative and so there was a lot of push-backs, fear of change, and resistants coming from many of the staff who felt that this push was "unnecessary" or "irrelevant to their class."
George Curos, Principal and blog writer of The Principal of Change: Stories of learning and leading, said it so well that, “There can no longer be an ‘opt out’ clause when dealing with technology in our schools, especially from our administrators [teachers]. We need to prepare our kids to live in this world now and in the future. Change may feel hard, but it is part of learning. We expect it from our kids, we need to expect it from ourselves.” George Couros, Principal.
Below are my thoughts and reflections to a couple questions Hurley proposes that can help guide the discussion about mobile learning in my school/district:
1. What do we want to accomplish in the classroom? Use technology to create more opportunities for more learning and make kids want to learn more. Create digital learners who are adaptable and effective leaders in their future. Allow, support, and facilitate how to access and search for reliable information safely on the web (Geurin, 2017). - #9EssentialIdeas
2. What can we do with free technology?
3. Do we have the infrastructure in place to support the device? Be sure to consider charging station inside the classroom, Technology/Design lab size, outlet locations, and storage space.
4. How long will the device remain relevant? Chromebooks are relevant devices because they are tools that help students access information. Keyboards are timeless and the Chromebook's design, function, and construction seem durable and comparable. The Chromebook cost is below $200 and students having accountability by having their Chromebooks assigned and numbered throughout the school year. Also, parents and students sign a "contract" to ensure that if something happens to the Chromebook it is compensated for.
5. Does it serve teachers and students to have only one device? Overall yes, I do say it benefits to having one device per student in the class. Because it is a Chromebook and students log in with their school email, the school has Go Guardian which helps monitor and alerts teachers if students are off-task. This because beneficial if and when students are dishonest about shared documents when using Wikis or if students are using their class time inappropriately during their class time. This also allows students to access the internet at home for assignments.
Technology is only as beneficial as how well the user and teacher is equipped to utilize it. With Chromebooks, it also takes energy and time to find programs and interactive notebooks that we're comfortable with. If you're willing to receive the training and invest time in research and even simply following and watching Youtube videos or accessing Twitter, Instagram, Teachers Pay Teachers accounts or blogs to receive input from real teachers who teach using technology, 1:1 Chromebooks can be really beneficial in the classroom.
Schrum, Lynne R.,Levin, Barbara B.. Leading 21st Century Schools: Harnessing Technology for Engagement and Achievement (p. 85).
In August of the 2017-2018 school year, my director at the time made the investment to have 1:1 Chromebooks in the upper elementary all the way through high school. The lower elementary classes had iPADs in the classroom and a large portion of the school funds were also allocated for a new Technology & Design lab. With this new initiative to use Chromebooks, money was now also being allocated for Schoology.com, a learning management system, in order to encourage teachers to use technology for classes, assignments, wiki collaborations (Google.docs), and communication. It wasn't just a tool we were "adding-on" to enhance our school curriculum, it was becoming a cultural shift in the way we saw our learners and how we had to carry ourselves as educators.
Krueger quotes Rushton Hurley, founder of Next Vista for Learning, who says, "There needs to be a larger discussion that happens at school on the way to a 1:1 or BYOD environment... I want to make sure that when schools go through that process, they're talking about the things that are important."
Since my director was new, he didn't have a school year to prime the teachers of his initiative and so there was a lot of push-backs, fear of change, and resistants coming from many of the staff who felt that this push was "unnecessary" or "irrelevant to their class."
George Curos, Principal and blog writer of The Principal of Change: Stories of learning and leading, said it so well that, “There can no longer be an ‘opt out’ clause when dealing with technology in our schools, especially from our administrators [teachers]. We need to prepare our kids to live in this world now and in the future. Change may feel hard, but it is part of learning. We expect it from our kids, we need to expect it from ourselves.” George Couros, Principal.
Below are my thoughts and reflections to a couple questions Hurley proposes that can help guide the discussion about mobile learning in my school/district:
1. What do we want to accomplish in the classroom? Use technology to create more opportunities for more learning and make kids want to learn more. Create digital learners who are adaptable and effective leaders in their future. Allow, support, and facilitate how to access and search for reliable information safely on the web (Geurin, 2017). - #9EssentialIdeas
2. What can we do with free technology?
- Google Drive - store photos, documents, email, FREE up to 15GB. All accessible with the internet
- Google Docs/Slides/Sheets/forms - Wikis for collaboration with staff, students, group work, data, etc. More than one person can work on the form and streamline communication with meeting notes, behavior logs, etc. Interactive journals, surveys, forms, and so much more!
- Google Classroom - Learning management system that is accessible free with Google
- Biteable - Create free videos and allow students to dabble in infographics
- Common Sense Media & EDUMO - content and material to help support our students to become better digital leaders/citizens
- Blogger - free blog creator for reflections, processing, portfolios, developing a professional online presence
3. Do we have the infrastructure in place to support the device? Be sure to consider charging station inside the classroom, Technology/Design lab size, outlet locations, and storage space.
4. How long will the device remain relevant? Chromebooks are relevant devices because they are tools that help students access information. Keyboards are timeless and the Chromebook's design, function, and construction seem durable and comparable. The Chromebook cost is below $200 and students having accountability by having their Chromebooks assigned and numbered throughout the school year. Also, parents and students sign a "contract" to ensure that if something happens to the Chromebook it is compensated for.
5. Does it serve teachers and students to have only one device? Overall yes, I do say it benefits to having one device per student in the class. Because it is a Chromebook and students log in with their school email, the school has Go Guardian which helps monitor and alerts teachers if students are off-task. This because beneficial if and when students are dishonest about shared documents when using Wikis or if students are using their class time inappropriately during their class time. This also allows students to access the internet at home for assignments.
Technology is only as beneficial as how well the user and teacher is equipped to utilize it. With Chromebooks, it also takes energy and time to find programs and interactive notebooks that we're comfortable with. If you're willing to receive the training and invest time in research and even simply following and watching Youtube videos or accessing Twitter, Instagram, Teachers Pay Teachers accounts or blogs to receive input from real teachers who teach using technology, 1:1 Chromebooks can be really beneficial in the classroom.
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| Wikis - 5th-graders using Google Docs and chat to communicate and collaborate with teammates. |
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| 4th and 5th-graders using google slides to prepare a presentation |
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| 4th and 5th-graders using 1:1 Chromebooks for research |
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| 5th-graders reviewing adding fractions using Kahoot! |
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| Students learning how to effectively communicate and be technologically literate by helping one another as well as work independently. |
Schrum, Lynne R.,Levin, Barbara B.. Leading 21st Century Schools: Harnessing Technology for Engagement and Achievement (p. 85).
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