Chromebooks have been all the talk lately… a $249 laptop that kids can log into in under 10 seconds to get basic access to the Internet and Google Apps.
Q1. What’s the district’s plan for the Chromebook?
A1. Our current thinking is that Chromebooks could be used to complement our existing laptop carts – not to fully replace them.
Q2. I’ve heard that Chromebooks are popular with other school districts – and even heard that they are the item of choice for a 1:1?
A2. First, there is no decision by the district to proceed with 1:1 or even proceed with 1:1 piloting/testing – so there is no plan related to 1:1. As for Chromebooks being the item of choice for 1:1, that also hasn’t been determined for us, as we don’t even have approval to continue 1:1 discussions. As of popularity, we know that other districts are proceeding with Chromebooks as their device (Norwalk, Carroll, Denison, and Council Bluffs) but there are also plenty of other districts proceeding with other types of devices.
Q3. What grade levels/areas will Chromebooks be most popular?
A3. Since you need a Google Apps account to log into a Chromebook – it will be most popular with classes that use Google Apps. What we are hearing around the district so far is that 4th thru 12th grade will see the most usage, as they tend to do the most in Internet based research, word processing, and collaborative projects where groups of students are writing or creating slide shows together.
Q4. Is there a Chromebook that I can checkout/test, to see what it can do…
A4. Yes, there’s at least one Chromebook in every school – so please see your building tech person and/or your teacher librarian to get help with locating the device.
Q5. After I’m done checking it out… who do I send my feedback to?
A5. Send comments, questions, concerns to Brian Abeling.
Staff who manage Individualized Education Plans (IEPs) are required to move to a new web based IEP software that will be available starting July 1st.
West Des Moines Community Schools Technology 