Windham Elementary beginning Google Chromebook initiative

With technology at the forefront of today’s work environment, Windham Elementary School students are getting a leg up on their peers.

The school is in the process of incorporating Google Chromebook laptop computers into daily school activities. The laptops were purchased in the fall of 2014, and are currently being categorized and logged before being issued to students.

Once issued, students will have the opportunity to use the Chromebooks to complete tasks and projects, all with the advantage of being able to collaborate with one another.

“All of these Chromebooks are cloud based,” said Windham Elementary School Principal Christopher Mitten. “Because of that, multiple students will be able to work on the same project and the teacher will be able to help and respond to them in real time. That is a great asset.”

The Chromebooks will be issued to students in fifth and sixth grades initially, with third and fourth to be added in the future. Students having access to new types of technology only increases Daleville’s commitment to being an Alabama Math, Science and Technology Initiative (AMSTI) school.

AMSTI is the Alabama Department of Education’s initiative to improve math and science teaching statewide. AMSTI was designed by a Blue-Ribbon committee comprised of K-12 educators, higher education representatives and business leaders. The committee pursued every step possible to design the most effective statewide initiative for improving math and science teaching. AMSTI is research-based and incorporates best practices for math and science teaching.

School officials also believe increasing the use of new technology, such as Chromebooks, will result in an increase of student interest in science and math and possibly improve student achievement.

The new Chromebook Initiative is being overseen by a group of school administrators, teacher technology leaders and the school system technology department.

Chromebooks are Google’s version of a laptop computer, but come with several differences from traditional Apple, Sony or Dell portable computers. A Chromebook is Internet dependent, meaning it is designed to be used with an Internet connection. Most of Chromebook’s documents and apps exist in the cloud and Google automatically provides 100 GB of cloud storage for every Chromebook.

The only pre-installed apps on the device is the Chrome web browser. All other apps, such as Drive, Gmail and Docs, are web-based apps. School administrators have the power to block any and all non-essential apps, making the units safer for young students.

Assistant Principal Dr. Marcus Howell was one of the driving forces behind the program, and feels it will greatly help Windham students in the future.

“We want these students to be 21st century learners,” Howell said at a Daleville City Schools Board meeting. “The Chromebook Initiative gives the students access to technology that they may not have had otherwise. Technology is changing all the time, and we want our students to be productive and leaders.”

Each Chromebook unit costs $199, not including an additional $24 charge per device for the management console. The cost was covered by grant monies.