1:1 Program—What Does That Mean For Students?
POV: You’re a freshman that just bought a brand new laptop for high school, only to find out you have to use a mandated Chromebook—or maybe you haven’t bought one yet because you were promised a Chromebook, but it’s not here yet. Out of all things—why schoolwide Chromebooks? Are Chromebooks any good and what all do we know about them?
Nobody really knows who made the final call, but “The implementation of 1:1 at the high school is a collaborative effort that will include administrators, teachers, the IT department, and the media/instructional technology team.” according to Mrs. Amy Dirlam, media specialist.
Over the summer, our parents received an email saying that the board of education has been given a grant for the purchase of Chromebooks district-wide. This meant that everyone in the district would be receiving a school-issued Chromebook to use instead of our own personal devices. But why would we need them if we have our own?
“One of the biggest benefits is equity and access for all students. Another benefit is security and easier troubleshooting for connectivity (internet access) for the IT department when all students are on the same device,” said Mrs. Dirlam.
Since the original 1:1 program was announced, SJHS has always used G-Suite—a google based set of apps—to connect everyone on one platform. By switching students to Chromebooks, it’s easier to use G-Suite because Chromebooks are made by Google. Of course, the one thing on everyone’s mind is what will they look like? The laptops will be touch devices with touch screens to create more flexibility for students.
But Lucas Schaub, SJHS senior, heard about this email and was not happy.
“I had just bought a brand new Macbook Pro and spent a good chunk of the money I made from working this past summer,” said Lucas.
Lucas took it upon himself to start a change.org petition called “Let Sj students use their own computers”, which now has 561 signatures and counting while have been viewed by over 4,000 people. While this petition is still counting signatures, Mrs. Dirlam had no idea.
“I am not aware of massive negative reactions,” said Mrs. Dirlam.
So far, these Chromebooks are scheduled to arrive sometime in November, but the date keeps pushing back. The reason they keep getting pushed back is unknown, so students are asked to keep using their own laptops for now.