WHES Cromebook Implementation - Week 1 Is in the Books

Week 1 has ended, and by the end of the first week we rolled-out over 150 Chromebooks to every 3rd and 4th grader at WHES. It was a great week, and I'm already amazed at the type of work we're seeing being produced in our 3rd and 4th grade classrooms. I've already witnessed students using their Chromebooks to communicate, collaborate and create content with each other in their first week of school. Of course many of our students have already started to use their Chromebooks for research purposes, and fluency exercises on RAZ Kids or iXL. It's wonderful to see our students using their Goggle Apps for Education (GAFE) account to create content, collaborate with each other and communicate their ideas to their classmates. It was a great week, and I can't wait to begin passing them out to our kindergartners and first graders during week 2. We're also preparing for our visit from Commissioner Gist, and Governor Chafee on the morning of Wednesday, September 4th. It'll be great for our visitors to see a low-cost model of a 1 to 1 technology implementation. The students and teachers are excited to share what they've already learned in a short period of time.

I'm also amazed at the ingenious, low-cost ways our teachers have created to store the Chromebooks in their classrooms. It cost approximately $6,000 per classroom to provide each student with a Chromebook. Initially when we looked at cart systems the cost was quoted at $1,500 per classroom. We wouldn't be able to afford the cost so our teachers came up with some low cost solutions. You can view some of the pictures below. I will add more pictures in the future once we get the signed permission slips from parents/guardians.
https://plus.google.com/photos/107931481867030836583/albums/5918832833685818273
Note to Parents and students:

Please don't expect teachers to pass out the policy statements and permission forms until after Open House. Many teachers would like to discuss their classroom policies, as well as the district policies with parents at Open House. I plan on several more forums for parents and students to discuss concerns, comments and suggestions regarding our 1 to 1 implementation.

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