Week 3 & 4 - September 8 - September 19, 2014
I'd like to take the opportunity to update the WWPS community on what we've accomplished, and our plans for the next week. Week 3, is in the books. It's amazing that we're almost finished getting Chromebooks out to all of our students in grades 1-12. Towards the end of the post I've taken the opportunity answer some of the frequently asked questions submitted by administrators, teachers, students and parents.Chromebook Distribution
Chromebooks have been distributed to nearly all 1-12 graders across the district, and to all first through 4th graders at Wakefield Hills Elementary School. In essence we have rolled out over 3200 Chromebooks to students across the district in 12 days. We have completed Wakefield Hills (except for K), Deering Middle School, West Warwick High School, and most of Quinn School. That's quite remarkable, and it has taken a collaborative effort between administrators, teachers, custodial staff & my department. On behalf of the students I would like to take the opportunity to thank them all for their efforts.
We are continuing to complete our roll-out at Horgan, and at Greenbush Elementary Schools. We have completed several first and second grade classrooms at Horgan Elementary School. Three first grade classrooms at Greenbush received their Chromebooks on Friday. The students and teachers were very excited. We will be scheduling the remainder of the first and second grades at each school before the end of this week. Our kindergarten students will be the last classrooms to receive their Chromebooks.
We are continuing to complete our roll-out at Horgan, and at Greenbush Elementary Schools. We have completed several first and second grade classrooms at Horgan Elementary School. Three first grade classrooms at Greenbush received their Chromebooks on Friday. The students and teachers were very excited. We will be scheduling the remainder of the first and second grades at each school before the end of this week. Our kindergarten students will be the last classrooms to receive their Chromebooks.
Professional Development Update
West Warwick High School teachers participated in an afternoon of "Everything Chromebook" during their Building Level Cohort (BLC) meetings. Leah Bessette, Mark Cicerone, Kelly Hersey, Danielle Howman, Jess Hassell, Alison Lagor, Monique Maynard, and Heather Roberti led groups of teachers and administrators through a series of introductory lessons around a slew of topics.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) - Students & Parents
Q1: I've heard that the WWPS has ordered a hard cover for my screen. When will they be arriving?
A1: The WWPS has ordered a hard cover for the top of the Chromebook. The cover is called the Cranium. It is a sheet metal material that is sandwiched between two whiteboard sheets that adheres to the top of the screen. We have begun ordering the hard covers in bulk orders. Once the order arrive they will begin to be passed out to students.
Q2: Is there a cost associated with the Cranium cover?
A2: The cost of the cover is $11.00 per unit, and the district is revising existing budgets to provide the cover to each student. I apologize for the tardiness of this information, but our original inquiries to existing solutions/companies proved to be too costly. The Cranium is a low cost solution that is a more reasonable cost for the district to cover. We should be getting the Cranium orders within the next week to a week and a half. Our plan is to begin distribution at WWHS & DMS first.
Q3: What happens if my Chromebook gets damaged, or is not working correctly?
A3: Please bring the Chromebook to your teachers (grades K-4), and to the office if you attend Deering Middle School or West Warwick High School. Administrators will alert the IT Department, and we will respond appropriately. The IT Department will determine if a replacement Chromebook should be issued, or if we will attempt a repair on your Chromebook. If we plan on repairing your machine you will be issued a loaner though the LMC.
A1: The WWPS has ordered a hard cover for the top of the Chromebook. The cover is called the Cranium. It is a sheet metal material that is sandwiched between two whiteboard sheets that adheres to the top of the screen. We have begun ordering the hard covers in bulk orders. Once the order arrive they will begin to be passed out to students.
Q2: Is there a cost associated with the Cranium cover?
A2: The cost of the cover is $11.00 per unit, and the district is revising existing budgets to provide the cover to each student. I apologize for the tardiness of this information, but our original inquiries to existing solutions/companies proved to be too costly. The Cranium is a low cost solution that is a more reasonable cost for the district to cover. We should be getting the Cranium orders within the next week to a week and a half. Our plan is to begin distribution at WWHS & DMS first.
Q3: What happens if my Chromebook gets damaged, or is not working correctly?
A3: Please bring the Chromebook to your teachers (grades K-4), and to the office if you attend Deering Middle School or West Warwick High School. Administrators will alert the IT Department, and we will respond appropriately. The IT Department will determine if a replacement Chromebook should be issued, or if we will attempt a repair on your Chromebook. If we plan on repairing your machine you will be issued a loaner though the LMC.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) - Teachers & Administrators
Q1: What happens if my classroom experiences network issues?
A1: The district is still awaiting installation of additional access points via the Wireless Classroom Initiative (WCI). In the meantime we have ordered approximately 12 access points to handle some heavy use areas at WWHS, DMS and Greenbush schools. These access points should be installed by the end of next week. This will provide immediate relief for most of our network issues.
Q2: What happens if a Chromebook is experiencing a problem like connecting to the network?
A2: This sounds like a trite answer, but you should shut the unit down, and power it back up. Believe it or not this solves most network connection issues. If the student's Chromebooks is still experiencing a problem please report the issue to the HelpDesk via Aspen. We are still working out the best protocol for students regarding an issue with their own Chromebook.
Q1: Why can't my co-teacher and I both access our gScholar account, or Google Classroom?
A3: This is a known issue with both applications, and gScholar and Google are working on a solution. I have emailed my contacts at Google, and I'm awaiting a response from them. Once I get additional information I will make it available. In the meantime there are some work-around solutions that teachers can employ. I will send out directions to teachers early in the week.
A1: The district is still awaiting installation of additional access points via the Wireless Classroom Initiative (WCI). In the meantime we have ordered approximately 12 access points to handle some heavy use areas at WWHS, DMS and Greenbush schools. These access points should be installed by the end of next week. This will provide immediate relief for most of our network issues.
Q2: What happens if a Chromebook is experiencing a problem like connecting to the network?
A2: This sounds like a trite answer, but you should shut the unit down, and power it back up. Believe it or not this solves most network connection issues. If the student's Chromebooks is still experiencing a problem please report the issue to the HelpDesk via Aspen. We are still working out the best protocol for students regarding an issue with their own Chromebook.
Q1: Why can't my co-teacher and I both access our gScholar account, or Google Classroom?
A3: This is a known issue with both applications, and gScholar and Google are working on a solution. I have emailed my contacts at Google, and I'm awaiting a response from them. Once I get additional information I will make it available. In the meantime there are some work-around solutions that teachers can employ. I will send out directions to teachers early in the week.
Next Steps
We plan on entering the 5th week by distributing the remainder of our Chromebooks to our 1-2 students across the district. As always contact your teacher, school administrator, or my office if you have additional questions or concerns. Looking forward to a great week 5!
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