Week 2 - September 2 - September 5, 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 2, is in the books. It's amazing that we've almost equalled the output of machines into classrooms as our first week's push. 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 3-12 graders across the district, and to all first through 4th graders at Wakefield Hills Elementary School. In essence we have rolled out 2600 Chromebooks to students across the district in 8 days. 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 plan on assisting some third grade teachers and their students early next week to enroll their Chromebooks in our enterprise enrollment process. Once that is completed we will turn our attention to students at Horgan that had Chromebooks in their first grade or kindergarten classroom last year. Those Chromebooks will be distributed to their classroom, and we will fill-in any missing Chromebooks in those classrooms. This process will take a bit longer to complete, because my department will need to enroll each Chromebook for K-2 students. We'll be glad to take any assistance from any teacher that feels confident in assisting with that process. I anticipate that we'll be able to complete the K-2 classrooms at Horgan and fill-in any missing Chromebooks at Wakefield Hills by the end of next week.
Our plan is to begin working on the first and second grade classrooms at Greenbush for the following week. Our kindergarten students will be the last classrooms to receive their Chromebooks.
We plan on assisting some third grade teachers and their students early next week to enroll their Chromebooks in our enterprise enrollment process. Once that is completed we will turn our attention to students at Horgan that had Chromebooks in their first grade or kindergarten classroom last year. Those Chromebooks will be distributed to their classroom, and we will fill-in any missing Chromebooks in those classrooms. This process will take a bit longer to complete, because my department will need to enroll each Chromebook for K-2 students. We'll be glad to take any assistance from any teacher that feels confident in assisting with that process. I anticipate that we'll be able to complete the K-2 classrooms at Horgan and fill-in any missing Chromebooks at Wakefield Hills by the end of next week.
Our plan is to begin working on the first and second grade classrooms at Greenbush for the following week. Our kindergarten students will be the last classrooms to receive their Chromebooks.
Channel 10 News' Susie Steimel Visits the WWPS
In case you missed it, Channel 10 reporter, Susie Steimel, spent one day last week speaking to a small group of students at West Warwick High School, and visiting a 4th grade classroom at Greenbush Elementary School. You can see the story on the Channel 10 website.
gScholar Update
All teacher schedules have been added to gScholar. Teachers will be able to manage their students using this tool. My department will be providing additional resources to teachers regarding the effective use of this powerful tool. I will also be providing some work-around solutions for co-teaching classrooms on how to use gScholar for both teachers.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) - Students & Parents
Q1: What happens if I forget my Chromebook at home?
A1: You can ask a parent to bring the Chromebook to school for you. If your parent is unable to bring the Chromebook to school you can go to the LMC and request a loaner for the day. My department hasn't provided loaner Chromebooks to librarians yet, but we plan on getting them to each of the schools over the next week.
Q2: What happens if I forget to charge my Chromebook at home?
A2: Respectfully request to borrow a charger from your teacher in your classroom. You can also go the LMC and request a charger for your first period class. If you plug in your Chromebook during your first class it should charge the battery completely.
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.
Q4: Can I use my Chromebook for non-school purposes.
A4: The WWPS has an Acceptable Use Policy that was written before our 1:1 Initiative. You can review the policy online. Students and parents will be asked to participate in revising our existing policy so it can meet the needs of our families and students as well as protect their responsible use. Students should understand that their Chromebooks should not be considered to be private property. Of course parents can exercise their parental rights and ask their children to power-down while at home. If there is an issue at home that prevents a student from completing a classroom assignment please email the student's teacher and explain the issue. All district wide email accounts follow the same naming convention (first initial followed by the last name@westwarwickpublicschools.com, or our alias email account first initial followed by the last name@ww-ps.com). My email address would be jmonti@westwarwickpublicschools.com, or jmonti@ww-ps.com.
Q5: What type of cover or case should I use for my Chromebook?
A5: I am still trying to get ordering information for families regarding a Chromebook cover. I have two vendors that are sending me examples of their cases/covers that students will be able to purchase. These covers/cases are hard shells, and will provide the most protection for students. If students purchase a soft case for their Chromebook they SHOULD NOT carry them in their backpack. It is our assertion that they will crack the screen in the back pack. You can view the specifications of the Chromebooks at: http://us.acer.com/ac/en/US/content/model-datasheet/NX.SHEAA.016
Q6: Can I get insurance for my Chromebook?
A6: Initially it was our understanding that insurance would have to be purchased for all of our students. Since then we've found some alternative options, and we may be able to provide an option for families that want to pursue insurance on their child's Chromebook. We will provide additional information once we get the final details. I anticipate posting something on the district's website by the end of the week.
Q7: Why haven't my emails to the IT staff been responded to yet?
A7: We ask for everyone to be patient as we are rolling out the Chromebooks to students in their classrooms. Everyone in my department has been going non-stop since well before school started. Many of us are working 12-14 hour days, and we are doing the best that we can to meet the diverse needs of our constituents. If you don't receive an answer within a weeks time please resend your request or call my office (401-822-8435). It is possible that your message got lost in someone's in-box. It is not uncommon to receive several hundred emails a day during the roll-out phase. We are doing our best to address the many questions and needs that come our way, as well as rapidly distribute Chromebooks to students.
A1: You can ask a parent to bring the Chromebook to school for you. If your parent is unable to bring the Chromebook to school you can go to the LMC and request a loaner for the day. My department hasn't provided loaner Chromebooks to librarians yet, but we plan on getting them to each of the schools over the next week.
Q2: What happens if I forget to charge my Chromebook at home?
A2: Respectfully request to borrow a charger from your teacher in your classroom. You can also go the LMC and request a charger for your first period class. If you plug in your Chromebook during your first class it should charge the battery completely.
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.
Q4: Can I use my Chromebook for non-school purposes.
A4: The WWPS has an Acceptable Use Policy that was written before our 1:1 Initiative. You can review the policy online. Students and parents will be asked to participate in revising our existing policy so it can meet the needs of our families and students as well as protect their responsible use. Students should understand that their Chromebooks should not be considered to be private property. Of course parents can exercise their parental rights and ask their children to power-down while at home. If there is an issue at home that prevents a student from completing a classroom assignment please email the student's teacher and explain the issue. All district wide email accounts follow the same naming convention (first initial followed by the last name@westwarwickpublicschools.com, or our alias email account first initial followed by the last name@ww-ps.com). My email address would be jmonti@westwarwickpublicschools.com, or jmonti@ww-ps.com.
Q5: What type of cover or case should I use for my Chromebook?
A5: I am still trying to get ordering information for families regarding a Chromebook cover. I have two vendors that are sending me examples of their cases/covers that students will be able to purchase. These covers/cases are hard shells, and will provide the most protection for students. If students purchase a soft case for their Chromebook they SHOULD NOT carry them in their backpack. It is our assertion that they will crack the screen in the back pack. You can view the specifications of the Chromebooks at: http://us.acer.com/ac/en/US/content/model-datasheet/NX.SHEAA.016
Q6: Can I get insurance for my Chromebook?
A6: Initially it was our understanding that insurance would have to be purchased for all of our students. Since then we've found some alternative options, and we may be able to provide an option for families that want to pursue insurance on their child's Chromebook. We will provide additional information once we get the final details. I anticipate posting something on the district's website by the end of the week.
Q7: Why haven't my emails to the IT staff been responded to yet?
A7: We ask for everyone to be patient as we are rolling out the Chromebooks to students in their classrooms. Everyone in my department has been going non-stop since well before school started. Many of us are working 12-14 hour days, and we are doing the best that we can to meet the diverse needs of our constituents. If you don't receive an answer within a weeks time please resend your request or call my office (401-822-8435). It is possible that your message got lost in someone's in-box. It is not uncommon to receive several hundred emails a day during the roll-out phase. We are doing our best to address the many questions and needs that come our way, as well as rapidly distribute Chromebooks to students.
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 3rd week by distributing the remainder of our Chromebooks to our K-2 students across the district. This process will most likely take 2-3 weeks for us to complete. We also plan on holding some community meetings (most likely Monday, September 15th at WWHS) to discuss our initiative. We'll most likely send and email to the domain, post it on our website, and send out an automated call. As always contact your teacher, school administrator, or my office if you have additional questions or concerns. Looking forward to a great week 3!
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