Schools
School District 101 Expands Chromebook Pilot Program to About 500 Sixth-Graders
All sixth-graders at Rotolo Middle School will get a free Chromebook to use for school work.
That's almost 500 Chromebooks in all.
“The term 1:1 refers to the ratio of computers to students, and in this pilot, BPS101 is investigating the benefits of each student from having their own device in the classroom,” said Anton Inglese, chief information officer.
The pilot began last fall at Alice Gustafson School where each fifth-grade student was assigned his or her own personal iPad for use in school. Last spring, BPS101 also began to experiment with Chromebooks for about 100 sixth-grade students, according to the Batavia School District website.
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In the 1:1 pilot, the district is investigating the impact of technology on learning in the classroom.
“Specifically, we’re looking at how technology can transform teaching and learning by enabling the use of innovative teaching practices, real-time assessment for teachers to make informed decisions about learning, and enhancing our ability to personalize and differentiate instruction for all learners,” Inglese said.
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The results have been impressive so far, Inglese said.
“The frequency of innovative teaching practices utilized in the classroom has increased dramatically,” he said. “Teachers and students are using these devices in ways that increase student collaboration, creativity, and critical thinking,” Inglese said.
According to Inglese, student engagement has also increased.
“Students are connecting with peers inside and outside of the classroom and learning in a way that was not possible before,” he said.
The district will be using the data and lessons learned from this pilot to determine if 1:1 is the way forward for all students in Batavia schools, and if it is, how and when it will be implemented.
From Wikipedia:
A Chromebook is a personal computer running Chrome OS as its operating system. The devices are designed to be used while connected to the Internet and support applications that reside on the Web, rather than traditional applications that reside on the machine itself.
