Willis High School { 1:1 Student Device Program
The need for consistent access is a priority. Technology is an engagement strategy that supports many of the state’s learning standards. Conclusions drawn from available research is that the 1:1 initiative provides many positive learning outcomes for students, staff, and the community. Among them are the following: ● Improved writing skills and depth of students’ research ● Increased student interest in learning and ownership of the learning process ● Improvement in student and staff atuendance ● Reduction in students’ disruptive behavior ● Increased parental interest in school activities ● Reduction in lecture/presentation instruction and an increase in project based learning activities Why do we believe that a 1:1 program is important?
The primary mission of the 1:1 technology initiative is to improve student achievement by providing opportunities for students to personalize learning through universal, uninterrupted access to knowledge that can transform teaching, learning, and assessments. 1:1 is shorthand for one-to-one. This means there will be one Chromebook for each high school student beginning in August 2019. What is the district’s 1:1 initiative? What does 1:1 mean?
Chromebooks provide the most cost efficient ● avenue to help our students become engaged and lifelong learners. Willis ISD uses GAFE (Google Apps for Education) which provides productivity tools and apps for learning. Chromebooks boot in eight seconds and have a ● rated batuery life of over eight hours Chrome OS updates less than windows and ● without interruptions. It is more secure and is not very susceptible to viruses. What is a Chromebook?
The district elected to require a $40 user fee in lieu of mandatory insurance. In addition to a single occurrence of accidental damage per year, this fee also covers the protective case, home content filtering and apps purchased to support learning. Local technicians will repair and maintain the devices ensuring less down time. What does the non-refundable user fee cover?
Students are expected to use the devices they are assigned by the campus for betuer security and access. District devices are connected to a secure network that is alloted more bandwidth than the public, open wifi that is the only option for personal devices. The public wifi is often congested with demands from smart phones and watches, streaming video and social networking sites. The WISD secure wifi is for educational use only, making it faster and more available for digital learning resources. Are students allowed to bring their own device instead?
Q: What are the expectations for students with the devices? A: Bring them charged daily to school, take care of them, keep the case on the device at all times, and follow the WISD Student Responsible Use Guidelines for Technology along with the other guidelines outlined in the Device Handbook. Q: Is there a filter on the devices? A: Yes, WISD provides a filter on all district devices that stays active even at home. Q: How do I pay the user fee? A: We have tables set up to collect the fees after this presentation. All grade level secretaries are able to take the fee as well. Q & A (cont’d)
Q: When will student receive their device? A: Our goal is to have them issued by the 3 rd week of school. Q: What should a student do if the device isn’t working or needs repair? A: Complete the maintenance request form located online. We will also have a campus repair center in B201. Q: Will students keep the devices over the summer? A: We will collect all devices before the school year is over. Q & A (cont’d)
Thank You! For questions about the 1:1 { program, please contact WHS Assistant Principal Tiffany Mathews at tmathews@willisisd.org.
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