The need for consistent access is a priority. Technology is vital for students to be literate in 21st Century standards. In addition to the traditional view of literacy our students must be information, media and visually literate. Constant access allows for these important contemporary literacies to flourish in classrooms.

Chromebooks represent a new space in technology. This space is between mobile options such as the iPad and the portable space anchored by laptops. The Chromebook needs little, if any maintenance. It is a completely web based device so there is no need for downloading or installing. The way a Chromebook operates reduces the need for technical support. Student work on the Chromebook automatically saves to the cloud and in particular the Google cloud. This makes it ideal considering Lenoir City Schools is a Google Apps school district.

For several years the Lenoir City School System has structured professional development around the effective integration of technology. Teachers have received training on a variety of topics including Web 2.0 online tools, Google Apps for Education and project driven instruction. Teachers will continue to receive appropriate professional development through the districts new professional development academy which offers a variety of courses after school throughout the year. Lenoir City Schools has also strengthened its wireless infrastructure over the past several years in order to accommodate a 1:1 program.

Chromebooks that are issued as part of the 1:1 program are the property of the Lenoir City School District. However, each student issued a Chromebook by the school district and will have access to that device 24/7. Stakeholders will have to adhere to both Lenoir City School District and the school’s policies governing the use of technology.

The Lenoir City School District believes that an Internet connected device will be a required resource for our students as they enroll in college and or enter the professional arena. With this belief in mind, the District believes that students should learn how to effectively manage a device. Students are responsible for the Chromebook’s general care and content accessed through the device.

The Chromebook operating system, Chrome OS, updates itself automatically. Students do not need to manually update their Chromebooks. Chromebooks use the principle of “defense in depth” to provide multiple layers of protection against viruses and malware, including data encryption and verified boot. By logging in with their school email account Chromebooks seamlessly integrate with the Google Apps for Education suite of productivity and collaboration tools. This suite includes Google Docs (word processing), Spreadsheets, Presentations, Drawings, and Forms. Students are allowed to install appropriate Chrome web apps and extensions from the Chrome Web Store. Students are responsible for the web apps and extensions they install on their Chromebooks. Inappropriate material will result in disciplinary action.

It will be up to each member of the Lenoir City Schools faculty to determine how to incorporate Chromebooks into his or her curriculum. All teachers associated with the 1 to 1 Digital Conversion will participate in an initial Chromebook orientation session and will receive ongoing training. Even though each instructor has discretion over the ways in which they will implement Chromebooks there are a core set of outcomes connected to the Chromebook initiative posted on the school’s website.

During the roll-out, students will receive training on appropriate use and technical capabilities, along with their Chromebook. In particular, there will be training on how to access the Google Apps suite and Chrome web store.

We hope that our 1:1 Chromebook program will help students learn and maintain good digital habits that will last a lifetime. Any rules that you have about computer use or Internet access should apply equally to your child’s Chromebook use. However, please keep in mind that more class content will be digitally accessed via the Chromebook. This may require students to extend their screen time to meet course requirements.

The Chromebook initiative is a joint partnership between the school, students, and their parents. The devices will be subject to the same Acceptable Use Policy restrictions and discipline procedures applied to all other technology infractions. The school’s wifi filters inappropriate content. These same filter practices also carry forward to other wi-fi networks outside the school district enabling us to monitor and help keep our students safe at all times.

The Chromebook initiative is a joint partnership between the school, students, and their parents. The devices will be subject to the same Acceptable Use Policy restrictions and discipline procedures applied to all other technology infractions. The school’s wifi filters inappropriate content. These same filter practices also carry forward to other wi-fi networks outside the school district enabling us to monitor and help keep our students safe at all times.

Chromebooks have the ability to be placed in offline mode enabling the student to use their Google Apps for Education Account without being connected to the internet.  Parents and students can also refer to our free Wi-Fi locations list to find areas in and around Lenoir City where they can find Wi-Fi locations.

If you still have questions…

• —      Contact the administration at your child’s school.
• —      Maintain communication with your child or children about what they are currently working on in their classes.