There is no doubt that we are in a highly technology-driven era. With this in mind, Carthage ISD is making moves to ensure students have the most up-to-date technology directly at their fingertips.
A long term goal for the district is to be able to provide a Chromebook for every single student, making the campuses “1:1”, and a recent purchase is taking that plan one step closer to reality. Making each campus 1:1 means that there will be a device available for every single student on campus. During the June 15th CISD Board Meeting, the purchase of seven hundred new Chromebooks was approved and a plan to roll out these computers was put into action.
“We will start with providing computers to the high school so that they can be 1:1 with devices,” Chief Learning Officer Allen Koch shared. “What remains after that will be distributed across the other four campuses, with the goal of making them 1:1 in the near future also.”
This plan has been in motion since the beginning of the 2019-2020 school year with the purchase of several Chromebook carts for each campus. This is the first purchase of this scale that will bring a campus fully to the 1:1 capabilities.
“Students will have access to “At Home Learning” if necessary, increase interaction and engagement, have instant access to online instruction and instructional support,” said Koch. “Having this technology will help students keep track of work, increase communication with teachers, as well as boost creativity, collaboration and critical thinking.”
Students will be assigned a Chromebook through the LRC at the high school, much like having their textbooks issued.
“Chromebooks, along with resources like Google Classroom, give both teachers and students a single place to organize assignments and effectively communicate while at school or at home,” Director of Technology Richard Sullivan said. “With Chromebooks and cyber security software, we’ve been able to provide a safe online learning environment to students that is free from distraction at school and home.”
With the use of new technology, CISD is prepared to continue improving and providing the best resources for students and teachers.
“Computers alone are not a silver bullet for education,” said Koch. “We also have to focus on professional development for teachers so they can maximize the power of the device to best serve our students.”
More information will be shared with students and parents in August regarding Chromebooks being issued.