Meet the Parents!

One of the most important dates in the 1:1 Chromebook Pilot timeline was September 10, Patton's Back to School Night. It was our chance to "Meet the Parents" and give them a first-hand look at the pilot. The students had been given their Chromebook just the day before, so we were anxious to explain just how the pilot was going.

We scheduled our 1:1 meeting for 30 minutes prior to the start of Back to School Night. We decided to hold the meeting in the team's LGI, two adjoining classrooms opened up by pulling back a dividing wall. We were not sure how many parents would attend, so we were pleasantly surprised when we had to scramble to find more chairs. In the end, we had about 75 of the 120 parents in attendance for the meeting. Also in attendance was Assistant to the Superintendent, Ken Batchelor and Curriculum Coordinator, Dave Listman.

The evening was very well received by parents. After the short presentation, time was left for parent questions, which ranged from clarifications about the contract, when the devices would be coming home to ways in which parents could secure the device on their home network.

All in all, a great night and an important night for the pilot. The next day, over 60% of the signed contracts and technology fees were returned by students. The pilot rolls on.

It's Finally Chromebook Day!

The students (and teachers) had been eagerly awaiting the big day since the start of school. We decided to hand out the Chromebooks through Janice Lear's Social Studies classes on September 9, a little more than a week after school started. It was also a day before our "Back to School" Night when we would have a chance to tell parents more about the pilot (and more on that later!) We talked a lot about the timeline for this pilot in the all-important summer planning meetings and we thought the sooner we get the Chromebooks in the hands of the students, the better.

Janice began each class that day by handing out the Chromebook Contract, which students were to have signed and returned with a $50 technology fee. Parents were made aware of the fee over the summer in a letter they received from Patton principal, Tim Hoffman, informing them of their child's team placement and details about the Chromebook Pilot. Parents were given the choice to opt out of the pilot and have their child placed on a different team - but no one exercised that option!

The process of giving out the Chromebooks could not have gone smoother. We had the devices organized in carts, one cart for each of the day's classes. We had pre-assigned a Chromebook to each student, labeled with his or her name. We called the anxiously-awaiting students to the back of the room where they were given their device and an AmazonBasics 14" Laptop Case. The students were very excited and they applauded as each student's name was called out. Upon receiving their new piece of technology, they turned and faced their classmates, gripping the Chromebook and case, smiling like they had just received an Academy Award!

The students spent the remainder of the class period completing a short activity using the Chromebooks and were busy working together, helping each other with their new tool. At the end of class, students packed up the Chromebook in their new case -- many debating the shoulder strap vs handle carrying technique -- and moved on to their next class!