Computer Lab: The main lab next year will look a bit different. The lease on our desktop computers is up in June. The desktops will be replaced with a dedicated cart of iPads. iPads will be used with skills classes that are in the main lab as well as technology classes 1st-5th. The upper grades (3rd-5th) when not using iPads will bring their assigned Chromebook from their classroom. I'm excited about the change and the opportunity to do more with our iPads and Chromebooks.
The hallway lab will remain in tack as long as the desktops continue to function.
Interactive Flat Panel (IFP): Leisha was notified this past week that a newer version of the IFP we are purchasing is coming out in May. It doesn't seem to make sense to order one model in March and then a different model in the summer. Therefore, our thinking is to hold off on ordering until the newer model is released in May so we can all have the same IFP.
Newsela: This past week several teachers had issues with printing articles from Newsela using their MacBooks. Here are the 2 solutions to print from Newsela:
1. Download the article to your computer. Open the article with Adobe Acrobat Reader NOT Preview. Then print. Check out the video below for directions.
FYI - Below is the error message printed on the paper from the printer when printing with Preview or directly from the Chrome browser.
Teacher Laptop Update: As many of you have heard, the district is considering alternative options for teacher laptops, specifically Chromebooks (again this would be a larger durable Chromebook, not the student model). We understand that such a change has caused many concerns.
While budget restrictions are still an issue, Leisha has been able to extend the current lease on our teacher MacBooks for one more year. This will give us over a year to research Chromebook models, software solutions and any other challenges that would arise from such a change. Technology is always changing so it's hard to predict what exactly will be our laptop options (Mac and/or Chromebook) for the summer of 2020.
Thank you for expressing your concerns and how such a change would affect you and your students. If you have any questions, please let me know.
Tech Committee Update: The technology committee met on Wednesday. We had thoughtful discussions around teacher laptops, interactive flat panels, and using Google Docs vs MS Office. Check out our notes for more details!!