by Jim Boyle
Editor
Seniors at Elk River High School began getting Chromebooks this morning. The rest of the school’s juniors and seniors as well as juniors and seniors across the Elk River Area School District will be getting them, too.
The new 1-to-1, or one device per student, initiative allows each student to have the laptop computer as a learning tool. The Chromebooks will be used during the school day, and also have offline capabilities.”
“Changes in school curriculum – from the tests the students take to the textbooks and supplements they use in class – are moving online,” District 728 manager of instructional technology Troy Anderson said. “Students need access to those materials in and out of the classroom. So giving a student access to his or her own Chromebook isn’t just about access to technology, it’s access to the materials they need for information and education.”
The Chromebook rollout is part of a $2.6 million technology levy approved by voters in the 2014 election. The computers will be distributed first to juniors and seniors throughout the district in 2015-2016, with freshman and sophomores getting machines next year. By the 2017-2018 school year, each student from grade 6 to 12 will have a Chromebook.
Machines will be updated on a three-year cycle in an effort to keep technology up-to-date district wide.