Northshore School District issued the following announcement.
During the summer months, Northshore will purchase new Chromebooks, iPads and MacBooks for students in order to provide continued support of one-to-one computing. These new devices will replace older devices, based on the age of the device, manufacturer support, operating system roadmap, and instructional programming needs. This refresh, which will be done annually for 25% of the District’s student devices, will allow the District to continue to provide access to students while they are in school buildings, as well as provide a solution for continued access to devices at home. This refresh and device access is part of the District-2-School One-to-One Initiative and is made possible by the generous support of Northshore voters who approved the tech levy in 2018. Northshore’s School Board approved the purchase of this refresh cycle and new devices at their July 13 meeting.
“Access to current, reliable technology is critical for student learning,” said Executive Director of Technology, Allen Miedema. “By having this access students and teachers can collaborate to enhance student learning and classroom community building by leveraging digital resources. This access is important when students are in school buildings, as well as when they are learning at home.”
The refresh ties directly to and supports Goal 4 of Northshore’s strategic plan, which states, “Each student will be involved in relevant and engaging learning that fosters creativity and imagination, and will gain the confidence and competence to address personal, community, and global issues in collaborative and resourceful ways.”
When aligning Building Block 4 with Goal 4, there is a need for instructional technology to support students in reaching their potential, which states, “Provide all students access to technology-based resources as an integral learning tool for conducting research, evaluating information, and communicating their findings and solutions.”
A one-to-one ratio of devices to students was achieved during the 2019-20 school year. Yearly refreshes will establish a sustainable model to maintain this ratio by phasing out older devices, which ensures appropriate device access for all students to meet learning needs and goals.
The District’s Technology Department is also assessing the need to refresh staff computing devices on a regular cycle, as well as assistive technology devices for students with IEPs, 504 plans, and other special learning needs. Proposals to support these will be forthcoming.
“We are fortunate to have a community who has repeatedly demonstrated their commitment to supporting students’ education in our district,” said Miedema. “During a time when students, families and staff are facing many challenges, we are grateful to be able to provide students with up-to-date devices and hotspots for internet access, thanks to our community’s generous support in our 2018 election.”
Original source can be found here.
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