Freshmen were to exchange their older Dell and Acer Chromebooks for the newer ASUS Chromebook Plus units on Sept 19, Vice Principal Casey McMurray said in a ParentSquare post on Sept 13. The exchange was mandatory and took place during each English 1/1A class.
All freshmen were directed to bring their old Chromebooks, chargers, and ID cards or numbers to make the exchange, McMurray continued in the post. The freshmen have had their computers for longer in comparison to other students, who had their computers assigned in middle or high school.
“Tech Services informed me that they received new Chrome- books and they wanted to switch out the 9th graders’ Chrome- books since many or most have had them since 5th grade,” McMurray said in an email.
Starting in 2024, the district began carrying out a plan to begin getting these new Chromebooks to students, calling it the refresh plan, Director of Technology Chin Song said. As part of this plan, new Chromebooks would be distributed at certain grade levels, allowing students to make long-term use of them. as each year passes.
“The district plan says that we will provide Chromebooks to first grade, to fifth grade, and then to ninth graders,” Song added. “Then the plan is to keep them for four years. You guys (juniors and seniors) all are part of the COVID anomaly group, which you have your Chromebooks, and you’ll just kind of phase them out.”
The cost of the new computers was higher than the ones purchased from Dell and Acer, Technology Secretary Monique Steger said. It was $545 each for Chromebooks to give to first and fifth graders at multiple schools, and ninth grade at the high school.
“The Acer spins, those were $405 when we bought them. The Dell 3100s, we got a special deal on those, so those are only $287,” she added. The specifications and features of the new computers are more advanced in comparison to the two which are currently in use throughout the district, Song said.
The newer technology will give students more educational applications for projects or day to day work. Rather than if they were to just have older Chromebooks coming in from eighth grade, the specs on those (older) Chromebooks.
The newer technology will give students more educational applications for projects or day-to-day work.
“Rather than if they were to just have older Chrome- books coming in from eighth grade, the specs on those (older) Chromebooks aren’t as robust,” Song added. “As we have some of the artificial intelligence stuff that’s coming up, these Chromebook Pluses will allow some of the searches and other graphic applications that you’re not able to do with some of the older Chromebooks.”
The old Chromebooks will remain in use, becoming available within classrooms the last of the old Chromebooks are returned and new ones are fully in use, there will be options for former students to purchase them for use after graduation. That way, they still see usage instead of being discarded permanently.
“So we’re always kind of pucking (moving up) into the future,” he added. “The keynote here is to take care of these devices that you get (as a) freshman, and if they (students) take care of it by the fourth year, they may be able to keep it (since they won’t break down).”