Barrington students 'test drive' new Chromebooks

This year, all students in grades 6 through 12 will have their own device

By Josh Bickford
Posted 8/23/16

A group of soon-to-be sixth-graders wandered down a hall outside the middle school library on Monday morning and stopped to peer through a window. 

Realizing that they had missed the entrance …

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Barrington students 'test drive' new Chromebooks

This year, all students in grades 6 through 12 will have their own device

Posted

A group of soon-to-be sixth-graders wandered down a hall outside the middle school library on Monday morning and stopped to peer through a window. 

Realizing that they had missed the entrance to the library, the group quickly changed direction and bolted toward the main door. Once inside the library, the students (and their parents a few steps back) set their sights on the cardboard boxes that were arranged in neat rows.

Inside the boxes were new Chromebooks… one for each sixth-grader. 

Distribution of the new computers completed the second phase of the school district's "1-to-1 initiative," which supplies a mobile computer device to each student in Grades 4 through 12. Last year, school officials distributed the first wave of Chromebooks to all high school students.

"Today is strictly for the sixth-graders," said Dave Burrows, the district's director of technology. 

The youngest middle school students seemed to enjoy the attention. One-by-one, the sixth-graders received their new Chromebooks and then brought them over to some tables where they could give them a "test drive." 

Older students from the high school tech team and some more tech-savvy middle schoolers stood nearby to help any sixth-graders who might have a question. For the most part, the sixth-graders seemed very comfortable with the Chromebooks. 

Usually, after a few minutes exploring the computers, they packed them back into their cardboard boxes and toted them out of the library. 

"I am definitely excited about this," said Mr. Burrows.

For the last few weeks, Mr. Burrows, Scott Morpeth, Mike Fallgren and Maxx Robey worked hard to prepare the new and used Chromebooks for the local students. This year, ninth-graders and sixth-graders received new devices while students in Grades 7, 8, 10, 11 and 12 brought home gently used (and properly cleaned) laptops.

"We wiped down each one," said Mr. Fallgren. "Literally, all we had to do was wipe them down."

The vast majority of used Chromebooks — last year's model was a Dell, while this year the district purchased HPs — were in good working order and just needed a little cleaning before they were prepped for another group of students. (The tech department wished to remind students that they should refrain from putting stickers on the Chromebooks.)

The Chromebooks are pretty durable, said Mr. Fallgren. And each one has an impressive battery which is rated to last 14 hours on a single charge. The Chromebooks will be used to enhance the education process in local classrooms, although each teacher tends to use the device in different ways.

Mr. Burrow said last year's 1-to-1 initiative roll-out with high school students went well.

"I don't see any reason why we won't have a solid year this year," the director added. 

The new computers — the district purchased about 600 new units this year — were paid for with money from the capital improvement budget. Voters approved $275,000 in technology funding this past budget season.

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