One+to+One+Schools

**MacBook Laptops**
The following are some notes from a presentation at the One to One conference.

1. Some students don't want to take a computer - Students don't want text books either but they have to have one and use it. 2. Theft - All students must submit a policy report if lost of stolen. 3. PD - Skills and knowledge is vital for success - The year prior to roll out - they provided 8 days of Apple Training spaced out over the year. They started over the summer for 2-days - (16) subs at a time during the school year for pull-out of teachers for continuation training. Finally, a couple of days at the end of the school year to finalize training. 4. Discipline: Discipline has dropped about 50% in the first year and attendance is up. a) Classroom management has not changed -- it is the same issues only now electronic. b) SF - Simple Finder (First offense for discipline) Other students give kids on SF a hard time and wish them luck - but limits what students can do on the machine. 5. Schedule is traditional 45 min period 7 period day. They are exploring a move to block as teacher discussion about project based instruction have the teachers asking to possibly experiment with block scheduling. 6. Text book budget - Soc.St. / LA teachers have decided to not use any textbook - They are doing everything online. Soc. St. - using Free online content. Science has found ton's of free online materials. No teachers are asking for text books any longer. 7. How many loaners do you have when something breaks? 7% of the total number and have never run out and will be looking at less next lease.

**21st Century Questions and Answers:**
Students will be responsible for the care and security of their laptop. Students will carry the laptop in a padded case with them to all classes. Secure laptop storage carts will be available to protect the laptops during physical education classes and after school activities. The size of the laptop also lends itself well to securing the laptop in the student lockers on a short-term basis when securely locked. Students should not store their laptop in a car for any extended length of time. If a laptop is left in a locked car for a short period of time, it should not be visible -- preferably locked inside a trunk. No, use of a laptop while on a bus would constitute a safety hazard. The laptop computer is very portable and very valuable, making it an attractive target for thieves. Therefore, LMSD provides laptop insurance for all laptops. The insurance covers theft and accidental damage. Students must pay the annual payment of $80, and they will be responsible for an additional deductible charge of $100 for each theft, loss, or damage claim. Families who participate in the Free and Reduced lunch program will have the option to forgo the Insurance cost yet still have their student(s) laptop covered under this insurance agreement. If students do not pay the insurance premium or any deductible fee they will not be permitted to take their school issued computer off the LMSD campus. Insurance payments for this school year can be made online by visiting []. All laptops must be carried in the district-provided padded laptop sleeve at all times. Students should transport their laptop in its sleeve inside their own book bag or backpack to aid in the protection against damage. In the event that laptop accessories are stolen, or lost, students should report the lost items to the Help Desk or Principals’ office. The current cost to replace specific accessories is: AC adapter & power cord -- $71.00; Battery -- $116.00. The laptop battery will be replaced by the manufacturer for defects under the warranty agreement. Students will be responsible for charging their battery and proper battery maintenance (District guidelines will be provided). If students need to borrow a battery for class, a limited number of extra batteries will be available. Laptop battery life depends greatly on how the laptop is used. Students will be trained in strategies to maximize battery life. A typical battery charge on the MacBook laptop will last over 3 hours. Students will have the opportunity in some classrooms to “plug-in” and charge throughout the day. Students will be expected to enter school each day with a full charge on their MacBook laptop battery. Extra pre-charged batteries will be available to classrooms if the need arises. No. Although Macs are capable of running both operating systems, it is not necessary to do so at this time. Configuring all student laptops for Windows as well as Mac software would be prohibitively expensive since it would require licensing fees for the Windows operation system as well as any software applications needed (e.g., MS Office 2007 and various other networking licenses). In the case of Physics and Chemistry classrooms, a number of Windows laptops will be available in those rooms with specific software applications currently used for lab work. The Technology Education classroom will still have Windows computers with the Windows-only software currently in use. And the mix of Windows and Mac work stations in Video Production classrooms will also remain the same. No, students installing software on school owned computers is a direct violation of the LMSD Acceptable Use Policy. Students who violate the policy will be disciplined. All of the software necessary to integrate the laptop into the curriculum will be installed when the laptop is issued to the student. Security software will be used on all of the laptops to prevent the use of unlicensed non-District software. Yes, students may connect their iPod music player or digital camera to their issued computer. Students should check with the maintenance help desk first. Students will also be allotted a certain amount of drive space on their laptop to load music and digital pictures they have obtained legally. Students will not be able to “back-up” their music and photos to district servers unless part of an academic project. The laptop comes with 2 USB ports and one Firewire port. Students should not use their own accessories with the laptop without determining through Technology staff that they are compatible. No. All laptops will be collected at the end of the school year for general maintenance, cleaning, and software installation purposes. The summer process provides for all operating system and software upgrades in order to stay current with the latest software offerings. Yes. The LMSD Technology staff will coordinate and provide maintenance for students.
 * What are the goals for this initiative?**
 * //Balancing Equity of Digital Access//
 * Provide 24/7 digital access for all students
 * Prepare students to choose and manage digital technologies for learning
 * Promote and enhance differentiation through digital technologies
 * //Promoting 21st Century Teaching and Learning//
 * Transform the traditional educational environment to promote student-directed and life-long learning
 * Prepare students with essential digital literacy skills for the future
 * Connect disciplines and broaden understanding through project based learning
 * Promote and facilitate student critical thinking, creativity and innovation
 * Facilitate collaboration and team work through digital communication and productivity tools
 * Why now? Why not wait another year so the high schools have more time to prepare?**
 * We currently have enough laptops for every high school student deployed in carts in both high schools, however, cart distribution is not efficient enough for student access in any/all classrooms.
 * Our participation in the Classrooms for the Future
 * has provided the opportunity for specific training and experience with all students having laptops in classrooms
 * has provided us with a Coach to support curricular implementation of digital technologies
 * has been the impetus for a year-long in-service this year on project-based learning with technology
 * Deploying laptops to each student will be a more effective and efficient means of student access as construction in both high schools ramps up and classroom locations are frequently moved and space for computer labs is lost
 * If we wait just one year, we will have to spend additional funds to replace out-dated desktop computers currently in computer labs. Since there is not enough classroom space, especially at LMHS next year, current labs must be converted to classroom space requiring the purchase of additional carts of laptops to maintain even the current level of access -- resulting in far more laptops in the school than there are students -- not an efficient or cost-effective deployment.
 * There will always be a range of readiness for an initiative like this while the demand for student access only increases. Staff can only become fully proficient when actually immersed in a one-to-one learning environment.
 * What planning has been done for this initiative? Who was involved?**
 * The goal of one-to-one laptop deployment has been in the LMSD Tech Plan since 2004. This is a result of a lot of planning and a lengthy development process.
 * Technology plans have been developed by a representative group of our district community. The list is available on the plan document: [|lmsdtechplan.pdf]
 * What will students do with their laptops during Physical Education classes and after school activities?**
 * Will students be able to use their laptops on school buses?**
 * What about insurance against theft or breakage through carelessness?**
 * Will students have to purchase a laptop bag to carry the laptop in?**
 * If the accessories to a students laptop are lost or stolen, how much will it cost to replace them?**
 * Will students be given a new battery if one would go bad?**
 * How long will the laptop batteries last? What happens if a student’s laptop battery runs out?**
 * Will the student laptops be set up to use Windows as well as Mac software via Boot Camp? What about Windows only applications in Science or other disciplines?**
 * Will students be able to install software on the laptop?**
 * Can a student use their iPod or digital camera with the laptop? Can students load music and photos on the computer?**
 * Can students use their own accessories with the laptop?**
 * Can a student use their laptop computer over the summer?**
 * Will the LMSD provide maintenance on the student laptop computers?**

Students need not own one since printers will be located in and near classrooms, in the library, and in the computer labs. For those students who want to connect to a USB printer at home with the school laptop, many of the popular printer drivers will be reinstalled on the laptop. These may or may not work at home. The Technology department will not support at home use of printers. The District also encourages users to remember the environment and think digitally. Files can be sent to teachers in digital form. Yes. Students will be trained to periodically backup school files, and back of their work will be their responsibility. Students will be able to back up most files to a network file server. Students will also be able to retrieve files from teacher “shared folders” as well as hand in files to teachers' “hand-in” or drop folders. Student home directories have a 500 MB limit and should not be used for uncompressed multimedia files and projects (e.g., iMovie and GarageBand projects in progress). Such projects should be stored locally and backed up periodically to larger-capacity DVDs, and, when projects are completed, should be exported to a compressed file format. LMSD has a Filtering product which is designed to help monitor all Internet sites that students attempt to access while they are on the LMSD network. This software/hardware blocks inappropriate sites and also logs a history of every site that each user opens. Students who attempt to find inappropriate sites will be disciplined. The current LMSD content filter meets Child Internet Protection Act (CIPA) guidelines. At home students will not pass through this filter. Parents are asked to supervise their children when using Internet access. Checking the browser history is one way of knowing which sites users have visited. A virus that is written for the Windows Operating System (Win98, 2000, XP) cannot infect the Macintosh Operating system. Lower Merion students have been using District laptops since elementary schools. Each student takes a Technology course in Middle School. Students have access to many online resources which can assist them in using software and accessing the network. Lower Merion and Harriton High Schools will stock a limited number of laptop computers that can be loaned out to students. This will minimize “down-time” for students. Training for parents will be provided through a number of evening sessions. They will be scheduled early in the year. There will also be online resources for parents. In the meantime, iSafe <[|http://www.isafe.org]> is a great site for information to help parents engage students in conversations about safety and responsibility online whether at school or at home or elsewhere. All staff will have both a laptop and the training to support its use with students as well as its integration with the curriculum. However, we also know, at this point in time, that some subjects are much better supported than others with online and software resources. The district also recognizes that part of having this new tool is determining when and how to use it appropriately. For example, you don't want math students typing out solutions to math problems that should be done quickly by hand. So the district expects to see significant, but appropriate, use of the laptops. The point is not to use a laptop as often as possible, but to use the tools the laptop and network provide that improve learning. There will be opportunities for professional development so that teachers can continue to incorporate emerging technologies. The MacBook laptops will be equipped with an Ethernet card, and an Airport wireless card (802.11b/g). If parents are using a dialup internet service provider (ISP) that does not require the use of any specialized software, the laptops can be configured to use this connection with the purchase of an additional USB modem. If parents have a home network, students may connect via Ethernet or Airport (if the network is wireless). Parents will be responsible for monitoring student Internet access at home. Parents are advised to learn about and make use of any appropriate parental controls available through their home Internet Service Provider. A portion of the parent training will instruct parents how to check Internet history on the laptop for those students who use the Internet at home. Internet access at home will not be mandatory. Student laptops will also be able to connect to the Internet via open wireless access networks using the 802.11b/g standards in the community (e.g., Starbucks), however, these are inherently less secure and activity cannot be easily monitored so parents will need to discuss and determine appropriate use of these with their own children. Students will be required to use the school district issued laptop for school purposes. This is necessary to ensure that students have a computer that gives them network capability and the ability to run the software that students will need in their classes. For these reasons, other computers will not be used on the Lower Merion School District network. Yes. We already have the number of laptops needed for one-to-one deployment to high school students, and the current funding level for district technology and information services is expected to sustain the program based on a reasonable projection of costs over the next five years. At the same time, fewer actual student laptops will be required while providing greater access to the laptops for every student in every classroom during every period as well as at home after school hours. A number of different instruments will be used to collect data to evaluate effective implementation of the program and to what extent we are achieving the goals of the program. The District will continuously review this data as it is collected and make implementation adjustments as needed. A report will be made to the School Board summarizing the data and progress toward program goals each year. However, it is expected that it will take at least several years to obtain significant, observable results on our educational goals. Yes. Student laptops will be collected at the end of each school year for any required service and to be re-imaged during the summer, and students will receive the same laptop at the start of the following school year. Students will be reminded that the laptop is the property of the school district, and that they are responsible for proper care as indicated in further detail in the student handbook.
 * Do students need a printer at home?**
 * Will there be facilities to back up the files students create on their laptops?**
 * What will the school do to help prevent students from going to inappropriate sites?**
 * What about computer viruses?**
 * Will there be training for students?**
 * What will students do without a computer in their classes if their laptop unit is being repaired or replaced?**
 * Will there be training for parents?**
 * Will all teachers be expected to use the laptops with students?**
 * Will students be able to use the laptops for Internet access at home? What if a student does not have Internet access at home?**
 * What if a student already has another model or brand of laptop computer?**
 * Is this initiative cost-effective?**
 * How will this initiative be evaluated?**
 * Will a student have the same laptop while they are in high school?**