GOOGLE CHROMEBOOKS IN OUR CLASSROOMS JOSEPH PAUL ITEC

GOOGLE CHROMEBOOKS IN OUR CLASSROOMS JOSEPH PAUL ITEC 7445 DR. TOWNSEND MARCH 30, 2016 EMERGING TECHNOLOGY PROJECT

ABOUT THIS PROPOSAL • This is a proposal for class sets of Google Chromebooks for every teacher at Mill Creek High School.

GOOGLE CHROMEBOOK • A Chromebook is a laptop that runs the Chrome OS. • Chromebooks are mostly used for apps that use internet access, but can be used offline, as well. • Provides easy integration of countless free apps which can increase student engagement. • Provide students with access to important technologies which foster an authentic learning environment.

MCHS VISION STATEMENT: S. O. A. R. • Strive to Overachieve through Accountability and Respect

CHROMEBOOKS IN THE MCHS VISION • Chromebooks would allow extensive use of the e. Class platform within the school building, a resource only available in a computer lab right now because of its limited functionality on mobile devices. • Chromebooks give students the opportunity to overachieve with powerful technology. • Students would be held accountable for their use and upkeep of technology.

CHROMEBOOKS IN THE MCHS VISION, CONTINUED • Chromebooks would be easily integrated into instruction because MCHS is already a Google school because students and teachers already have school monitored email addresses. • Google Tools are easily accessible across multiple platforms, including mobile, which is what students have access to at home. • Chromebooks would reinforce the use of Google Tools for Education.

EQUITY AT MCHS • Very few students have access to significant technology at all times during the school day. • The school has implemented a BYOD policy, but this had little effect on studnt use of technology in the classroom. • • Many students have a smart phone, but that is the extent of the BYOD impact. • • A school our size experiences too much competition for limited computer lab use. So few students have access to meaningful technology that instructional design rarely takes advanced technology into account. Chromebooks would allow offer universal access to all students at school.

OBJECTIVES • Develop an authentic learning environment where it is possible for teachers to provide real world experiences regardless of the learning content through contextual learning tasks. • Provide individualized learning experiences for students using technology, including the opportunity to work at their own pace and pursue enrichment and remediation opportunities. • Foster an equitable environment within the school, giving all classrooms access to meaningful technology tools.

KEY BENEFITS • Chromebooks would streamline instruction, communication between teachers and students, and collaboration between teachers and between students. • Students can access their work across multiple devices as long as they have an internet connection. • Chromebooks are faster to start up and cheap and easy maintain compared to other PCs. • Google offers excellent customer support.

VITAL SCHOOL STATISTICS • Mill Creek High School has a population of 4, 000 students. • The school is 58% white, 18% black, 12% Hispanic, 8% Asian, and 4% multi racial. • 26% of the students fall into the “economically disadvantaged” category • 10% of students are classified as having a disability. • The school is 50% female and 50% male.

TARGET POPULATION • Chromebooks are simple and all apps are easy to find access, so they are appropriate for students of any age. At Mill Creek High School, Chromebooks would be used for grades 9 12. • Class sets could be rolled out in four waves to teachers every 4 weeks based on proficiency. All classes would have Chromebooks by week 12 of first semester.

EQUIPMENT AND SOFTWARE • The Dell Chromebook 11. • Chromebooks use the Chrome OS. • Chromebooks do not require any paid software. • Chromebooks are capable of functioning without internet access, but optimal performance and versatility is achieved with internet access • Class sets of headphones would be needed, as well.

TECHNICAL SUPPORT • Mill Creek High School has on site technical support staff. • Google provides a Chromebook Support website, including help tutorials, help forums, and contact information for customer support.

LIMITATIONS • Chromebooks have low local storage because almost everything is stored on a cloud. • Chromebooks do not run off a robust operating system such as Windows 10, so they are not capable of everything a traditional PC could do. • Chromebooks can be slowed by an overloaded/slow internet connection. They are capable of doing work offline if Google Drive has been synced to the device. • No Microsoft Office Suite

COSTS OF TECHNOLOGY • According to the Google for Education cost calculator, the total costs of implementing Dell Chromebook 11 into Mill Creek High School would be $1, 879, 240 on a 3 year lease. • This includes the price of the Chromebook, deployment, and 3 years of device management and support.

POTENTIAL FUNDING • Mill Creek High School PTA • Mill Creek High School Foundation • Donors. Choose. com • Google RISE Awards • Kickstarter. com

HOW CHROMEBOOKS CAN BE USED • Teachers can use Chromebooks to teach the Gwinnett County Academic Knowledge and Skills (AKS). • Teachers would have easy access to features that our current laptops do not offer, such as webcams, which would allow for easier creation of resources and support the flipped classroom. • Teachers would be able to create authentic lessons using technology, offering students the opportunity to participate in contextual learning tasks.

HOW CHROMEBOOKS CAN BE USED • Students would have equal access to course materials throughout the school day in all classes. • Students would be able to communicate in a monitored environment. • Students could write essays, conduct research, create various products, and collaborate with a huge global community. Entire classes can work on the same document at the same time using Google Apps. Better yet, students could work on the same document as students in another school, state or even country at the same time.

HOW DOES THIS TECHNOLOGY PROMOTE SPECIFIC LEARNING GOALS? • Google is willing to provide training to faculty and staff on ways to get the most out of Chromebooks, so teachers would be prepared to implement the technology effectively. • Mill Creek has already taken huge strides in collaboration recently, but a committed move to Google Apps would lead to even more efficient and easier collaboration between teachers. • Access to these powerful devices would open teachers’ classrooms to more project based learning opportunities.

HOW DOES THIS TECHNOLOGY PROMOTE SPECIFIC LEARNING GOALS? • Research would be much easier for students to conduct immediately. • Students would be able to collaborate much easier. • PBL using technology would be easier to implement, and would not require teachers to change their physical setting.

DIFFERENTIATION • The availability and functionality of Google Apps across devices, along with access to class materials and assignments via the cloud, would lead to a 24/7 classroom for many students where they could remediate, reinforce, and even extend upon the learning they did in class. • Constant access to this technology would make it more efficient for teachers to allow students to work at their own pace. • The collaborative capabilities of the technology would allow cross level collaboration where students from college prep, honors, and even AP could work together on cross curricular grade level projects.

COMMUNICATION/COLLABORATION • Students would have constant access to communicate and collaborate with their teacher and with one another. • Chats, Gmail, and Hangouts can all be monitored and recorded. • With minimal training, teachers can be taught the ins and outs of Google Apps (at least well enough to get started), and experience their amazing collaborative abilities.

RESEARCH EVALUATION • Chromebooks have been present in the news since their release in 2011. Google provides access to many case studies on their Google for Education website. • According to Education Week, Chromebooks are best for schools and districts that “value community, collaboration, and partnership, ” (Herold, 2014). • Teachers reported “The quality and quantity of students’ written work has improved dramatically since introducing Chromebooks. Students now work faster and more independently in a Google Doc, without checking everything with the teacher” (Google, 2014).

RESEARCH EVALUATION • Most educators agree that Chromebooks are more efficient with class time than other PCs. • • • Users report "it takes only four to five seconds before the computers are up again. “ (Gabriel, 2012). Even students report, “they are much quicker to use and load web pages, and tunr on than normal laptops” (Callagher, 2015). Teachers even report that the use of Chromebooks reduces the time it takes to implement a lesson significantly. One teacher even said she was able to reduce a lesson from a 2 3 day lesson to just one day with the same level of effectiveness because of the efficiency of Chromebooks (Herold, 2014).

IMPLEMENTATION PLAN • The first important aspect for such a drastic change will be to establish the infrastructure to support teachers as they grow in their use of technology. • A support team consisting of the LSTC, TST, Media Specialists, teachers and administrators would be formed for this task. • Mill Creek has multiple Lead Innovators, Transformational Teaching Facilitators, Google Certified Educators, and tech savvy teachers on staff, so there should be plenty of people to choose from for this team. • Members of this team will offer technical support, coaching, and deliver professional development. • There will need to be team members from every grade level and department to ensure that professional development is relevant to all parties and differentiates to the needs of specific subjects.

IMPLEMENTATION PLAN I think it will be very important to set realistic goals and benchmarks for teachers, and to understand that the level of implementation will vary between classrooms. The expectation needs to be growth. This will hopefully prevent teachers from being too intimidated by the Chromebooks. It would also be smart to only give Chromebooks to teachers when they are ready to support student use of the devices, which will require a bit of professional development and training beforehand.

IMPLEMENTATION PLAN Two optional Professional Development sessions would be offered in July to give teachers a chance at a head start on the implementation of devices. These teachers would automatically qualify for the first group of Chromebooks with a passing post assessment score. The rest of the teachers would take a pre assessment on the first day of pre planning. Teachers would be group based on this score, and would then proceed with professional development sessions in four separate groups. The first group would have the opportunity to implement devices on the first day of school, with members of groups 2 4 implementing at four week intervals. This gives less experienced or less comfortable users the chance to refine their skills before being expected to implement devices. I believe that proper training will be the key to buy in from faculty. Even teachers deemed “ready” for the first roll out will continue to do professional development throughout the year to grow as educators and leaders using technology.

IMPLEMENTATION PLAN • Google offers tons of support and resources which are accessible by teachers at all times, and there are many more resources available online, as well. • After a certain point, teachers would definitely be capable of continued growth own their own. • • https: //support. google. com/chrome/a/? hl=en#topic=4386913 https: //sites. google. com/site/chromebookclassroominthecloud/chromebook training/google apps professional development

REFLECTION • A few of my colleagues and I have discussed the possibility of working with Chromebooks for a few months now, so choosing what I wanted to pursue was fairly easy for me. I was able to learn a good bit about the functionality of Chromebooks in general and comparatively from one device to another. This assignment has really made me think about everything I would need to bring to the table in order to get a crazy idea (from a financial standpoint) approved and implemented in my school. When I decide to pursue this for real I feel like I will be prepared.

WORKS CITED • Bloomington Public Schools use Google Apps and Chromebooks to prepare all learners for a rapidly changing world. (2014). Retrieved April 1, 2016, from https: //static. googleusercontent. com/media/www. google. com/en/us/edu/case studies/files/bloomington public schools case study. pdf • Callagher, M. (2015, December 2). The Impact of Introducing Chromebook Laptops into a High School. Retrieved April 01, 2016, from http: //markcallagher. com/mobile devices/the impact of introducing chromebook laptops into a high school/ • Gabriel, A. R. (2012, December 27). Why Schools Are Turning to Google Chromebooks. Retrieved April 01, 2016, from http: //www. edtechmagazine. com/k 12/article/2012/12/why schools are turning google chromebooks • Herold, B. (2014). Chromebooks Gaining Popularity in Districts. (cover story). Education Week, 34(12), 1 12. • Oracle Business Intelligence. (n. d. ). Retrieved April 01, 2016, from https: //gaawards. gosa. gov/analytics/saw. dll? dashboard