Technology Information

Technology Information  

 

Q:  Why was the Chromebook chosen for this program?

A:  During the last school year a group of educators, technicians and administrators was assembled to assess the various digital platforms that are being used in school districts in the geographic area.  This team, The Techsplorers, began asking questions of their peers and embarked on several site visits to see technology being used in the classroom.  After much consideration, district has chosen  the Google Apps for Education platform along with Chromebooks for our grades 6-12 initiative. The performance, price and battery life, along with the integrated relationship with Google across multiple devices and their focus on the needs of educations helped the district determine that Google and Chromebooks are the platform of choice for our students. It also became clear that the iPad platform was better suited for lower elementary students because of the breadth of applications that are available to support early learners.  Therefore, iPads are planned to be deployed for grades PK-2, with the option of perhaps seeing if there are other devices that may support the PK and K grade level students more appropriately.
Q:  What is cloud computing?

A:  Cloud-based computing refers to access to a system that is delivered through the Internet. Data is stored on vendor-owned systems rather than on district-owned systems. The software application itself runs through a web browser. For these reasons, cloud computing has many advantages, including accessibility from both home and school, platform independence, and fewer district resources. Cloud-based learning management systems provide equal access to files at any time, from anywhere. Students and teachers use a variety of district-owned and privately owned devices to access these systems.

Q:  What is Google Applications for Education?

A:  East Rochester is intent on harnessing the power of cloud computing by using Google Applications for Education. This gives students a learning platform in the cloud (Google Drive)that allows them to create and collaborate on documents wherever they are, on any Internet-capable device. These tools provide our students in grades K-12 with access to:
  • word processing
  • presentation tools
  • spreadsheets
  • in-district student e-mail
  • discussion forums
  • personalized digital portfolios and websites showcasing their work
  • district-approved apps
  • and so much more!

This suite of applications will foster greater collaboration and communication between our students and teachers, and allow home access to continue their learning and creating.

Q:  Will there be a way for students to print from the Chromebooks? 

A:  Printing at school will be available on a limited basis with the permission of the teacher. Printing at home is possible with printers that allow Google Cloud printing.
Q:  How will students manage and save work?
A:  By using their Google App for Education Account, all work is automatically saved to the cloud.  The students will also have the ability to save their work to the Chromebook itself for times they can not access the Internet.