Increased student engagement and collaboration were common themes from this year’s one-to-one technology pilot program in Moorhead Area Public Schools.
Students in three elementary classes and three houses at Horizon Middle School all received a Chromebook to use for the 2015-16 school year. Additionally two teachers at Moorhead High School had classroom sets of Chromebooks to use with their students.
Last spring, the Technology Integration Task Force developed a vision statement and guiding principles that anchored the pilot for the school year. The pilot program allowed the district to examine the financial feasibility and instructional impact of a school-owned one-to-one student-computing environment.
At the May 9 meeting, the Moorhead School Board approved the task force’s recommendation to implement a one-to-one computing environment for all students in grades 6-8 for the 2016-17 school year. The program will expand to include grade 5 students in the 2017-18 school year.
Cost for the initiative will be covered by reallocating curriculum resource adoption and technology funds. An insurance option for parents/guardians covers potential damage to the device and applies toward its purchase. Students will be able to purchase their device at the end of grade 8, which fits with the district’s “bring your own device” model at the high school level.
The move to a one-to-one student-computing environment was driven by the need to:
- Increase individualized learning experiences for each student,
- Enhance engagement with the 4Cs of critical thinking, collaboration, communication and creativity,
- Provide a platform that allows anytime, anywhere learning opportunities, and
- Enable assistive technology to support all learners.
Teachers who were part of the pilot noted e
ducational advantages such as individualized learning opportunities, increased engagement in learning, opportunities for discussion boards, increased opportunities for collaboration on a variety of assignments, and increased writing.
“Use of technology is a huge part of our society,” said one teacher. “The better students are familiar with the technology, the better prepared they may be for their careers.”