TE876

Kerri Jones
6/21/16

Technology Proposal
1:1 iPads or 1:1 Chromebooks

Technology has become the here and now for our students. The need
to integrate technology into our classrooms is evident. With
technology integration in place, we can move our students into a
student-centered 21st Century learning atmosphere, engage students
in higher-level thinking and move our students towards a collaborative
effort and project based learning (Morphew, 2012). Our district is
choosing to put a 1:1 initiative in place. Should we move forward with
iPads or Chromebooks?

Proposal:
I believe that 1:1 Chromebooks are the technology tool that would be
the most valuable technology tool for our school district.

There are several reasons that Chromebooks would be the best choice
for our district:

Staff Training
The first reason is that we have several teachers on staff that
have been trained in Google and would be able to lend their expertise
to help train our staff in Google applications, cloud storage, external
storage, and the best programs available to integrate technology into
our curriculum across all subjects. We are very lucky to have this
resource in place. Training for staff is imperative so that teachers feel
comfortable with the technology and have knowledge on how to move
forward with integration. Staff will need time to collaborate with others
to be able to share best practices, be able to use a variety of methods
and opportunities to develop their own technology competencies and
to know how to successfully integrate technology into their lesson
plans and curriculum (Tech Decision Maker). This will take training
through in-services with our trained staff as well as outside resources.

Productivity
The second reason is productivity. Chromebooks have the ability
to open several tabs at once. Students would not have to close an app
and start a new one such as with iPads. This gives the users multitudes
of information at their fingertips. Students and staff can work offline as
well as online.
Our district also needs to look at which processor to have in the
Chromebook to make efficient use of time. A study compared two
types of processors: the Intel processor and an ARM processor. The
Intel processor was found to be a much faster processor, saving
students and staff, time waiting and more time focused on learning.
The Intel processor also has a longer battery life (Van Name &
Catchings, 2014). Less time in the classroom will be wasted with a
faster processor.
Student Engagement
Another reason for initiating 1:1 Chromebooks is student
engagement. Studies have shown that with the Chromebooks in place,
students have scored higher on testing. In a study that took place in
Georgia, the districts ninth grade students scored 93% on year-end
testing for those that used chromebooks. The students that used
traditional resources scored at 80%. The students using the technology
had interactive software that included curriculum for all core standards
and was also linked to the state standards. This technology was free to
educators and was used at no cost to the district (Marshall, 2015). In
Michigan, students scores on the MEAP increased after their
participation in the 1:1 computer program (Tech Decision Maker)
This brings up another positive for using this technology in our
district. There are many wonderful programs available for free or at
great discounts for educators. We just need to do the research to find
what will work for our school systems technology and students needs.
Students can also work collaboratively in groups with Project-Based
Learning.

Cost
The last factor to consider is cost. We all know that this
investment will come with a considerable cost. Chromebooks are very
affordable in comparison with other technology products. Technology
companies will give an educator discount to schools looking to invest in
our childrens futures with technology. There are also several grants
that are available to apply for to help bring cost down. Our district will
also need to make sure we have enough infrastructure bandwidth to
handle the increase in in Internet use. This will take some research and
probably some increase in dollars as well.

Conclusion
I believe that our district would benefit greatly from a 1:1
Chromebook initiative. Through this move into 21st Century
technology, our teachers and staff can learn how to become more
effective teachers, using technology to redefine lesson plans and
curriculum to promote, support and model creative and innovative
thinking to engage our students in higher-level thinking. We will be
preparing our students for future endeavors and success (Morphew,
2012).
 References

Van Name, M. & Catchings, B. (2013, December). Chromebooks in the

classroom: A

comparison - PT. Retrieved June 21, 2016, from

http://www.principledtechnologies.com/Intel/Chromebook_educati
on_121

3_v3.pdf
Marshall, W. (2015, May 26). 7 Lessons Learned From a Successful 1-to-
1 Laptop

Program -- THE Journal. Retrieved June 21, 2016, from

https://thejournal.com/articles/2015/05/26/7-lessons-learned-
from-a-

successful-1-to-1-laptop-program.aspx

Morphew, V. N. (2012). A constructivist approach to the NETS for

teachers.

International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE). ISBN

9781564843135

Tech Decision Maker (n.d.) www.techlearning.com/tech. Retrieved June

21, 2016.