In September, students in Andrew Reuter’s fifth-grade class at Kirby’s Mill Elementary School were introduced to a classroom unlike any other.
Reuter’s class became the first in the Medford Township School District to use a computer, specifically Google Chromebooks, as the primary tool for classwork. The Chromebooks are used for all sorts of subjects from math to language arts to social studies.
Nearly six months into the program, Kirby’s Mill Principal Mark Damon informed the board of education the pilot program has been a resounding success.
Damon and Reuter gave a presentation to the board of education at Monday’s meeting displaying the benefits the school’s Chromebook pilot program has had on Reuter’s students this year.
Last spring, Damon and Reuter proposed the pilot program to the board. Every student in Reuter’s class received a Chromebook to use throughout the school year. The cost for the program is being paid entirely through Kirby’s Mill building funds.
Damon felt it was important for the school to take a step forward into the future.
“We’re looking for ways to prepare learners who are going to be part of the 21st century workforce,” he said. “Going to the tech lab one hour per week is not enough.”
Any concerns members of the board expressed last year about the program have not been realized so far. Some board members were originally concerned about cyber security and whether the district could handle maintenance on the computers.
To help keep the Chromebooks in working order, the district’s IT Department is using Google Management, a program giving them direct access to any computer they may need to fix.
“It allows the IT Department to manage the Chromebooks over the Internet,” Damon said.
Upkeep of the Chromebooks was another concern. Damon said other schools in North Jersey who used Chromebooks in a similar program had problems with screens cracking. The school purchased spare screens in anticipation of this issue. However, they have not been needed so far.
“We’ve not had one issue with a single Chromebook all year,” Damon said. “The kids have done a fantastic job at taking good care of their Chromebooks.”
The educational aspects of the program have also been positive. Reuter described this school year as the most rewarding he’s ever experienced. He said the program has allowed him to work with the students more closely than ever before and has opened up a whole new avenue of interactive instruction.
Reuter said his students also love the program. After doing an informal survey of his class, Reuter got all sorts of positive feedback. He said his students are more engaged in what they are learning than ever before.
“The response I have gotten from the kids is fantastic,” Reuter said.
The positive feedback has gotten other teachers in the school district interested in implementing their own Chromebook classroom. Damon said he’s received interest from a number of fourth- and fifth-grade teachers about expanding the pilot program.
“Teachers across the district are very interested in moving forward,” he said.
Superintendent Joseph Del Rossi confirmed the district is looking to expand the program in the very near future, but could not confirm how soon the One to World program could find its way into additional classes.
