Good evening, board members,
administration, parents,
students.
Thank you for allowing
us the opportunity
to talk to you this evening.
We're going to talk about the
laptops, the Chromebooks that
were deployed the summer before
school started to our freshman
class, the class of 2023.
So we have six
wonderful students
here that are going to talk
to you about their learning
opportunities and how laptops
have changed their learning
environment.
So basically, I let it up
to them for their topic,
and they really created their
ideas, because they said,
well what should we talk about?
I said, talk about
anything you want.
Talk about the laptops and
how they've changed your life
at the ninth grade center.
So that's what
they started to do,
and we started a Google
Classroom, which is great,
because that's a great way
to communicate with students.
The teachers are able do
that, too, it's a great way
to develop a project or
develop a presentation,
and you can communicate outside
the walls of the building.
So I'm going to turn it
over, let the students
introduce themselves.
The board, thank you very
much for taking the time--
and administration.
I know this started five
years ago with Chromebooks
and how we were going to
deploy these Chromebooks.
So five years ago, the board
had the vision of making sure--
and the administration
of making sure
that they want to ensure
that students were
21st century-ready
and how were we--
what was the best or
responsible way of doing that,
and how do we train
teachers as well.
So the one thing I want
to commend the board on
and the administration is that
they made sure the staff--
the majority of our
staff 9 through 12
is trained before
the students even
receive the laptops
in their hand,
so that's why their
experience is so valuable
having these devices.
So I'm going to
turn it over to them
and let them talk to
you about their topics.
Hi, I'm Jack Baumgartner.
You want to stand on it?
No.
Ah.
Laptop cards were a
great idea at first.
Laptop cards were a
great idea at first.
Students were able
to work on projects
such as writing assignments
with the laptop cards.
However, as time has
passed, the laptop cards--
or the laptops have
become more worn down.
Years of constant
usage and forgetting
to charge the laptops have
resulted in them slowing down.
I remember last year, laptops
could take at least seven
to eight minutes just to log
on because they're that slow.
Additional two to three
minutes could be used
to open up Word and other tabs.
So that adds-- it adds up
to like 10 minutes wasted
each class period.
With the laptops being used
almost every other day,
it's about 15 hours
wasted of time
that could be spent for learning
over the entire school year.
However, with the
new personal laptops,
the students were
able to get more work
done and more learning.
With the new personal laptops
there's much better battery
life and they're a lot quicker.
A responsible student, one
who fully charges laptops
every night, gets full--
at least 10 hours of
battery life each day.
Also, the laptops
are a lot quicker.
For example, since
they have a small time
period to ask a question
with the teacher,
instead of having to wait
for the old laptops to load,
the new laptops can just be
popped open, logged onto,
and they can ask their question
in less than 30 seconds.
For those reasons, the new
laptops are a much better idea.
[APPLAUSE]
Hi.
My name Sahil Desai.
So the laptops give
us, the students,
better ways to
organize our work.
They also allow us to be more
flexible with what we can do.
For example, we can
complete our work
whenever we need to because it
saves online, so we can access
it through our Google accounts.
They also save a lot
of paper because we
can use many online tools
such as Google Docs, Slides,
and Sheets.
The laptops also assure
us that we will not
lose our work as it's
all in one space online
and we'd actually have to
try to lose our work in order
to lose it.
For example, I myself am not
very organized with paperwork,
but the laptops allow me to
compartmentalize all my work
in different folders.
So this also makes my
backpack a lot lighter
as I don't need to carry
around binders, 3-inch binders
with like 2 pounds of
paper in each of them.
And so overall, the
laptops have just
made our lives much
better and easier.
[APPLAUSE]
My name's Catherine
Black and I'm
going to be talking
about Nearpod,
which is an interactive tool.
So if you guys on your
laptops go to Nearpod.com,
I have a code you can
enter to join in Nearpod.
I have right up--
it's at the top there.
K-P-T-I-H is the code.
She's in already.
She's in.
K-P-T-I-H. K-P-T-I-H.
The best part is when the
projection doesn't work,
you all have it, right?
All right.
Anybody still getting in?
I'm in.
All right.
In many of my classes,
Nearpod is used
as an easy note-taking program.
Nearpod can be
student-paced, which
allows students to take notes
at their own speed and re-open
the slide show later
if they miss anything.
They can also be
teacher-paced where
the teacher controls
the slides and allows
for more guided note-taking.
Having laptops every
day in the classroom
allows for Nearpods to be
a useful and common tool.
While they go through
the slide show,
students can take notes
directly on Nearpod
and they'll be saved
to Google Drive.
In addition to their
easy use, Nearpod also
allows for many different
engaging features
keeping students on their toes.
So one of these
engaging features
is a collaboration board.
So I have a question--
what technologies
did you have in high school?
So in a class, all the
students can type their ideas
anonymously and share
opinions they have on whatever
is being discussed in class.
So if you guys want, you
can share your answers
to the question.
So you can see how much
technology's really
changed from then to now.
Read those out loud.
Oh--
[LAUGHTER]
Did you want to read a
few of those out loud?
Sure.
We got calculator, typewriter,
paper, chalkboard, blackboards,
none, overhead.
Google Drive.
[INAUDIBLE]
[LAUGHTER]
So in addition to
collaboration boards,
teachers can also add
quizzes, open-ended questions,
mini-games, drawing questions,
and many more features.
These add-ons not only make
lessons more fun, but allow--
but also allow for
further learning.
Without our laptops,
these engaging lessons
would be few and far between.
And to end this
off, I have a poll
which is another addition to
Nearpod that teachers can add.
So if you could go
back to high school,
do you think Nearpod
would make your learning
experience better?
Probably get to show yours.
I think only I can see--
Oh, you can see--
--my search.
Gets to see all-- right.
Yeah.
So had 88% said yes
and 11% said no.
Thank you.
[APPLAUSE]
Hi I'm Cindy [INAUDIBLE] and
I'm here today to talk to you
about how Google Classroom
has revolutionized learning.
Yeah.
Google Classroom is
a tool that teachers
can use to essentially
create a virtual classroom.
By entering a given
code, students
can join classes in
which teachers can create
and distribute assignments.
What makes Google
Classroom a unique tool
is the online
teacher-student interface
that provides for an
enhanced way to learn.
Technology has long since been
integrated into schooling,
and with our laptops and easy
access to Google Classroom
both in and out of school,
interactive learning
is much more productive.
Google Classroom can
eliminate a big chunk
of the use of paper worksheets.
We can begin our work with one
click by viewing the assignment
and opening the Google
Docs slide, et cetera.
We have our own designated
Google Drive photos--
folders for each class.
All assignments that
teachers would usually print
and distribute in
class can be posted
in the classroom
with a description.
No lost work.
We can complete assignments
and assessments directly
through classroom and our
work is also saved to Drive.
There are not many issues
regarding missing classwork
and homework.
With the way Google
Classroom is formatted,
our work is properly
organized in each class.
Teachers and students can send
emails, post to the stream,
send private comments
and assignments,
provide feedback
and grades on work.
Teachers have full control
over our comments and posts.
They can also
communicate with parents
through individual emails
or through classroom email
summaries, which include class
announcements and due dates.
We can communicate with
our peers just as well.
Teachers can create an engaging
environment in Google Classroom
by differentiating assignments,
including videos and web
pages into lessons, and creating
collaborative group projects.
Since I've been using my
laptop in and out of school,
all of my teachers have taken
advantage of Google Classroom.
By choosing to take
honors classes like plenty
of my peers, managing
work and contacting
the teacher can be a challenge.
With Classroom, when I
have trouble fully grasping
a concept in class, I
always have the option
to privately talk
with the teacher.
If I'm not present in class,
all of my classwork, homework,
and updates to the agenda will
be posted on Google Classroom.
All of my resources
that can help
me prepare for tests
and quizzes can
be found on the stream
in each of my classrooms.
Additionally, the
easy access to all
of my assignments in the
class folders on Google Drive
is a big help.
Overall, with laptops and
online learning platforms
such as Google
Classroom, my high school
learning experience thus far
is infinitely more engaging.
Thank you.
[APPLAUSE]
Hello.
I'm Gracie Dietrich,
and I'll be talking
about the uses of the stylus.
The stylus has
many helpful uses.
Some examples are homework
and projects and many others.
The stylus helps with
a lot of classes.
I also use the stylus
for math and English
and some other classes.
This device helps rule my
algebra teacher assigns
documents on the app Kami.
On Kami, you can
write on the computer
and then turn all of your
work into your teachers.
The stylus is also
helpful for projects.
The Chrome Canvas app is
amazing use for the stylus
because you can create
images for projects
or other activities and
then print them out.
I also like to bend my laptop
so it's easier to write on.
I think it is cool that
we can have our laptops
and use as iPads.
The stylus is used for a variety
of things on the Chromebook
and the device supports
us academically.
So the app Kami is
really useful for math
because I do my homework on it.
And as you see up on the
board, you can write on it.
It'll catch up.
She's writing on it.
Yeah.
There it is.
Yeah.
And then you can do a
bunch of other stuff,
and then at the end, you
can turn in your work
to your teacher.
And it's really
helpful because it's
just so much easier
for your teacher
to get your homework faster.
Thank you.
[APPLAUSE]
Evening, everybody.
My name is Caleb
Little, I'll be talking
about how the homework situation
has improved with the laptops.
So laptops can store all--
laptops can store all textbooks
from multiple classes in one
like binder-sized
device, making it easier
to carry to and from school.
Last year I would have up to
three textbooks in my bag that
were pretty thick.
I'd be exhausted by
the time I got home,
I wouldn't have any
energy for my homework.
[LAUGHTER]
None.
Communication with teachers,
also very improved.
Using Google Classroom, teachers
can post assignments that day
with students, and students
can access the assignment
by using one click.
Students can complete
the assignment
and turn it back
into the teacher.
Teacher can then
access the assignment,
send it back to the teacher--
the student with notes
and modifications.
In English class, we now have
a book-- you might know it--
Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury.
We must read the book, finish
it by a certain due date.
Kids in class usually
have a problem.
You lose the books, we tear
the books, we're irresponsible.
It happens.
Using the laptops, we
can all access Kami.
We have an online book.
All the pages of
the book is on Kami.
You don't use the book,
we can't tear the book--
as long as we have our
laptops, we have the book.
Every speech and presentation
presented to you today
was comprised using
these laptops.
You saw the Nearpod,
all the Google
Classrooms using the laptops.
Thank you for your time.
[APPLAUSE]
