WASHINGTON — The decision by the Montgomery County school board to save $3 million by putting off the purchase of more Google Chromebooks means students in grades two, four, seven and some high school classes won’t be getting the high tech tools when school starts in August.
But students in grades three, five, six and high school social studies classes have been using Chromebooks since they were tested in 2013. According to Dr. Monifa McKnight at Ridgeview Middle School, the laptops have generated a new enthusiasm for learning among students.
Does that mean higher grades for students? McKnight says it’s too early to say, but the data from surveys indicates there’s increased engagement in classwork. The students tackle assignments and classwork on the cloud and, according to McKnight, “They speak about it being so much more meaningfu.l”
McKnight also says students say being able to use technology to explore a subject “makes their learning seem so much more relevant.”
But some are concerned about distractions. When asked about the potential problem, McKnight says, “Even if they’re having a conversation on the side about ‘what are you having for dinner tonight?,’ or ‘are you planning to watch ‘ whatever TV show — the teacher will see that.”
McKnight also says teachers do check-ins with students to make sure information is being retained. There are assignments, question and answer sessions and discussions.
“We’re able to see if they’re truly retaining that information or not. That would be the case whether we had Chromebooks or not — because that is the work of teaching and learning,” says McKnight.
McKnight says it’s disappointing to know the budget restrictions are the reasons Chromebooks won’t be expanded in the fall, but she won’t dwell. Instead, she says she’s been working on ways to help students access technology, even adopting a “bring your own device” policy, with guidelines for use.
In outlining the $2.3 billion dollar budget, the Montgomery County Schools spokesman Dana Tofig said some additional laptops could be purchased using capital funds, but that would not be enough to fully implement the tech roll-out.
WTOP’s Kate Ryan contributed to this report.
