Starting this school year, Franklin Middle School issued a new Chromebook policy regarding students’ access to chromebooks. The school is now part of the Cedar Rapids Community School District (CRCSD) Chromebook Cart Pilot Program, limiting students from taking chromebooks home.
The program is designed so that two to three students are issued the same device. They are required to leave it in the classroom on a Chromebook cart, where it stays overnight to charge.
Franklin Middle School principal James Richardson worked with the district on the new program.
“Chromebooks come at a cost to the district, and the life expectancy of those Chromebooks is coming to an end,” Richardson said. “This requires additional investment from the district, and part of this pilot allows us to determine their true effectiveness, in a cost-to-benefit ratio.”
To upgrade students’ experience in learning, Franklin Middle School is hoping to upgrade its technology to something more advanced.
“Additionally, we are piloting the new Apple iPads, which could potentially replace the Chromebooks in the near future, providing our students with better software, more internet security, and longer-lasting devices,” Richardson said.
The cost of Chromebooks is high, and they are not being taken care of properly. Students continuously break their devices, leading to an increase in devices being fixed.
“Costs range from $18 or so for a keyboard to over $300 for a full device replacement,” Technology Facilitator Jason Long from Kennedy High School said.
In addition to the cost, students have been deemed irresponsible with their devices.
“There was also a high percentage of our students who did not regularly bring a charged device, which made it difficult for teachers to plan their instruction,” Franklin Middle School 8th-grade Social Studies teacher Jacob Ciabatti said.
With the lack of devices in their hands, students at Franklin have been paying more attention to their work without the distraction of YouTube and other online platforms. Teachers have also been able to instruct better, and students’ test scores have increased.
“This year alone, our students have demonstrated a higher level of academic proficiency on their Middle Of Year (MOY) assessments through i-Ready, which has a direct correlation to student performance on the ISASP in the spring,” Richardson said.
