| Frequently Asked Questions About 1:1 | |
| Author: Anytime Anywhere , Learning Foundation | June 7th, 2013 | |
| Communities: 21 Steps to 21st Century Learning- Implementation | |
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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT 1:1 Below is a list of questions to which you should have answers that are consistent with both the values and culture of your school, and the vision that you have for your 1:1 initiative. They are the issues, ideas and challenges that can be raised by staff, students, or your parent or business community. GENERAL QUESTIONS • Will my child have to take the device to school each day? My child already has to take a lot of bags to school anyway for sports, music, and other activities. • Why do we need devices, anyway? After all, the school has considerable resources and many students have access to a laptop or tablet at home. • Why not just use smartphones? Why a laptop, not a tablet? (Or a tablet instead of a laptop?) • What technology skills will be taught this year and when? • Will total conformity in equipment be required? • What software/apps will be used? • Will the software/apps used on the device be the same as that currently being used at school? If not, when will training start? QUESTIONS ABOUT DAILY USAGE IN THE CLASSROOM • Will you keep us informed about the integration of the devices into the curriculum? How? • How many classes will the devices be used in? • What percentage of the school day will the kids use their devices? • Will you evaluate learning outcomes differently? • How will the overall program be evaluated? • How will you prepare the teachers? FINANCE, INTEREST RATES, AND INSURANCE QUESTIONS • What purchase/rental plans does the school offer? • How will the program be financed? What interest rate are we paying over the period of the loan? • What does the insurance cover? What doesn't it cover? • How will the payment of the deductible be handled? • Can the school get group insurance for these devices? • Wouldn't my household insurance cover the device? • What's the life expectancy of the devices? What about the software/apps? QUESTIONS THAT ADDRESS AFFORDABILITY, PRICE, AND EQUITY • What are the pricing details and their options? • Will the school purchase the hardware in bulk to reduce costs? • I have twins in the grade taking this program. Is there a discount for buying two devices? • I would like my child to be involved in the program, but I can't afford to make the monthly payments. Is there any support for parents in my position? • I just purchased a laptop (tablet) for my child at home, why should I buy another? • I don't have access to the internet at home and can't afford it. How will my child be able to connect to the Internet outside of school? VIRUSES • What security and virus-checking procedures will be implemented? • How often will these virus-checking programs be upgraded? LOSS OF BASIC SKILLS • Aside from word processing and accessing data, what advantage is there in using computers for other areas of the curriculum, such as mathematical analysis, science, and history? • What about handwriting? Won't my child's handwriting suffer from using a keyboard all day long? • Won't the students be able to cheat by using the spelling checker? What effect will that have on their spelling skills? • Don't computers isolate kids? HEALTH QUESTIONS • Will the school have wifi? Is wifi dangerous healthwise? Is it an electromagnetic or radiation hazard? • How will you ensure that the weight of my child's backpack when traveling back and forth to school won't be too great, thus creating a health risk? INFRASTRUCTURE • How does the school plan to use the Internet? • Do students currently have access to the web? • Is the school library making use of the Internet? • What provisions will there be for printing? • How are the students expected to charge their laptop batteries? PLATFORM ISSUES • Is it possible to use (a different brand) device? • I have a (different brand/OS) printer at home. Will my child be able to use it with the device? • Will my child be able to transfer files from my home computer on another platform onto these devices? • Why aren't you recommending Apple Macintosh (or Windows) devices? • Why specify a particular brand of device? OBSOLESCENCE AND UPGRADES • What will be done to ensure that the hardware and software get updated in a timely and cost- effective manner to keep up with developments in technology? • Will there be a change in the demands on equipment and software? How soon is such a change likely to take place? • How long before the devices and software/apps need to be replaced or upgraded? • If there is a change in the required equipment, how will teachers be able to teach new technology applications if the students' equipment is out-of-date? • Technology advances very quickly. What level of hardware and software are parents expected to buy? • How long will it be before you require us to replace (or upgrade) the hardware or software? • Who is to use the device? • When does the school intend to introduce laptops/tablets for the entire school? • If not now, when will students in other grades begin using laptops/tablets? Aren't those other grades missing out? SECURITY • Even with the best intentions, children still lose things. How do we cope with a lost device? • Student lockers are inadequate for storing devices safely. How will the school deal with this problem? Will there be a secure place at school to store the device during lunch/sports/etc? • How do we ensure the personal safety of the students carrying these valuable items in public? CYBERSECURITY AND USE OUTSIDE THE SCHOOL • How can I protect my child from cyberbullying? • What about the dangers of internet predators? How can my child be protected? • Will there be filters on the devices? Will these also be applied when the device is at home? • In school, will students be allowed to use Facebook? Youtube? Other social media? Games? What about at home? • How do I make sure my child isn't viewing inappropriate sites? • Will you help students learn about online privacy issues? SUPPORT FOR PARENTS • Do you have tips for parents on managing use of the device when they are at home? • How do I keep my child from playing games extensively on the device? SUPPORT SERVICES • Who will be servicing the devices? How long will it take to complete repairs and have a device back to the student? • How do you decide if a repair is a warranty or an insurance claim? • Is the school going to offer any service or support facilities? • Will we be charged an extra fee after a certain number of repairs? • Will you use students to help with any of the technical support? • What if I can't connect to the internet at home - will there be any support services offered by the school that I can contact for assistance? CLASSROOM COMPUTER USE • Will students be working collaboratively? If so, you will need to provide a way for them to send messages and files to each other? • Do you want to establish a central store of information that will be available to all students? How will students connect their devices to the server? • How will students connect to printers, scanners, digital cameras, and projectors? • How will students charge their batteries if the batteries run low during class? • What level of security do you need to regulate student browsing of the Internet? • What level of security do you need to safeguard your network against unwanted access from the Internet or other sources outside the school? • Do you want to create a network over which students can communicate with teachers? If so, how will you establish a secure environment for the teachers' devices? • What type of network access do you want your students to have? Should students be able to change or delete files on other PCs and devices? • Should students be able to change hardware settings on their devices? • Do you want to provide e-mail so that students and teachers can send files and attachments, for example, homework assignments to students who aren't in the classroom? Or do you want to restrict e-mail to in-school use only? CABLING AND NETWORK TOPOLOGY • Will the devies have any form of peer-to-peer connection ( e.g., Bluetooth), or will they connect to a server? • Will you establish a LAN (local area network) at each school site? • Which devices will be connected to the network? • Do you have an existing LAN to which you want to connect your devices? • If your plan includes more than one school, will your schools be connected over a WAN (wide area network) and will this allow for internet filtering? • How will you make the trade-off between increased bandwidth and increased cost of cabling? SOFTWARE SELECTION AND USE When selecting software/apps, it is important to consider the following questions. • What are your educational objectives of each class, and will the software/apps support these objectives? • Do the software/apps have enough functionality to support both your present and future needs? • Is the software an integrated suite of products that can be expected to work well together? • Can you minimize the number of manufacturers that you have to deal with? • Are you selecting the type of software/apps that your students will encounter and have to be familiar with in the business world? • What is the quality and reputation of the software products? • Will the software/apps come preloaded, or will you need to set up the devices yourself? • Can my child add programs or apps to the device? HARDWARE QUESTIONS • How much hard disk space will you need for students? Whose responsibility will it be to back-up? The students or the schools? How will the backups be managed? • What processor speed will be sufficient to run the applications you've selected? How much RAM will your applications require? • What other peripherals are needed? Headphones? Keyboards? Stylus? • What about wireless and Ethernet connectivity? • What is the minimum warranty? The warranty length should be the same as the lease length, generally, three years. • What is the absolute minimum battery life and maximum device weight? • How comfortable are you about the durability of the devices you have selected? Will they last 3 or 4 years in students' hands? • How will you get the equipment fixed and install new hardware or software? How have you selected your channel partner? • Which software/apps comes pre-installed on the devices? • In terms of the partnership, what type of commitment to education does the manufacturer have? What is its experience in the educational market and specifically with 1:1 programs in schools? • In terms of the program, are you receiving more than devices when you purchase from your chosen manufacturer? Does it have a specific and complete program for schools implementing 1:1 programs? |
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