Buncombe County Schools has rolled out the one-to-one initiative this month to the freshman class.
Computers arrived Oct. 5 to the media center and were distributed on Oct.12. This initiative has now provided a laptop to every student from seventh-grade to ninth-grade across the county.
The laptops being issued are Lenovo Yoga 11e computers, with “two in one technology.” This technology gives the computer tablet- like features, including a touch screen, as well as a traditional keyboard for typing. According to Instructional Technology Facilitator Jared Brush, the multi-use aspect will be a huge benefit to learning.
“It seems like a very versatile machine. The size is convenient, so it should be no problem hauling it back and forth,” Brush said. “The fact that it is a complete computer with a diminished size makes it nice to work with.”
The one-to-one initiative began last year in Buncombe County for students in fourth-grade through sixth-grade and will move into the next phase in 2017 when students in the 10th-through 12th-grades will receive personal devices in the coming school year. The initiative is headed out of Buncombe County Offices, and Roberson is not spending any money out of the budget for the devices.
The computers are scheduled to be updated every four years, and students can keep the devices through all years of high school and return them when they graduate.
Freshmen teachers have been making plans to use the technology in the classroom since the end of last year. English teacher Cristina McMinn plans on converting almost all of the paper copies she uses into a digital version for Canvas.
“This morning, I had students practice identifying adverbs, and I ran off a worksheet. That’s 80 copies that will be saved once I can simply put it online,” McMinn said.
Roberson spent $10,379 dollars on printer paper last year alone, according to Bookkeeper Michelle Maynor. McMinn believes one benefit of using personal devices across the school is how much paper and money will be saved.
Freshman Amala Clawson is excited about the ability to connect that will come with the personal devices.
“Being able to interact with everyone at home and in the classroom and staying connected is something I’m looking forward to,” she said.
The computers were given out to students as soon as 90 percent of the usage agreement forms were returned with signatures from students and guardians. This contract acknowledges that problems with any new technology will inevitably be faced. Additionally, teachers worry that digital sharing might become an issue early on.
McMinn agrees that some issues will exist early on.
“I’m not going to be able to monitor their screens so I really worry about cheating. When we administer tests, we’ve been instructed to get students in lines so that we can see their monitors,” McMinn said.
For Brush and Clawson, the concern stems from general technology problems, like devices not being charged, students forgetting their laptops, and or malfunctions with programs running on the computers.
Brush understands the initiative will have problems, but is optimistic that it will create even more solutions.
“We are expecting some hurdles, but we feel like overall it’s something that is inevitable,” Brush said. “Getting everyone on the same page before they graduate high school is a great thing. Learning to use technology as a tool to access information and create various products of learning is exciting.”
Computers arrived Oct. 5 to the media center and were distributed on Oct.12. This initiative has now provided a laptop to every student from seventh-grade to ninth-grade across the county.
The laptops being issued are Lenovo Yoga 11e computers, with “two in one technology.” This technology gives the computer tablet- like features, including a touch screen, as well as a traditional keyboard for typing. According to Instructional Technology Facilitator Jared Brush, the multi-use aspect will be a huge benefit to learning.
“It seems like a very versatile machine. The size is convenient, so it should be no problem hauling it back and forth,” Brush said. “The fact that it is a complete computer with a diminished size makes it nice to work with.”
The one-to-one initiative began last year in Buncombe County for students in fourth-grade through sixth-grade and will move into the next phase in 2017 when students in the 10th-through 12th-grades will receive personal devices in the coming school year. The initiative is headed out of Buncombe County Offices, and Roberson is not spending any money out of the budget for the devices.
The computers are scheduled to be updated every four years, and students can keep the devices through all years of high school and return them when they graduate.
Freshmen teachers have been making plans to use the technology in the classroom since the end of last year. English teacher Cristina McMinn plans on converting almost all of the paper copies she uses into a digital version for Canvas.
“This morning, I had students practice identifying adverbs, and I ran off a worksheet. That’s 80 copies that will be saved once I can simply put it online,” McMinn said.
Roberson spent $10,379 dollars on printer paper last year alone, according to Bookkeeper Michelle Maynor. McMinn believes one benefit of using personal devices across the school is how much paper and money will be saved.
Freshman Amala Clawson is excited about the ability to connect that will come with the personal devices.
“Being able to interact with everyone at home and in the classroom and staying connected is something I’m looking forward to,” she said.
The computers were given out to students as soon as 90 percent of the usage agreement forms were returned with signatures from students and guardians. This contract acknowledges that problems with any new technology will inevitably be faced. Additionally, teachers worry that digital sharing might become an issue early on.
McMinn agrees that some issues will exist early on.
“I’m not going to be able to monitor their screens so I really worry about cheating. When we administer tests, we’ve been instructed to get students in lines so that we can see their monitors,” McMinn said.
For Brush and Clawson, the concern stems from general technology problems, like devices not being charged, students forgetting their laptops, and or malfunctions with programs running on the computers.
Brush understands the initiative will have problems, but is optimistic that it will create even more solutions.
“We are expecting some hurdles, but we feel like overall it’s something that is inevitable,” Brush said. “Getting everyone on the same page before they graduate high school is a great thing. Learning to use technology as a tool to access information and create various products of learning is exciting.”