Progress — 2014
Page 45
Northland Pines sees progress
with Chromebooks, Google, SOAR
___________
BY ASHLEY MARTIN
PUBLIC RELATIONS COORDINATOR
NORTHLAND PINES SCHOOL DISTRICT
___________
Northland Pines High School made
some of the most significant educational advancements in the Northland
Pines School District this year, according to District Administrator Mike
Richie.
By adopting a 1:1 education model,
Northland Pines High School has committed to putting a computer device in
the hands of every student.
Also related to technology, the Northland Pines School District has moved
into the world of Google Apps For Education (GAFE).
In addition, the school district
opened its new School of Options and
Applied Research (SOAR) in Land O’
Lakes last fall and expansion of the
unique educational program is already
planned for next year.
Chromebooks galore
The 1:1 education model enables students equal access to technology and resources while at school or home, according to David Strong, district technology
coach.
“This levels the playing field for our
students,” said Strong. “There’s no
more waiting for computer labs to open
up or frustration from students who
don’t have the technology available at
home.”
Each high school student (more than
400) was provided with a Samsung
Chromebook at the beginning of the
year. Students are responsible for the
care of their Chromebooks and making
sure they have it charged and ready to
use when they arrive at school in the
morning.
An additional 37 Chromebooks are
in service through the Library Media
Center (LMC) that students can check
out for a short period of time, or all day
if needed.
“The majority of the time it’s because
someone forgot to charge it overnight
and they need a loaner for a short period of time; maybe just until lunch,” said
Strong. “On occasion, there’s warranty
work or breakage. In any event, it’s nice
that they can still have access to their
work once they have a loaner.”
This access comes in the form of
GAFE. Since all the information is connected to an account rather than a device, students are able to log in to any
computer with an Internet connection
and access their work.
“It’s a handy way for them to have
access to educational resources no mat-
All Northland Pines High School students were provided with a
Samsung Chromebook at the beginning of the 2013-’14 school
ter where they are,” said Strong.
The beginning of a new semester
brought another milepost for both students and teachers. Staff have access to
a Learning Management System (LMS)
at the school to prepare them for the future.
The system provides a platform for
teachers to build online components for
their classes while providing a portal
for students to access information, complete assignments and even take
quizzes and tests.
Jim Brewer, high school principal,
said he is seeing the benefits of the 1:1
education model and the LMS.
“Having a 1:1 environment at the
high school has significantly impacted
student learning. Students are able to
engage in their education individually,
as well as collaboratively,” said Brewer.
“When I walk around the school I see a
change, a good change, and our students
are receiving a top notch education.”
Just Google it
Northland Pines has become one of
many districts that have moved into the
world of GAFE.
As a GAFE school, Northland Pines
year. An additional 37 Chromebooks are available in the Library
Media Center.
—Contributed Photo
has embraced the 21st century and provided all students and staff with tools to
be effective and productive.
At the end of July 2013, the Northland Pines Information and Technology
Department turned off the old email
software and asked secretaries, maintenance, custodial, administration and
staff to begin using Gmail. After a minor period of adjustment, the new email
was accepted.
As the summer progressed and
Northland Pines prepared for the return of the students, the high school
adopted the 1:1 computing program and
began using Google Chrome and GAFE
as the primary tool for students and education. Just like the staff and administration had during the summer, students were now in a world of Gmail,
Google Docs and YouTube.
“The decision wasn’t easy,” admits
Scott Foster, director of technology for
the district. “We researched it, talked to
other schools and piloted Google Apps
in our district before deciding this was
the best direction.”
Foster said the goal is that it leads to
increased productivity and collaboration among staff and students.
Strong said he can see the benefits in
the classroom.
“You see, Google Docs allows everyone in the district to share documents
with one another,” said Strong. “This enables them to actually work in a document simultaneously, saving on the
need to print or email the document
back and forth. It’s a huge time-saver.”
Students SOAR
The new Northland Pines charter
school, called SOAR, opened at the
Land O’ Lakes Elementary School last
fall.
The school is about a change in instruction, according to Foster, principal
at the school.
At SOAR, students complete projects
to meet all their academic standards.
Instead of having math, science, language arts and soci