The Pitch
Walter Johnson High School
September 29, 2014
Volume 60, Issue 1
6400 Rock Spring Drive, Bethesda, MD 20814
MCPS introduces Chromebooks
New technology attempts to modernize classrooms
Photo by Sarah Schecker
Junior Mandy Spiwak uses one of the new Chromebooks in Christopher Murray’s AP World History class.
By KathrynVan Artsdalen
This summer, MCPS introduced a new technology initiative to provide all students with “anywhere, anytime access” to mobile technology. The plan calls for students in third, fifth and sixth grade, along with those in high school social studies classes to receive Chromebook laptops, while students in Kindergarten through second grade will get Androidbased tablets. For the current school year, elementary and middle schools received 30,000 devices, while high schools obtained 10,000, which totaled to $15 million. According to MCPS, the program’s cost was included in the Fiscal Year 2015 Operating Budget and the Capital Improvements Program. Additional funding will be provided through the Federal Education Rate program, whose mission is to “provide money to help schools increase access to the Internet and technology.” Schools were divided into three cohorts, and devices will be given to each cohort over the next two years. WJ, one of 67 schools in the first tier, re-
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ceived 704 Chromebook laptops at the beginning of the school year. The initiative supports the cloudbased Google Apps for Education platform to provide, according to MCPS, “dynamic resources that promote effective communication and collaboration.” WJ students and staff will be assigned secure, monitored accounts, and will have access to an array of tools and webbased communication applications. “Our community has been asking MCPS to make more technology available in the classroom, and I am excited to begin ramping up our efforts to provide students with 21st century learning space,” said MCPS Superintendent Dr. Joshua Starr, according to MCPS’s website. “This technology initiative will enhance teaching and learning and provide our educators with the tools they need to engage students and individualize instruction to meet their needs.” MCPS, which has a page dedicated to the technology program on their website, said it believes that the new devices will “inspire intellectual curiosity,” develop students’ critical thinking skills, and prepare students to “thrive”
in the “evolving digital age.” With the Chromebooks, students can view lessons at home, collect information more easily, and create and share presentations using interactive websites. The devices will also encourage teacher collaboration and help in lesson planning. With the new technology, MCPS claims it will achieve a 70 percent reduction in print learning materials by 2016. The Chromebooks have already altered classroom dynamics at WJ. David Uhler, an AP and Modern World History teacher, explained that with the Chromebooks, students in his classes can share documents and submit assignments electronically. Although his students are still familiarizing themselves with the technology, Uhler believes the Chromebooks are a good investment. “[The Chromebooks] have the potential to make research and collaboration [more] efficient,” he said. Anjali Lindsey, a freshman in U.S. History, is also pleased with the new technology. “It was a good idea to buy [the Chromebooks] because [they have] improved and upgraded the school software system,” she said. AP U.S. History teacher and Senior Project Coordinator Kathy Simmons added that the Chromebooks will help MCPS achieve the same technological savviness as other school systems, and ultimately, the world. However, she is only using the Chromebooks when appropriate in lessons, because in many ways the technology is slowing the pace of her class. Students can instantly message each other and comment on their work, which is distracting during class. Simmons has also taken class time to teach students about the Chromebook’s applications and deal with password issues. Senior Ruth Shatkay, who is currently taking AP World History, is disappointed in the MCPS Chromebook initiative. “[The Chromebooks] are less practical for schools purposes,” she stated. The times her class has used the
Chromebooks, they took time to get out and load. Plus, when Shatkay took a quiz using Chromebooks, she said that it was easy for students to glance at each other’s screens and cheat. “People have been studying history for many, many years and they’ve never had Chromebooks,” Shatkay explained. Sammy Siegel, a senior in AP Human Geography, is upset about the cost of the new technology. “The [Chromebook investment] is really excessive,” she explained. Siegel said that MCPS needs to fix overcrowding issues and fund art programs before spending money on more technology. Although some are disappointed with the investment, Chromebook applications offer opportunities for student and teacher collaboration, and may help MCPS acclimate to the 21st century digital age.
Chromebooks
Chromebooks
Graphic by Kathryn Van Artsdalen
EDITORIAL pages 5-8
FEATURE pages 9-12
A&E pages 13-16
SPORTS pages 17-20
Debates in the classroom can become heated, so teachers should limit their participation.
Homcoming is highlighted in Feature, including the annual WJ Homecoming football game.
Butler’s Orchard is one of the attractions covered in A&E’s Guide to awesome Autum.
New head coach looks to turn the football program around.