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Q&A: ONE-TO-ONE AT PCMS

AUGUST 21, 2018

HOW WILL DEVICES BE DISTRIBUTED?

  • DEVICES WILL BE DISTRIBUTED TO PCMS STUDENTS DURING THE FIRST WEEK OF SCHOOL THROUGH A HOME ROOM CLASS.
  • THE FIRST STUDENT DAY IN THE 2019-2020 SCHOOL YEAR WILL BE MONDAY, AUGUST 5. TENTATIVELY, 8TH GRADE DISTRIBUTION WILL BE ON TUESDAY, AUGUST 6. 7TH GRADE DISTRIBUTION ON WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 7. 6TH GRADE DISTRIBUTION ON THURSDAY, AUGUST 8, 2019.
  • STUDENTS WILL RETURN THEIR LAPTOP AT THE END OF EACH SCHOOL YEAR THROUGH THEIR HOMEROOM CLASS.
  • IN MOST INSTANCES, STUDENTS WILL BE REISSUED THE SAME DEVICE EACH YEAR UNTIL THE ADOPTION CYCLE IS READY FOR RENEWAL. WE ARE TENTATIVELY PLANNING FOR 4 YEARS WITH THE SAME DEVICE.

WHAT IF I DO NOT HAVE WIFI AT HOME?

STUDENTS WILL HAVE SEVERAL OPTIONS TO ACCESS THE INTERNET OUTSIDE OF HOME.

  • THE PCMS MEDIA CENTER WILL BE OPEN BEFORE AND AFTER SCHOOL.
  • STUDENTS AND PARENTS WILL BE GIVEN A LIST OF PLACES WITHIN THE COMMUNITY THAT HAVE FREE INTERNET ACCESS.
  • MOST CLASSROOM ASSIGNMENTS CAN BE DOWNLOADED BEFORE STUDENTS LEAVE SCHOOL. STUDENTS CAN WORK ON THEM AT HOME AND SUBMIT WHEN THEY RETURN TO SCHOOL.
  • WE WILL WORK WITH EACH STUDENT TO MEET THEIR NEEDS DEPENDING ON THE CIRCUMSTANCE.

WHAT ABOUT THE COST?

  • THE COST OF THE DEVICE WILL BE INCLUDED IN TEXTBOOK RENTAL.
  • IN PREPARATION FOR THIS TRANSITION, PCMS BEGAN CUTTING FEES EVEN THIS SCHOOL YEAR IN AN EFFORT TO HAVE OVERALL LOWER TEXTBOOK FEE THAN YEARS PAST.
  • WHEN PHS BECAME ONE-TO-ONE, THERE WAS LITTLE TO NO COST INCREASE FOR MOST FAMILIES. WE HOPE TO DO THE SAME FOR PCMS FAMILIES.

HOW WILL YOU RESTRICT ACCESS TO INAPPROPRIATE CONTENT?

  • OUR TECHNOLOGY DEPARTMENT USES FILTERS TO RESTRICT AND LOG SITES THAT STUDENTS (AND STAFF) VISIT REGARDLESS OF WHERE THEY ARE LOCATED.
  • BUILDING ADMINISTRATORS ARE NOTIFIED IMMEDIATELY, BY EMAIL, IF A STUDENT ATTEMPTS TO VISIT A WEBSITE THAT IS FLAGGED DUE TO INAPPROPRIATE CONTENT OR IF THEY ARE SENDING INAPPROPRIATE CONTENT THROUGH THEIR DEVICE.
  • WE WILL CONTINUE EFFORTS TO EDUCATE STUDENTS ON DIGITAL CITIZENSHIP AND INTERNET SAFETY UTILIZING A VARIETY OF SOURCES.

WHAT DO I DO IF MY CHILD’S DEVICE BREAKS?

  • OUR TECHNOLOGY STAFF AS WELL AS TRAINED PHS STUDENTS WILL SUPPORT THE PCMS STUDENT SUPPORT CENTER.
  • THE STUDENT SUPPORT CENTER WILL BE IN THE PCMS MEDIA CENTER. THIS IS THE LOCATION WHERE DEVICES WILL BE REPAIRED OR STUDENTS WILL BE PROVIDED A REPLACEMENT DEVICE UNTIL THE REPAIR IS MADE.
  • WE ARE WORKING WITH VENDORS NOW REGARDING HARDWARE SUPPORT AND ACCIDENTAL DAMAGE COVERAGE SHOULD THE LAPTOP BECOME BROKEN, DAMAGED, OR LOST.

WHAT IF MY CHILD FORGETS TO CHARGE THEIR DEVICE AT HOME? WHAT IF IT LOSES ITS CHARGE DURING THE SCHOOL DAY?

  • IT IS THE STUDENT’S RESPONSIBILITY TO CHARGE THE DEVICE EACH EVENING.
  • STUDENTS WILL BE EXPECTED TO BRING A FULLY-CHARGED COMPUTER TO SCHOOL EACH DAY.
  • STUDENTS WILL HAVE ACCESS TO CHARGING AREAS AT SCHOOL.

WHAT IS THE CURRENT TECHNOLOGY AVAILABLE TO SECONDARY STUDENTS?

  • PLAINFIELD HIGH SCHOOL IS IN ITS FOURTH YEAR AS A ONE-TO-ONE SCHOOL.
  • THE PROGRAM WAS PILOTED THERE BEFORE IT WAS EXTENDED TO ALL STUDENTS GRADES 9-12.
  • PCMS CURRENTLY IS OPERATING ON A RATIO OF 2 STUDENTS PER 1 COMPUTER. WE HAVE APPROXIMATELY 750 DEVICES THAT WILL BE DISTRIBUTED IN THE 2019-2020 SCHOOL YEAR TO OUR ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS.
  • PLAINFIELD SCHOOL ADMINISTRATION HAS BEEN WORKING TOWARD EXTENDING ONE- TO- ONE ACCESS FOR STUDENTS IN GRADES 6-8 SINCE IT LAUNCHED ONE-TO-ONE AT PHS IN 2015, BUT KNEW THE IMPORTANCE OF LEARNING FROM OUR SUCCESSES BEFORE TRANSITIONING TO THIS TECHNOLOGY AT THE MIDDLE LEVEL.