| FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS | |||||||||||||
| Why did Eads High School initiate the 1-to-1 Laptop Project? | |||||||||||||
| We have been looking at the idea for a couple of years for a number of reasons based on research from the Twentieth Century Learner studies and the United States Department of Higher Education. Some reasons include: | |||||||||||||
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| How much will the 1-to-1 Laptop Project cost me? | |||||||||||||
| There is a $50 annual technology fee per student that has to be paid before the student will receive his/her laptop computer. This fee should be paid at registration if at all possible to ensure students receive their laptop on the first day of school and do not miss out on any instruction. | |||||||||||||
| What if my family cannot pay the $50 technology fee? | |||||||||||||
| There is an option for the student to work off the fee at the school. One full day of work (from 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM) at the school will be equivalent to the $50 fee. You will need to contact the school in order to schedule your student to work. Again, the student will not receive his/her laptop until they complete their one-day of work. | |||||||||||||
| What happens if I won't/can't pay the fee OR allow my child to work off the fee at school? | |||||||||||||
| It will be the rare occasion that one of the two options described above won't work. If, however, the fee is not paid nor worked off, the student will not receive a laptop computer and will instead sit at a desktop computer in each classroom to complete their work. They will not have the freedom of using the laptop but will have access to stand-alone technology. In addition, of course, the student will not have a laptop to take home for homework so as parents you will need to make other arrangements for homework requirements including staying after school or providing a computer at home. | |||||||||||||
| Do we have to meet any other requirements in order to get the laptop? | |||||||||||||
| Yes. The student and parent will need to read over the policies concerning the 1-to-1 Laptop Project and sign the policies stating you understand and will abide by the guidelines. Further, your student must attend a laptop orientation before receiving the laptop. Orientation will take place on the first day of school. If your child is not in attendance on the first day of school, they will need to work with the Principal's office to schedule orientation before receiving the laptop. | |||||||||||||
| Can my child take the laptop home? | |||||||||||||
| Possibly. For the first semester, the laptops will stay at school and will only be used during the school day by the students. At semester, the administration will evaluate whether students will be able to take the laptops home beginning with the second semester in January. | |||||||||||||
| What will determine whether my student can take the laptop home at semester? | |||||||||||||
| Administration and teachers will be looking at how responsibly students use the laptop computers during the school day. Keeping in mind that the laptops are the property of the school and should be considered a very expensive textbook. Therefore, students will need to demonstarate they are responsible enough to care for and use the laptops as they are intended. In addition, discussions between students and staff through the school blog and in groups will be conducted in order to plan for this big step. | |||||||||||||
| What happens if my child's computer is lost, stolen or damaged? | |||||||||||||
We hope this is NOT the case as the insurance pool that pays for the computers is very limited. Encourage your student to take every precaution not to allow this to happen by being careful and following good practices including NOT leaving the laptop in the car or unattended, keeping food and drink away from the laptops, never exposing the laptop to temperature extremes, and making sure the laptop is always stored/carried in the computer bag provided by the school. If the laptop is lost, damaged, or stolen, the student will be responsible for a $100 insurance deductible up to the entire cost of the computer, depending on specific circumstances of the incident. The school will communicate with parents on such situations and parents will be offered due process if they do not agree with the school's decisions. |
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| How should by student save all their assignments and work? | |||||||||||||
Assignments will be saved on the student's space on the school network. Students will be responsible for their saved work and assignments. Remind students to NEVER give their passwords to other students in order to keep their property secure. Students utilize other forms of backup saving devices including CD-ROM or Jump (Flash) Drives. It is strongly suggeted that your child be supplied with a Jump/Flash Drive that can be purchased quite economically at Kiowa Healthmart, PlainsNetwork Online, Walmart, or online at many sites. There are differernt memory sizes and the price goes up accordingly. Students can also save on CDs that can be purchased in bulk (at the same locations listed above) or in the high school office for $1.00 apiece. If the network goes down the student will need a backup of their current assignments so make sure they have a backup plan in place. |
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| How will you protect my child from inappropriate sites and Internet predators? | |||||||||||||
| Students will be instructed in the use of the Internet and appropriate protocol when dealing with the Internet. There are also filters in the school system that will not allow students to access particular sites. However, no system is totally secure and parents have to realize that it is the shared responsibility of the student, school, and parents to ensure safety on the Internet. | |||||||||||||
| Please Email Betsy Barnett, Principal with any more questions concerning the 1-to-1 Laptop Project. |