By Lexi Paidas ‘17

This year, MCPS is implementing the use of Google Apps for Education (GAFE) to kick start a multiyear effort to combine technology into classrooms for a better and more interactive learning experience. Beginning second semester, Sherwood has 32 chromebooks in 16 social studies classrooms with cloud-based technology to share documents, improve efficiency and create more testing opportunities such as with the PARCC. This is all part of the district’s Technology Modernization (Tech Mod) Program, and next year it is possible that chromebooks will be used in English or science classes at Sherwood.

GAFE technology is compatible with promethean boards and will allow teachers to monitor students’ activities during class to make sure they stay on task. With the implementation of this technology, social studies resource teacher Christine McKeldin emphasizes the importance of students and staff learning and using the technology correctly. “You don’t want the technology to guide the instruction; you want the instruction to guide the use of the technology,” said McKeldin.

Students will be able to use the school’s Wi-Fi to use their own devices to access their GAFE accounts at school or home. GAFE will allow for restricted communication between students and staff, and GAFE and MCPS are working to ensure that the new technology and “chat” function complies with MCPS privacy standards, such as the Family Educational Rights Privacy Act (FERPA) and Children’s Online Privacy Act (COPA).

Sherwood is a phase-three school, meaning it was part of the final group to receive the chromebooks in MCPS. Although three members of the Office of the Chief Technology Officer (OCTO) were assigned to Sherwood, social studies teacher Beth Shevitz said that the social studies teachers have, for the most part, been left to their own devices to figure out the functionality of the chromebooks.

“As a resource teacher, I have a lot on my plate to ensure that I’m pulling all the resources that are available. The advantage is that a lot of the kinks have already been worked out throughout the year in other schools. We are also able to learn and build on other people’s experiences. Our goal this year is to start to get teachers and students comfortable with the technology,” said McKeldin.

Hurdles still remain when using the new technology, such as when teachers give out homework using the chromebooks, creating a problem for low income students who do not have access to their GAFE accounts at home. There have also been many reports of connection problems, due to the poor Wi-Fi at school, and difficulties with students logging into their accounts overall. During class, when students have to take the chromebooks out, log in and eventually put them away, time is lost for actual instruction. Students who have a hard time typing may have problems keeping up in class and students who learn by writing things down may also have a harder time learning. “Learning doesn’t have to be done on technology for it to be valid,” noted social studies teacher Michelle Games.

Overall in MCPS, third through twelfth grade students will be using chromebooks and kindergarten through second grade students will be using Android-based tablets. There were 30,000 devices given to elementary and middle schools and 10,000 devices provided to high school social studies classes. Some social studies teachers believe that the money used for the chromebooks was spent without faculty and student input and that it may have been put to better use funding other school programs and initiatives. Although a number of social studies teachers agree that use of the chromebooks are not as efficient as they would prefer, they hope that students will reap the benefits once problems with the technology are resolved.