The Lively Librarian 1

As more school districts are going one-to-one with technology devices, the Chromebook seems to be a very popular choice among many of them. There are many reasons why the Chromebook is such a great device for schools, especially over a traditional laptop. The average Google Chromebook costs around $200. Chromebooks use cloud storage instead of large hard drives. The lightweight operating system allows for quick startup (boot) times and fast web browsing. Chromebooks allow students to take part in collaborative learning with their peers, anywhere and at any time. Teachers and student can use Google Classroom to create and submit (paperless) assignments online. As I read more about Chromebooks in the classroom, I used the R.A.T. model for technology integrations to help me have a better understanding of its impact on learning. The R.A.T. model assess technology as replacement, amplification, and/or transformation. If the technology is sim...

Technology seems to be ‘the thing’ chased by all school districts over the past few years. As more schools embrace the idea of ‘one-to-one’, teachers are constantly looking for the next app or tech tool to add to their lesson plans.  As mentioned in “A Technology Plan That Works”, “digital learners are hungry to use technology in school”, but school districts everywhere make crucial mistakes when implementing new ideas (Overbay, Mollette, and Vasu, 2011).   As with many ideas in education, leaders want everyone to ‘fit inside a box’; they want everyone to be same. As any educator knows, this couldn’t be further from the truth. Every school across America has its own challenges and attributes that make it special; therefore, each school has unique needs when it comes to technology. “Administrators should keep five lessons in mind as they implement new technology initiatives” (Overbay et al., 2011). It’s not just about the technology- teachers’ input is essential T...