Chromebooks play key role in pandemic-era distance learning
Jodi Weber remembers the exact date when the Seeds of Health schools kicked into gear in preparing for schools to close due to the coronavirus pandemic. It was the 13th.
No, not the 13th of March, when Gov. Tony Evers ordered all schools in the state to close. It was the 13th of February, when one of her colleagues with the network of five charter schools in Milwaukee made the case for why closings were looming.
Kaitlyn Wright, who oversees technology needs for Seeds of Health, remembers when the schools reached the point of having one Chromebook for each of their 1,300 students in kindergarten through 12th grade. It was in 2015.
By the week of March 16, when schools nationwide were scrambling to figure out how to transition to distance learning, the Seeds of Health schools were among a handful that had computers in the hands of every student. They had made sure every home had adequate ways to connect online. Plus they already had an academic program that was strong on tech and far more adaptable to the new reality than schools in general. And a teaching staff that was ready to set sail.
It wasn’t perfect. It wasn’t easy. But if you want to talk about the virtues of being prepared, smart and committed to keeping learning moving forward, you would do well to look at the example set by Seeds of Health, which serves students who are predominantly from minorities and low-income homes.
That’s why I got in touch with Seeds with a related but somewhat separate question: What is the big deal with Chromebooks?
There are other laptops and tablets that can be used in school settings. But since they debuted in 2011, Chromebooks have been the dominant name when it comes to putting technology in the hands of students in schools. And in the current situation, there has been an understandable surge in Chromebook use. (Not to mention purchases — schools nationwide have been buying them in large quantities. Chicago Public Schools, for example, has ordered more than 50,000.)
An educator I know refers to Chromebooks as “laptops light.”
That seems to sum it up. They are physically light, have more limited options than fancier laptops, are relatively inexpensive and, when school leaders prefer, can be easily managed to limit access to the internet beyond immediate school work.
And they are effective in education settings, both in school and in distance learning.
As seems to be the case with much of the world we know, Google holds the keys to Chromebooks. They are powered by Google operating systems and Google provides an increasing array of programs, tools and networking systems for teachers and students to use, much of it offered by Google to schools for free (once you have the Chromebooks and Google email domain rights).
A big attraction from the standpoint of school systems is the cost. You can buy Chromebooks for $200 to $300 for many models and schools can make arrangements to lease them from vendors, with replacements every, say, four years. And Chromebooks aren’t as “light” as they used to be when it comes to use in schooling.
Wright, the tech leader at Seeds of Health, recounted the growth of Chromebook options in recent years, from stripped-down computers with little memory and limited options for creative work by teachers or students to offerings now that are comparable to what more expensive computers and operating systems can do.
The Google system — hangouts, virtual classrooms, sharing of documents, ways to post assignments and return them, and on and on — works smoothly and reliably, Wright said. For video sessions between students and teachers, the school generally uses Google instead of the Zoom program popular at many schools.
The growing array of offerings “really provided the teachers a chance to try all sorts of stuff,” Wright said. “We’re constantly revisiting and making changes as we see the needs.” She called the teachers “brave with it.”
Chromebooks and the operating options also draw praise from Milwaukee Public Schools leaders. Carletta Noland, a regional superintendent for Milwaukee Public Schools, said MPS has found Chromebooks reliable and helpful tools for learning and they are at the heart of MPS distance learning efforts.
MPS was a latecomer to switching to distance use — a month or more behind schools such as Seeds. And MPS was not prepared to do a rollout on academic programs the way Seeds and some other schools were.
It appears MPS has been catching up. Noland and Jeremiah Holiday, the interim chief academic officer, said more than 30,000 Chromebooks have been sent home with students. That is less than half of the number of students in MPS, but they said many students have their own equipment. And, they agree, there are others who have not been easy to reach. They said MPS has provided Chromebooks to 90% to 95% of students who requested them. MPS is considering ordering more Chromebooks but has not done so yet.
What will be the impact on the long-term dynamics of education of Chromebooks and this era in which they are used intensely?
Huge uncertainty hangs over what education will be like ahead, starting with this fall.
Weber, the assistant executive director of Seeds of Health, said the schools are making multiple plans for the fall, including returning to their buildings (definitely the first choice), using what she called a flip-flop schedule that would have students learning in school some days and at home some days, and continuing full time in distance formats.
But two things are all but certain: Chromebooks already had become a big part of education before this spring, and they will be even more central ahead.
And those schools that grasp what is happening and respond effectively and smartly will be out in front.
Alan J. Borsuk is senior fellow in law and public policy at Marquette Law School. Reach him at alan .borsuk@marquette.edu.