Technology creating a stir in Floyd County

As the system gets closer to having Chromebooks available to every student, officials are seeing the excitement the devices generate in the classrooms every day.

Technology is making leaps and bounds in Floyd County Schools.

“We are really close to our goal,” explained Craig Ellison, executive director of technology and media services. “We already have over 9,000 Chromebooks. Although, we have about 9,700 students, we will end up with more devices than that.”

Ellison explained the system is working to a one-to-one ratio, but that may mean there will be more devices than students because of the way the system plans to set up device use.

Floyd County Schools officials plan to have each teacher in the system have a classroom set that is large enough to accommodate their largest class. For instance, if a teacher has 28 students in one class, but only 26 or 22 in another, her class set of Chromebooks would have 28 devices.

“We also want to have more devices available for emergencies,” Ellison explained. “I expect once we reach our final numbers we will have about 500 to 1,000 devices more than our student population.”

Ellison said he is excited to see the teachers supporting the initiative so strongly.

“Our district has been working on this for about three years now and support keeps growing,” he said. “While not all of the teachers are embracing it in quite the same way, they all realize the options are there.”

Recently, the board approved a $250,000 purchase of Chromebooks to further the system’s goal of getting all schools to a one-to-one ratio of students to Chromebooks. Board chair Chip Hood expressed interest to Ellison in seeing the technology being put to good use.

Ellison set up a visit to Model Middle School so the board could see the devices used during a Spanish class. Students were using their devices to connect with a Cuban native. They were able to communicate with a native Spanish speaker to not only hear the language spoken, but to learn about the country’s history.

“We asked Craig to set this up,” Hood explained. “You hear a lot about needing the Chromebooks in the classrooms, but to see the devices in action is amazing to watch.”

Hood commented on how engaged the students were, all participating in the discussion that a Cuban citizen was having with their classmates, as well as taking notes about her answers.

“It’s great to see this, as opposed to my Spanish class in high school where we had the book and the teacher speaking it to us,” Hood said. “This sort of thing is invaluable, because I know people who graduated and assumed they were fluent in Spanish, but then they speak to native speakers and they are told they don’t know how to really speak Spanish.”

Because this technology wasn’t available to the system even just five years ago, Ellison said he is “amazed” by the opportunity.

“Speaking with the teachers and the students and getting feedback from last semester when they spoke with a native Colombian, I am encouraged by this,” he said. “It’s a tremendous opportunity for our students to converse digitally with a native speaker using devices they were basically born using.”

Ellison said he was pleased to show the board how the money they allocated was being put to good use in ways that helped so many students.

“People sometimes get confused about technology and forget that it can be a tool that in the hands of the right teacher, can make a huge difference in education,” Ellison said.

Ellison said he is also excited to see how the addition of technology specialists have helped the system move towards a one-to-one ratio.

“Having five certified teachers who are all fluent in technology going out to schools to aid them with any issues is amazing,” Ellison said. “I think I am more excited about that than anything. I’m also seeing a lot of teachers get excited about getting their Google certification. They are even including it on their email signatures.”

The system has a surprise planned for their teachers next school year, Ellison said.

“We have some new methods of training coming in August,” he said. “I don’t want to spoil it, but I think our teachers will be happy to see it and participate.” Above: Garden Lakes students (from left) Heleen Akrayee, Maddie Carter and Ethan Daley work in the school’s Chrome Lab.

Photo by Kristina Wilder / RN-T.com

Right: Dr. Melinda Strickland, a board of education member watches Model Middle students (left to right) Kaytlin Hardin and Kalen Carroll enter their thoughts in Chromebooks while board members Chip Hood and Jay Shell observe the class.

Photo by Tim Hensley / Floyd County Schools