The 2016-2017 school year will look a little different than normal for the students at Grayslake North.
Next year will be the first time any student can “rent” Chromebooks for the duration of their high school career.
“Incoming freshman and sophomore students will receive their Chromebooks at registration or start of school in the technology office. Students will use these Chromebooks daily and will essentially own them, taking them home every day and keeping them over the summer,” said director of technology Michael Marassa.
This program has been in the works for a while and is finally a reality for students.
“The idea has been out there for a while. A lot of our district has seen the success in other schools in the area as they do it, and I think they were just seeing if it was going to be a valuable program,” said teacher Tom New.
The district wants to better the learning environment for the students and give them the best chance to excel in the classroom.
“The primary goal is providing access to information and tools for students. We found that students were more engaged with their learning, were offered new opportunities for learning and collaborating, and experienced higher levels of success in school when participating in a 1:1 learning environment,” Marassa said.
This program will help all students and give everyone the best chance to succeed in the classroom.
“The big goal is to level the playing field for all students. If a student does not have a computer at home, now they do,” New said.
The Chromebooks will not only help students while in high school, but the skills students will learn will help them along their educational journey.
“Kids creating materials using the Chromebooks like more presentations, seeing more blogs from students, and seeing more of what is expected of them as they move to college and their post education,” New said.