By Dave Fidlin
Correspondent
School officials in the Washington-Caldwell district plan to maintain a status-quo approach for the one-to-one laptop program when it enters its seventh year this fall.
Since its introduction at the beginning of the 2012-13 school year, Washington-Caldwell has been using iPads as the de facto device for middle schoolers.
At a meeting Monday, district staffer Kelli Vogt discussed with the School Board the status of Washington-Caldwell’s electronic devices, which are up for review in the upcoming school year. Vogt’s roles with the district include serving as technology coordinator.
Vogt said the iPads have worked well at the one-school district since they were first introduced. She described them as durable and reliable.
However, with a new agreement period on the horizon, and a pivotal decision recently made at the separately governed Waterford Union High School district, Vogt discussed the future of the program at Monday’s meeting.
After several months of discussion, WUHS officials in March decided to roll out a uniform one-to-one program for students this fall in lieu of the ad-hoc bring your own device policy that currently is in place.
WUHS is planning to use Chromebook laptops as the designated device, sparking a discussion within Washington-Caldwell on the merits of staying with iPads.
Vogt offered up an opinion on the disparity, but said she wanted to bring it before the School Board for officials’ input.
“A device is just a device,” Vogt said. “The students are able to transfer their tech skills. Kids are resilient. As a staff, we feel that iPads are the way to stay.”
The full School Board agreed with Vogt’s assessment and directed her to proceed in obtaining a new contract for iPads in the upcoming school year.
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