Jessica Miller, the school librarian, lead Chromebook Bootcamp for a group of eager Haddonfield Middle School teachers gearing up for the school district’s One-to-One program.
By Annette Sanchirico
On several sunny summer days, just shy of two weeks after the last day of school, teachers were already back in the classroom getting ready for next year. Jessica Miller, the school librarian, lead Chromebook Bootcamp for a group of eager Haddonfield Middle School teachers gearing up for the school district’s One-to-One program.
Piloted by Haddonfield School districts’ fifth graders, the One-to-One Chromebook program will be expanded this year to the middle school. The initiative will give all staff and students equal access to the infinite possibilities of Google websites and applications. During the last week of school, Tracy Matozzo, school principal, joked that she felt a little like “Oprah Winfrey” as she and Karen Russo, assistant principal, handed each teacher their “prizes”: a new Chromebook, charger and case. The Chromebook Bootcamp sessions offered over the summer and future professional development during the school year, will provide these teachers with the training and confidence they need to utilize all that the device has to offer for their classrooms and their students in the upcoming school year.
Instructed by Jessica Miller on June 26 to 28, the first Chromebook Bootcamp included middle school teachers Adrienne Goldenberg, Julie Jellig, Janet O’Neill, Lauren Pasanek, Robin Rider, Lori Rue, Susan Salotto, Daneen Scott, Annette Sanchirico, and Robin Walters, as well as Assistant Superintendent, Michael Wilson, who observed the sessions. As Jessica Miller introduced the course to the first group of teachers, she admitted that one of her challenges when designing it was including “something for every skill level.” She also answered the anticipated question, “Why Chromebook?” explaining many advantages to the device: built-in virus protection, automatic updates, quick start-up long battery life, quick and easy access to Google applications, free applications and the ability to work on files from any location.
In just three two-hour sessions, she covered a wide range of skills. In the first session, Miller guided the tentative teachers on handling the sensitive built-in touch pad without a mouse and becoming familiar with shortcuts; while by the last session teachers were “oohing” and “ahhing” like kids in a candy shop as Miller introduced them to Google’s free resources for teachers and students. A few of the many resources explored included Grammarly which offers spell checker, grammar editing, vocabulary enhancement and plagiarism checker; LiveBinder which will store up to five binders of information for teachers to share with students; and Google’s Read&Write, which can help students engage with the text through personalized features such as text read-aloud, define words and create a customized vocabulary list.
Miller also shared important cautions for staff and students to be aware of when using the Chromebooks. One security tip is that the Chromebooks will be monitored by the district, so staff and students should use their best judgement when using the device and remember to sign out when they are not using it. Another guideline is to devise a plan for organizing files since storing and sharing documents can quickly get out of hand unless students and teachers set up a system. However, with some help from teachers, the Chromebook can be the ideal way for students who have difficulty with organization to keep track of handouts and assignments. The hope is that eventually, overstuffed binders and lockers will be a problem of the past. “I’m excited about the opportunity the district’s One-to-One Chromebook initiative will provide for our staff and students,” exclaimed Miller, “Our innovative staff is also excited to incorporate and implement many new resources and tools that are available with the new technology.”
Susan Salotto, Special Education teacher, agrees stating, “This is summertime well spent. I am excited for the endless opportunities for our students.” Another Special Education teacher, Adrienne Goldenberg, noted that she appreciated the “time to collaborate with colleagues in such a positive way.”
After observing the sessions, Assistant Superintendent Michael Wilson, exclaimed, “This was very well-presented, and I know that the teachers really appreciate the instruction. I’m happy that more teachers will have the opportunity to take a session in August.” He noted that “careful district wide budget management” made the initiative possible and is grateful “to all of the districts’ teachers for being the driving force that brought the One-to-One program forward on Haddonfield’s agenda.”
