Chromebook Program in K-12 Schools Up to 50% Less Costly in 2013-2014
Chino Hills, California (PRWEB) March 04, 2014 -- Over the past two school years, use of Chromebooks at BEYOND Technology Education (BTE) client schools across the U.S. has increased by 20%. The cost is often times half of traditional mobile solutions. These schools are transforming from single computer labs to mobile environments with technology-rich curriculum. Saint Joachim Catholic School in Costa Mesa, Calif. is one example of a school that has successfully moved its students, teachers and parent community into a 21st century learning environment using Chromebooks and BTE’s four-year School-Wide Integration Model (SWIMGrid).
“Soon after purchasing the Chromebooks, we realized that our limited knowledge wouldn’t allow us to see the full potential for technology in classrooms,” said Sister Kathleen Marie, principal at Saint Joachim Catholic School. “We knew we had to think about the future and dream big, and BTE gave us the roadmap to make that a reality for our students and teachers.”
When asked to reflect on the use of technology on campus, one eighth grade student added: “The world is evolving so quickly in its use of technology that I think if we didn’t have all this stuff at our school I would feel a step behind everybody.”
After collaborating with BTE three years ago, Saint Joachim Catholic School now has a dedicated technology instructor, all teachers are trained on how to integrate technology into their curriculum, and every student is actively engaged in technology in ways that maximize their learning time both in and out of the classroom.
Teachers like Kim Cashin who teaches fourth grade said, “My students are seeing the direct implication that there are real world connections between what they learn in the classroom and technology.” Kim Zippwald who teaches sixth grade added, “The integration projects align better with the curriculum, the pace and personality of the individual classes being taught.”
“Schools are using Chromebooks more because they are a cost effective option and they like the efficiency and accessibility of data and documents in Google Drive,” said Ernie Delgado, co-founder and co-CEO of BTE. “Students and teachers can easily save, find, share and collaborate on several types of documents. To further support our schools we now have three Google Certified Educators to manage the increase in Google related activity.”
About BEYOND Technology Education
BEYOND Technology Education (BTE) is a leader in edtech planning and implementation. Based on more than two decades of experience working with schools, BTE developed the School-Wide Integration Model (SWIMGrid) as a simplified, organic planning and project management approach to bridge technology and curriculum. BTE guides the multi-year, five-step process to successfully integrate technology at K-12 schools across the U.S., ensuring administrators, teachers and students are maximizing the use of technology as it suits each classroom. By training teachers to properly integrate technology across curriculum, BTE is also better equipping students with the skills they will need in their future. http://beyondteched.com/swimgrid
Kim Richards, KDR PR, +1 619-708-4430, [email protected]
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