Galvin Middle School 1:1 Technology Handbook

Developed by GMS Administration & Early Adopters

Dear Galvin Middle School Community, Our school has been so fortunate to experience some powerful changes in the way we approach teaching and learning with the availability of Chromebooks for all students! As we continue using devices in the classrooms, it is important to both celebrate the opportunities that the technology provides us with but also to describe the challenges that we face in this digital age, and how our school community will address these challenges. This document contains the following items: ● Information about the Massachusetts Technology Literacy Standards & International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) Standards for Students ● Galvin Middle School’s vision for teaching and learning with technology ● Chromebook management guidelines and expectations ● How to care for your Chromebook ● Traditional vs. technological classroom challenges and the Galvin Middle School response plan for these challenges The Galvin Middle School is committed to working with all students and teachers to facilitate a rich learning environment that will ultimately prepare students for interacting with technology in society and the workplace. We appreciate your attention to this document and support for technology integration in our school. Sincerely, The Galvin Middle School Technology Team

Student with Chromebook. Digital image. Web. 2015.

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Standards for Learning with Technology The following is an excerpt from the Massachusetts Technology Literacy Standards for the middle grades: By the end of eighth grade, students should have had ample opportunity to become fluent in the use of technology tools for research, problem solving, and communication across all curriculum areas. They should know how to communicate their learning with peers and other audiences through multimedia presentations, desktop-published reports, and other electronic media. They should have learned effective strategies for locating and validating information on the Internet. Moreover, students should understand why it is important to use multiple Web sites for their research, rather than relying on a single site for information. In summary, when students enter the ninth grade, they should be able to use technology to learn and enhance their understanding of academic subjects and the world around them. Technology should be incorporated into their everyday learning activities, both inside and outside the classroom. (Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, 2008) More information about the state’s standards for technology integration in the classroom may be found ​here​. Further, the International Society for Technology in Education has categorized student expectations for learning into six key strands as pictured below:

ISTE's Educational Technology Standards for Students. Digital image. N.p., n.d. Web.

Descriptions of the skills and knowledge that students will learn and utilize both in the classroom and in society are described ​here​. All of these aims support a Common Core education as well as the development of the whole child in an increasingly digital world.

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Galvin Middle School’s Vision for Technology in the Classroom It is our aim to reshape the culture of teaching and learning by empowering teachers and students to interact within our collaborative environment to solve real world problems across our one-to-world digital landscape. We are providing middle school students with a foundational experience using Google Apps for Education so that they enter high school with the experiential flexibility to choose a device that best meets their educational needs. Some ways that the Galvin community has already been incorporating the use of devices in the classroom include: ● Teaching students the fundamentals for digital citizenship ● Utilizing learning management systems to administer, document, report, and deliver educational technology resources ● Creation and utilization of the Galvin Learning Commons’ website and online catalog ● Using databases, eBooks, and advanced Google search to find electronic resources ● Video game design and introductory coding experiences ● Practicing math skills such as graphing and transformations on a coordinate grid ● Keyboarding ● Instant and digital feedback for assessment ● Online assessments through Google forms and other web-based programs ● Reading articles and responding to analysis questions ● Scanning QR codes with smart phones & Chromebooks to be provided with extra help links and to check answers All students will use a variety of technological tools and resources throughout their years at the Galvin Middle School. We continue to develop grade-level expectations for teaching and learning to ensure that students have a common experience as they progress through the middle school years.

GMS Student using GeoGebra ​to visualize transformations on a coordinate grid.

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Chromebook Management Guidelines & Expectations The Galvin Middle School will provide an assigned Chromebook for each student to use in the classroom on a daily basis, and each student will receive a Gmail user account upon enrollment. Chromebooks are educational tools to support student learning and teacher instruction. Please review the expectations, rules, and guidelines outlined below: ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●

Students will get their Chromebooks during homeroom Chromebooks will be used for educational purposes at all times Students will only access teacher-permitted websites and resources Messaging to other students is not permitted at any time Downloads are not permitted on Chromebooks Games are not allowed on Chromebooks unless approved by a teacher Chromebooks will not be shared between students Students will not share any personal account information Students will treat Chromebooks with care and caution at all times (in the classroom, traveling between classes) ● Chromebooks are not permitted in the cafeteria ● Students will immediately report any damage or malfunction to a teacher ● Students will return their Chromebooks at the end of each day during Directed Advisory In support of maintaining an effective learning environment for all students, teachers reserve the right to take away a student’s Chromebook for the period if any of the above behaviors are not observed, and an alternative assignment may be provided. Upon the third violation of these guidelines and expectations, a student will be issued an office detention to be served after school. To ensure that all students have a safe, high-quality experience using technology in the Galvin Middle School, staff will monitor student account activity, including email communication and Internet search history. We ask that students pledge to report any inappropriate behavior that impacts the learning environment and school community to a teacher or administrator.

GMS students writing and publishing travel blogs.

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Caring for Your Chromebook Students are responsible for the care of their school-issued Chromebook. Protect your Chromebook by… ● Keeping food and beverages away from it. ● Opening the Chromebook with two hands. ● Placing your Chromebook flat on your desk when it is in use. Avoid placing the Chromebook on uneven surfaces, such as on top of a stack of books. ● Treating it with care. Carry the Chromebook… ● Using both of your hands. Never carry the Chromebook with one hand by the screen. ● While it is closed. Never walk with the Chromebook screen open. ● While walking. Never run with a Chromebook. Store the Chromebook… ● When the screen is closed. Never leave a Chromebook open. ● In the Chromebook cart. Place and remove the Chromebook from the carts with two hands. Be sure to disconnect the charger from the Chromebook before removing the Chromebook from the cart. Connect the charger after placing the Chromebook back in the cart ● At room temperature. ● Away from other books. Placing books on top of the Chromebook or putting the Chromebook in between your books in your backpack can damage the Chromebook. Protect your Account by… ● Closing the Chromebook when you leave it on your desk. ● Never sharing your password. At the end of the day: ● Charge your Chromebook if need be. Chromebooks may be placed in the carts to charge. ● Sign out and shut down the Chromebook. ● Gently clean the Chromebook with a microfiber cloth, if necessary. Do not: ● Lean or put pressure on the Chromebook. ● Poke the screen with pencils, pens, or other items that may damage the screen. ● Put anything on the keyboard ● Remove any school tags that are on your Chromebook. ● Put stickers or other items on your Chromebook that will alter the appearance of your Chromebook.

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Traditional vs. Technological Classroom Challenges As teaching and learning changes with technology, so do the obstacles that we face in an educational setting. Below is a table that describes current behavior challenges and their ‘traditional’ equivalent as viewed by the Galvin Middle School community: Technology Related Behavior Violations

Equivalent Traditional Classroom Violations

Email, texting, Internet surfing, etc.

Passing notes, reading magazines, playing games, etc.

Using an account belonging to another student or staff member

Breaking into someone else’s locker, desk, or classroom

Accessing inappropriate material online

Bringing inappropriate material to school in print form

Cyberbullying

Bullying/harassment

Sending/forwarding an assignment to another student to use as their own and/or copy

Cheating, copying an assignment, plagiarism

Using profanity or obscenity in digital communications

Verbal or written inappropriate language

Intentionally damaging a device

Vandalism to school owned property

Please note that these violations are represented in the student handbook and will be enforced as described in the behavior rubric. The Galvin Middle School Student Handbook can be accessed ​here​.

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Get to Know Google Apps for Education Looking to better support your student’s use of technology at home? The following resources serve as an introduction to the Google Apps for Education productivity tools that your student uses to create, communicate and collaborate. Google Apps Introduction ● Google for Education in 101 Seconds​ (Video) ● Chromebooks for Education Overview​ (Video) What is Google Drive? ● Meet the new Google Drive​ (Video) ● Drive and Docs: Basics ​(Video) ● Get Started with Drive ​(Self-guided Google Training) ● Google Drive Cheat Sheet​ (PDF) ● Guide to Google Drive Sharing​ (PDF) What is Google Classroom? ● Classroom 101​ (Video) ● Google Classroom Support Center​ (Google Help Center) ● Snap a Photo in Google Classroom​ (Video) ● Share from Other Apps in Google Classroom​ (Video) What is Google Docs? ● Get Started with Docs​ (Self-guided Google Training) ● Google Docs Cheat Sheet​ (PDF)

What is Google Slides? ● Get Started with Slides​ (Self-guided Google Training) ● Google Slides Cheat Sheet​ (PDF)

Additional Tip: ● If accessing from a mobile device or tablet, Google has an application for each productivity tool and each must be added to device separately - Google Drive, Google Docs, Google Slides, Google Sheets, Google Classroom, etc.

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