Thanks to a $266,000 grant through the Emergency Connectivity Fund, every student at Pickaway-Ross will be getting a Chromebook to use at school and home.
The career center’s IT department started distributing the laptops to juniors and seniors in Commercial Carpentry and Precision Welding on Monday. Next Monday, students in Health Administration, Machining & Advanced Manufacturing, and Veterinary Assisting will get their laptops.
Ben Buchwalter, supervisor of Innovation & Technology, said the distribution will resume in January, allowing the IT department time to address any issues that might come up.
Because the Chromebooks can be taken home, they will provide students with an avenue to collaborate on Google Classroom, Ben said.
“While students can access Chromebooks while on campus, many are forced to use their phones once they get home. Providing a machine to these students will dramatically improve” their access, Ben said. The same filters will be on the Chromebooks as are in place on main campus.
Each Chromebook is provided with a case for safety and a charger. Should a student break a computer, the student should take the computer to the library where Bobbi Morrison will check in the damaged laptop and issue the student a loaner. Once the student’s laptop is repaired, IT will return the computer to the library and the student will swap the loaner for the original machine issued.
If a student forgets the computer, each room will be supplied with four spares. These machines will be available for use by any student who does not have a machine that day. Students will use one of those computers during that class period and then return it before leaving for their next class.
Students will return their machines once they start full-time job placement or before completion at Pickaway-Ross.