In primary schools particularly the need to use technology to fully support the transition to Secondary School and the development of 'technology rich environments' for digital literacy skills, personalised and exciting learning. Reducing inequalities for learners is at the heart of our approach, providing access to technology for all.
This website is designed to provide up to date information on our 1-1 Chromebook pilot in The Highland Council, Care and Learning service. It is a step by step living journal of our progress.
The Chromebook Pilot in Highland, Scotland was borne out of a need to increase the overall amount of internet-enabled devices (with offline functionality) that support the delivery of the Broad General Education (S1 to S3) and for meeting the rigorous requirements of the Senior Phase of the curriculum (S4 to S6) in all Secondary schools.
The pilot was launched with (S1-3) Kingussie High School, (P7) Kingussie Primary School and (P7) Alvie Primary School in Spring 2015.
We chose Google Apps and Chromebooks due to their rapid expansion of services to education and ease of use. Introduction here.
It was established originally to assess whether or not device neutral and web based content, tools and services can fully meet the needs of learners through a 1-1 model using Chromebooks. This includes using tools/apps and browser based technology to access Glow- the Scottish Schools Intranet and Google Apps for Education. We are also seeking to establish a model that adds value to teacher’s professional development in the use of ICT in Learning.
We also as a service seek to keep costs to a minimum and to create a sustainable model for technology rich environments. Using faster, mobile, cheaper devices which still meet our requirements for functionality are key to the pilot. We are using the Acer C720P model of Chromebook which has a touchscreen and low bandwidth utilisation. Each device is licensed and managed through our Google Apps for Education Admin Console. This will be provided with a hard shell case which pupils can personalise. We will also include a small trial with Chrome Bases, Box and the use of Cast.
The pilot is an action within our approved Highland Council, Care and Learning service 'ICT in Learning Strategic Action Plan' and is being managed by a Project Board which includes multi-service partners.
A little bit of background to the concept of Chromebooks
If you are new to the concept of Chromebooks you may ask, 'Why Chromebooks? Please see What is a Chromebook for helpful details on the device itself. The information below helps to set the scene for you.
When the web first arrived (Web 1.0) it was like a big, linked notice board. It was a place you went to read things, and your browser was a simple affair that could show you text and images. We used lots of separate programs to do other things, like access our email, and they stored their data on our computers.
In the mid 1990's, people began to realise the web could be used not just to show us web pages, but also to provide replacements for some of those programs. Hotmail, for example, arrived as an easy-to-use email system that only needed a web browser. It didn't store data on our computers, but on huge, remote servers we could access from anywhere. Now, you could access email from anywhere. This became known as the read/write web (Web 2.0) where you could not only read things but create online content too.
Since then, the more powerful browsers, and rapidly developing web "apps", have become capable of performing most day-to-day computing tasks, from word processing, to shopping, to watching TV. Most of the time we start a computer, we go straight to the web browser.
This is the reason for Chromebooks. They're not a replacement for the more powerful PCs we need for learning computing, or design technology; but they're designed to get us on the web quickly, effectively and cheaply, with minimal running costs. This has proved a very good match with the needs of schools world-wide.
Update on Google Apps for Education and Ruling on Safe Harbor
Google Apps for Education have offered Model Contract Clauses (MCCs) since December 2012 as an alternative compliance option to Safe Harbor. These clauses are not directly affected by the Court’s decision and can be used by customers as an alternative means to legitimise the transfer of data to Google Inc. and its subsidiaries.
In addition to participating in the U.S.-EU Safe Harbor Framework, Google offered a data-processing amendment and model contract clauses as an additional means of meeting the adequacy and security requirements of the European Parliament and Council of the European Union” Data Protection Directive.
In Highland, we ensured we were signed up to the additional protection when the GAFE Console was established March 2015 in preparation for the pilot, we have the additional security and data protection in place.
More information here https://support.google.com/a/answer/2888485?hl=en
The Department for Education (SG recognised) Schools Service Checklist for Cloud Services also in our documents section here