FAQs

Providing a device to each student or increasing a students ability to access a device supports the MPS Mission of developing our community of learners as self-confident, creative problem solvers and skillful communicators who are capable of accessing and processing information in a lifelong pursuit of excellence. It is hard, if not impossible, to argue that we are living in a technology-integrated world, regardless of our opinions about that fact. However, some of our students lack the necessary infrastructure or access to technology that is afforded their peers. In an effort to account for this, most schools have adopted a 1:1 program to address this by providing 1 device for every 1 student. In Mustang, we have been forced to focus our resources to address the rapid growth of the community, which has meant that we have been unable to provide the 1:1 environment for our students.

We are now pleased to announce that Mustang Public Schools has been awarded federal funding through the Federal Communication Commission's Emergency Connectivity Fund (ECF), which was announced over the Summer 2021 (well after the April Bond issue), that will now allow us to partially fulfill this need for our students.

Through a digitally enhanced more personalized approach to instruction and learning, we will ensure our students have the experiences necessary to develop the skills needed to compete and succeed in a technical and global world.

As a district, we have recognized the importance of not only providing innovative and transformative learning experiences for students, but also ensuring that we have provided the building blocks necessary for our students to thrive in a digital world. These building blocks include digital citizenship, organization, access, and collaboration.

We know this news is sudden, and will likely generate a lot of questions. Individual schools will be sending out more specific instructions on deployment processes, expectations, etc., and we will be compiling these onto our new website for 1:1 - Mpowered. Technology creates an experience that solidifies learning and helps students to solve problems we have yet to even imagine., and this opportunity for our secondary students to live in a 1:1 environment will, in line with our mission, serve to reinforce the 21st Century skills necessary to compete in today’s world and prepare for what lies ahead.

MPS is focusing on Chromebook laptops for this initiative. Chromebooks are the number one laptop sold to US K-12 Schools. They feature a Google operating system with a large selection of education-based apps, built in virus and malware protection and will allow our students to access MPS instructional tools by connecting to the Internet.

All devices and applications will be provided, owned and managed by MPS. Updates will be applied upon reboots to prevent any interruption to student work. The battery life is advertised to last through the school day and charging is quick with the provided charger.

While some digital resources will be available through other family or personally owned devices, some will only be accessible from these Chromebooks. It is critical each student have access to these devices to ensure they can connect to their school work, their peers and their teachers to support their instructional journey.

Depending on the school and the student they are either HP 11 g9, HP11 MK, Lenovo 100e or Lenovo n23. They are all 11 inch chromebooks so most sleeves/cases for an 11 inch chromebook would fit.

We are now pleased to announce that Mustang Public Schools has been awarded federal funding through the Federal Communication Commission's Emergency Connectivity Fund (ECF), which was announced over the Summer 2021 (well after the April Bond issue), that will now allow us to partially fulfill this need for our students.

More Information on the ECF

The FCC's Emergency Connectivity Fund (ECF) is a $7.17 billion program that will help schools and libraries provide the tools and services their communities need for remote learning during the COVID-19 emergency period. ECF will help provide relief to millions of students, school staff, and library patrons and will help close the Homework Gap for students who currently lack necessary Internet access or the devices they need to connect to classrooms.

For eligible schools and libraries, the ECF Program will cover reasonable costs of laptop and tablet computers; Wi-Fi hotspots; modems; routers; and broadband connectivity purchases for off-campus use by students, school staff, and library patrons.

Congress authorized the Emergency Connectivity Fund as part of the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021.

Our ultimate goal is to provide a more personalized and relevant learning experience for our students. We are excited for the innovative and transformative opportunities that this initiative brings through an increase in problem based learning and real world experiences, however, we also recognize the need to provide students with the strong foundation and building blocks necessary to thrive in a digital world. It is for that reason, we will focus not only on the transformative and innovative opportunities but also on opportunities related to everyday use of technology and aligned with state and national standards:

These building blocks include:

Digital

Citizenship

Good digital citizenship skills include but are not limited to:

• Understanding your digital footprint

• Going places safely online

• Protecting your personal information

• Rules for collaboration

• Email etiquette

• Being kind online

Digital

Organization

Technology can help students to be more productive, efficient and organized in their learning and day to day lives if they understand how to effectively utilize the tools and resources available. Our digital organization skills include but are not limited to:

• Accessing and understanding GoogleSuite

• Canvas calendar features

• Canvas notification features

• Setting up collaborative files

• Canvas as a “one-stop shop” for course content, assignments, communication, etc.

Digital Access

It is important that our students have the opportunity to engage in learning outside of the walls of our classrooms. It is also important that students have access to a variety of information to support personalized learning. Increased access to technology allows for:

• Students can review instructional materials at home

• Students can work through content at their own pace, space and path

• Students can utilize district resources to enhance their classroom learning and also to pursue individual interests

Collaboration

Face to face and online collaboration are both important to learning as it allows students to not only consider and respect the perspectives of others but also to understand the power of bringing together great minds and various strengths to accomplish great things! Technology allows:

• Students to share individual work for feedback from teachers and peers

• Students to collaborate with others even if schedules outside of school don’t support face to face meetings

• Students to work with peers and experts outside of their classroom

The MPS Academic Team, Technology Department, and school administrators have and will continue a collaborative effort in preparing teachers for the implementation of a more personalized learning environment.

While building administrators continue to drive the vision and implementation of the initiative, our team of Curriculum Directors, district instructional coaches along with teacher leaders in each building have and will continue to support staff, meeting each teacher where he/she is, modeling and promoting more personalized learning experiences. Professional development opportunities for teachers are aligned with this initiative and supported through district, building and individualized, job-embedded professional development.

In MPS, we continue to work hard to ensure that our students, your children, are prepared to learn and live in digital world. The opportunities your child will experience related to digital learning are aligned with state and national standards for becoming a good digital citizen. We believe strongly that it is our responsibility to develop your child’s foundational skills and knowledge around digital citizenship, organization, access and collaboration, developing overall good digital citizens throughout this journey.

In addition, Digital Citizenship is woven throughout the curriculum to help support the technological "know-how" to utilize these devices.

Charging the device will be the students responsibility on a daily basis; our devices are capable of a full day's work battery on a single charge. The students should remember to charge their device nightly so that they have a working device for the next day of school work.

We understand that this is new, and will take some practice and adjustments. MPS staff will work with students on ways to remember to bring their device each day for class. Please contact your child's teacher for further information.

While this program will promote student responsibility, we do understand that accidents happen and equipment fails. Each school will have a process and point person in place to coordinate support and help ensure each student has a device to participate in all instructional activities requiring a Chromebook.

It is critical each student have access to these devices to ensure they can connect to their school work, their peers and their teachers to support their instructional journey. While some digital resources will be available through other family or personally owned devices, some will only be accessible from these Chromebooks.

(MHS Students electing not to check out a device, must have a comparable device to use in place of the district device. A cell phone is not considered a comparable device.)

Students and parents/guardians are held responsible for keeping up with this device, This would include keeping it safe from damage of any kind. While the district does maintain warranty and service agreements for repair of these devices, the students or parents/guardians could be held responsible for any malicious damage to or loss of the device. Average Cost for a lost device is $300 per unit.

While this program will promote student responsibility, we do understand that accidents happen and equipment fails. Each school will have a process and point person in place to coordinate support and help ensure each student has a device to participate in all instructional activities requiring a Chromebook.

Technical Issues: Should a device have a technical issue, the student should take their device to their building's media center as soon as possible in order to get the device repaired/changed out as quickly as possible.

UPDATE: The District already has insurance on the devices, known as ADP (Accidental Damage Protection). This is essentially full coverage insurance on the device, excluding Malicious/Intentional Damage or Lost devices. Lost Device: We do have some tracking on the device, if it is lost it needs to be reported immediately so we can start the process and shut it down also. We do not use any type of GEO tracking directly on the device, though, as that would be an additional cost to the District.

While Chromebooks are considered in high regards by security experts, content filtering is just as important to support a safe environment while ensuring our students have access to the appropriate learning tools they need. MPS issued student device internet access are filtered according to CIPA standards while on network and off the MPS network.

Device Monitoring: All Students google accounts are being monitored by BARK, this monitoring is looking for content in the areas of Profanity, Violence, Bullying, Drug/Alcohol-Related Content, Sexual Content, Depression, Self-Harm or Suicidal Content, Hate Speech, Weapons, etc.

Please visit the MPS Family Help Center for assistance.

Connectivity/Offline Use: Devices are designed so that if internet access is not available, the device can be used offline and when the device is able to access the internet again, data will sync back to google. MPS is unable to provide internet connectivity to families at this time, but are looking for additional funding sources to allow this on a limited/as-needed basis.

District networks are being expanded and internet access will be filtered both at school and outside of school. Each student will access their device and their online tools with their MPS credentials. (We always encourage password resets often to further support data security.)

Furthermore, MPS is aware that some students do not have broadband Internet access at home. We are currently exploring options to expand Internet access opportunities after school hours.

The devices are being checked out to each student through our district inventory system (Destiny), just like a textbook. Every student will have the opportunity to have a Chromebook checked out along with a power supply to charge their device.

No.

Device Alteration: Students should not alter the appearance of any MPS device, this would include applying any stickers, writing/marking on the device or removing any existing district stickers/markings from the device.

Google Extensions: Students will not be able to install extensions or addons other than those that are pre-approved and allowed by the District.

No.

Device Access: Only Mustangps.org user accounts are able to be used to log into the device, no personal or non Mustang accounts may be used.

Student Email Access: Students in grades 7-12 have email accounts setup within the mustangps.org email system. This is a closed loop system, meaning they only have access to email mustangps.org email accounts and only receive emails from those accounts in addition to receiving notifications from Canvas or SeeSaw LMS.

Device Return: Students will be required to turn these devices in at the end of the school year or when they unenroll from the district. Devices will be turned in to the school office/library/media center.

Device Cleaning: Proper cleaning of the devices is recommended in order to help keep the device clean and free of spreading germs/viruses. Any cleaning spray should NEVER be sprayed directly on the chromebook. Spraying of cleaning (antivirus/antibacterial spray) should be sprayed or applied to a cleaning cloth first, and then the device wiped down. Clorox or Lysol wipes should not be used on the screen as those chemicals can cause damage to the screen of the chromebook.

The $300 price includes the cost of the device, the ADP insurance for 3 years of coverage and the google management licensing of the device so we can have the device in our system. While the device itself does not cost that full amount, if the District has to completely replace it, we have to repurchase the ADP and the management license for it also. (The cost per device is $349 per unit but we rounded down).

Depending on the school and the student they are either HP 11 g9, HP11 MK, Lenovo 100e or Lenovo n23. They are all 11 inch chromebooks so most sleeves/cases for an 11 inch chromebook would fit.

At this time we are asking students to take them home, and return with them each day. The chargers for the device are to be left at home to charge them nightly as we don't have the ability to charge them if they are left on campus.

We strongly discourage this practice. Students will have some difficulties in accessing the curriculum without a device, so it is highly recommended that each student take and use the devices assigned. In the event, though, families should contact their school to determine options.