uxbridge public schools ipad initiative public schools 1-to-1 ipad program page 4 of 23 teachers...

Uxbridge Public Schools

iPad Initiative

Uxbridge Public Schools 1-To-1 iPad Program of 23

To School Committee Members:

I am pleased to provide you with the attached report on the 1-to-1 iPad initiative

for the new high school. This report addresses the educational value of the

program, the management/tech support requirements, the initial funding

mechanism, and the long term impact on the operational budget.

The primary importance is the educational value this program brings to our

students. With this program, I stand convinced that the educational impact on

student learning can be tremendous and the educational possibilities are endless. In

addition to the educational benefits, you will find in the report data that shows

there is no negative effect on the operational budget. In fact, it is a fiscally

responsible decision relative to technology purchases for the new high school.

After considerable research, discussion, and debate on a 1-to-1 program, the

administrative team enthusiastically supports this initiative and is excited about the

educational opportunities that it lends to teaching and learning in the 21st Century.

As your Superintendent, I wholeheartedly and enthusiastically recommend the

1-to-1 iPad program.

Sincerely,

George Zini, Superintendent

Uxbridge Public Schools


Educational Impact

What is the overall reason(s) for

implementing a 1-to-1 iPad initiative?

We want our students, who are living in

the 21st century, to have a 21st century

educational experience. A 1-to-1 iPad

learning environment is the model for

technology in the new high school that

will best support 21st century teaching

and learning.

Is there any research to support the implementation of a 1-to-1 iPad

learning program?

Conclusions drawn from available

research is that the 1-to-1 learning

experience provides many positive

outcomes for students, staff, and the

community. Among the outcomes

mentioned most are:

o Improved writing skills and depth of

students’ research.

o Increased student interest in learning and ownership of the learning process.

o Improvement in student and staff attendance.

o Reductions in student behavior problems.

o Increased parental interest in school activities.

o Improved student and staff morale.

o Reductions in lecture/presentation instruction and an increase in project

based learning activities.

What’s the main benefit of a 1-to-1 iPad program to the students and

teachers?

Currently, with limited computer labs and computers in the classroom,

teachers need to share the use of technology with other teachers making

access to technology a planned event and not always there when needed,

when it can have the most impact on instruction. With a 1-to-1 program,


teachers will be able to respond to questions or discussions immediately

instead of trying to anticipate the need and scheduling time to go to a lab.

How does the 1-1 iPad initiative meet the curricular goals of the district?

The district is currently in the process of updating and realigning our

curriculum with a particular emphasis on five 21st century learning goals.

The iPad initiative will help to enhance our development in each of these

areas:

Critical Thinking

The iPad supports learning in the way student’s think. By putting a world of

easily searchable information at their finger tips, inquiry based learning

becomes more possible. Students will be able to direct their own learning

with the teacher acting as facilitator and guide rather than sage of

knowledge. Inquiry based learning demands that students develop critical

thinking skills in order to solve problems and find answers to questions.

Additionally, as students have more ownership of their learning,

engagement in the process increases. Several studies indicate that there is a

clear correlation between student engagement and retention of material.

Control studies show a clear increase in student engagement in schools &

classrooms that integrate 1-1 technology effectively. Increased student

engagement coupled with interactive web 2.0 tools will increase the

opportunity for deep inquiry based learning experiences


Communication

Faculty, students, parents, and administrators will have increased

communication tools with the iPads. Every student will have an email that

teachers will have easy access to. Teachers can send email reminders to

students, teacher websites can be set up with RRS feeds, QR codes on

handouts/activities, increases ease of communication while decreasing the

need to consume resources (paper, time, etc) to do so. Additionally, various

applications allow for increased communication between students,

increasing the opportunities for collaboration.

Collaboration

Student collaboration becomes easier to manage. Students are "always"

connected to each other. Cloud based

applications eliminate the "he's not here,

and has all our work" disruptions.

Teachers have increased ability to

monitor collaboration, teach

collaboration skills & procedures and

give the "academic work" of investigating, synthesizing and creating to the

students

Creativity

iPads become the catalyst to

increased creativity in numerous areas

of our organization. "We can't

because we don't have (the resources,

time, and interest) as an excuse is

eliminated. Teachers have unlimited

ways of integrating content, skills &

assessment into meaningful &

engaging experiences for students.

Students have unlimited options in demonstrating their understanding and

abilities. Increased connectivity allows for greater flexibility in bringing

teams of people together to solve problems. iPads will also allow for greater

creativity in our curricular offerings. As an example, the student help center


that is central to the success of this initiative will allow some of our students

to capitalize on their innate interest and talent in technology, an opportunity

we did not have before.

Information & Media Literacy (digital literacy)

Students and teachers will be required to

evaluate the innumerable tools at their

fingertips. Evaluation of sources,

perspectives, and purpose will become the

focus of conversations as new applications

and uses are introduced. We not only want to

educate students using the tools of the 21st

century they are living in, but how to

successfully evaluate and use those tools.

Does the iPad take the place of the textbook?

We cannot at this time say if all textbooks will be replaced. We do believe

that this is a future trend and with a 1-to-1

iPad learning program we will be well

positioned to take advantage of the cost

savings, flexibility, ability to customize, and

other advantages to having electronic

textbooks.

How does this program affect our special education students?

This program can have a very positive impact on all our students, especially

our special education students because technology offers many programs

and tools that will support their needs and give them better access to the

curriculum. Most of these programs and tools are available for free and

include the following:

o Web-based course management and other software that allows teachers to

post class materials and assignments on-line which especially helps

students with organizational issues. These resources also promote

collaborative research and writing project.

o A vast number of free on-line resources that can be used to enhance

learning such as virtual math manipulatives, virtual science labs, customized


•Use the District

Technology PD

day to

•issue iPads to

teachers

•Provide initial

training

January

•Host voluntary after school PD sessions

•App search & evaluation during staff meetings

February-June •Create master list of

required Apps for each department

•Continue voluntary PD sessions to integrate iPads into instructional lessons

Summer 2012

•student iPads loaded

with Master list of Apps

for each department

•Teacher PD during

opening days on

integrating iPad into

lessons

August

•Ongoing PD

•Staff meetings

best practices

•voluntary after

school sessions

2012-2013 School Year

quiz and vocabulary building software, podcasts and numerous language

learning resources, on-line primary documents from our national archives

and much more.

o Easy to use multimedia tools that give students another way to demonstrate

and share their understanding of content. ―Show what they know‖.

o Multi-modal delivery methods are

facilitated by the use of a iPad for those

students who have difficulty reading or

those who have difficulty following the

spoken word.

o There are many apps that allow for

text to speech, graphic organizers, and

story builders.

o There are a wide variety of apps for students on the Autism

spectrum.

How will the faculty be supported through this transition?

Timing is of the essence to provide our teachers the training, resources, and

support required to make this initiative successful. Ideally, professional

development would proceed as follows:

Educational Summary


Technology can help meet the needs of different intelligences, different

learning styles and different learning paces. Our 1-to-1 iPad learning will put

these tools in the hands of every student for anywhere, anytime learning.

The investment we make in this program will result in a much better

educational value for our students than the traditional, 20th century technology

model. Technology is available when needed, when it makes sense, when it will

support teaching and learning.


Technology Equipment Consideration

Laptops

•―Pro’s‖ include mobility, screen size, peripherals, hardware

connectivity, and keyboard size.

•―Con’s‖ include price, program sustainability due to cost, virus

issues, battery life, ease of use, security, student collaboration

portability, furniture requirements, damage resistance, tech support.

NetBooks

•―Pro’s‖ include mobility, size, price, and multiple expansion ports.

•―Con’s‖ include security, processing speed, virus issues, battery life,

ease of use, student collaboration portability, graphic processing

problems, damage resistance, and tech support.

Tablets

•―Pro’s‖ include mobility, size, price, ease of use, battery life, graphics

capabilities, classroom integration, diversity, processing speed,

availability of educational apps, wireless capability, tech support,

durability and security.

•―Con’s‖ include storage size and ergonomics (keyboard).

―BYOD‖ or Bring Your Own Devices

•―Pro’s‖ include mobility and price.

•―Con’s‖ include tech support, security, content management issues,

classroom integration, virus issues, compatibility, network

infrastructure.

Miniature Mobile Devices

•―Pro’s‖ include mobility, price, battery life, and security.

•―Con’s‖ include tech support, screen size, productivity, content

management issues, classroom integration, ease of use, and storage

size.


Several ―1-to-1‖ computing devices were reviewed for the new Uxbridge High

School facility. Careful consideration was given to each in the areas including,

but not limited to, classroom integration, student performance, student

support, teacher support, security, ease of use, annual budget requirements,

capital requirements and sustainability.

Types of computing devices reviewed included laptops, netbooks, tablets,

―BYOD‖ (Bring Your Own Device), and miniature mobile devices. The ―pro’s‖ and

―con’s‖ determined in the table above.

Best Choice

The District’s goal is to increase achievement and engagement in a 21st century

teaching and learning environment where each student has a mobile computing

device to use at school and home.

Keeping this goal in mind along with the operational challenges of security,

support, training and professional development, initiative costs, and classroom

integration, the ―Tablet‖ computing device was deemed the best choice for

Uxbridge High School.

While several tablet computing

devices exist on the market

today, iPad is the choice of the

District replacing the need to

purchase Interactive (i.e.

SmartBoards), Language Labs,

Graphing Calculators, Alpha

Smarts, Document Cameras,

Computer Labs, Student

Response Systems, and more.


Why iPads?

Beyond the operational challenges of security, support, battery life and price,

iPads satisfy the classroom integration and student performance opportunities

are why iPads are the District’s choice in a computing device.

Apps for Education

With iPad, the classroom is always at

Student and Teacher fingertips with

thousands of educational apps available

to download. Students can track their

assignments, take notes, and study for

finals. Teachers can give lessons,

monitor progress and stay organized.

Just to name a few.

Productivity

Productivity applications help students and teachers put together professional-looking

documents, presentations, and spreadsheets no matter where they are. Simple-to-use

and easy to create presentations with stunning animations and effects.


iBooks

iPad features a vibrant color screen, crisp

text, and a Multi-Touch interface that lets

you turn pages with the flick of a finger.

Simply download the free iBooks app and

once you’ve downloaded a book, it appears

on your bookshelf. Just tap it to start

reading. Easy-to-use tools let you keep your

place with bookmarks, highlight text and

dates, and make notes. You can also save,

read, and print PDFs — great for class

handouts, research papers, and more.

Notes

With its expansive display and large, onscreen

keyboard, iPad is perfect for taking notes in

class. In landscape view, you see not only a

note-taking page but a list of all your notes.

iPad even circles the current note in red, so

you can see where you are at a glance.

Video Mirroring

With Video mirroring, HDTV’s or LCD Projectors

become a bigger version of the iPad in the

classroom so Students can share and collaborate

with other Students. Video mirroring makes it

possible to teach using educational iPad apps,

movies, videos, and more. iPads are interactive

whiteboards in every Student’s hands.


Technology Support / Operations

The District conducted an extensive review of the technology support and

operational challenges such an initiative would have on the District. The key

components of this review were in the areas of Ownership, Security, Network

Access, Technology Support, and Equipment Replacement.

Ownership

The question of ―ownership‖ is an important one. While some 1-to-1 initiatives

require Parents/Guardians to purchase and furnish the computing devices at

their expense, the District recommends the option of school owned devices as

this option addresses the support, security and operational challenges faced.

As an asset of the Uxbridge Public Schools, the District shall mandate, regulate,

and lock the computing devices for educational and security purposes only.

Security

Student security is a District priority, as well as, regulated by the Department of

Elementary and Secondary Education.

The District shall deploy stringent security measures through the use of content

filtering software, monitoring application, and security locked equipment

distributed to Students.

The content filtering shall be achieved through ―CIPA‖ (Children’s Internet

Protection Act) compliant browser installed on ALL iPads. Students may only

use this browser for internet activity and no other browser can be accessed.

The application is specific for education, cross-platform filtering for mobile

devices and works on or off site. The application provides reporting on sites

visited, blocked sites attempted, and blocked sites by category, while safely

allowing access to educational videos, blogs, and wiki pages.


The monitoring application, considered a ―reverse 911‖ program, will be

installed on each iPad. Once installed, all settings will be remotely managed,

individual user account information automatically deployed, and enables the

District to view and track all user activity on each machine with efficient

reporting notices.

Student Email and Network Access

The District will provide each Student with a school e-mail account. The

Students will only have the ability to e-mail Students and Staff within the

District’s environment. Students will not have the ability to send or receive e-

mails from outside the District’s environment.

Student ―real-time‖ collaboration and teaming on projects can be achieved by

providing these accounts as Students can share documents with fellow Students

and Teachers storing up to 1 gigabit of storage per Student. This also allows

for Students to submit homework assignments, reports, papers, tests and

exams to their classroom Teachers, graded, and returned in a electronic,

paperless form. Students may access their accounts from any computing

device on or off site 24 hours per day, 7 days per week. For example, if a

Student prefers to work on a research paper from home on a desktop computer

for screen and keyboard size, they may do so.

By storing Student files in ―cloud storage‖, the District will incur no burden on

internal servers as nothing is stored on facility servers. System and data is

secure as SAS 70 Type I and Type II certified method with external disaster

recovery. The program retains e-mails and files in a centralized, searchable

repository for up to ten (10) years.

Tech Support


To support the technology requirements in the new Uxbridge High School

facility, the District will use student blogs, workshops, Teacher professional

development, a Student support center, and ―MDM‖ (Mobile Device

Management) suite for remote support.

The monitoring application suite allows the District to efficiently achieve the

four major tenets of mobile device management: Inventory, Configuration,

Security Management and Application Distribution. Automating the process of

managing and distributing VPP codes provides the District the ability to easily

manage applications and licensing compliance across thousands of devices

from a single console, a unique offering in the ―MDM‖ (Mobile Device

Management) landscape.

A baseline of applications (District’s browser, e-mail, monitoring app,

classroom apps, etc.) and settings will be established, loaded and locked on

each iPad using a web based management system before distribution to

Students. Once installed, additional settings and applications will be remotely

loaded. Application distribution is done ―OTA‖ (Over The Air) drastically

reducing deployment time. Also allows a single ―ALL‖ for rapid distribution.

Student Insurance

The District will offer an optional insurance plan that covers Students’ iPads.

While the insurance will be optional, the District will highly recommend Parents

purchase this insurance policy for their Student.

This insurance will protect against accidental damage (drops/spills), theft,

vandalism, fire, flood, natural disasters, and power surge due to lightning

strikes. The insurance policy will provide replacement cost coverage and

protect the iPad on and off school grounds.

While multiple insurance providers exist, the District found annual rates range

from $40 to $55 annually depending on coverage and deductibles, and with

deductibles ranging from $25 to $100.


Capital Funding – Technology Equipment

In accordance with the MSBA funding formula, the budget for technology

equipment totals $720,000 and is included in the overall $43 million project. It

is important to note that the MSBA funding allowance for technology equipment

shall not be used for any other construction category (i.e. building construction,

athletic fields, designer fees, etc.). Also, any monies used above and beyond

the prescribed budget formula are deemed an exception thereby reducing

project reimbursement and 100% of the costs would be borne by the Town.

Base Infrastructure

To support future technologies, a comprehensive and robust network

infrastructure will be installed including the use of both wired and wireless

systems, high speed switches, servers, etc. This infrastructure is the platform

for all future computing equipment, therefore required regardless of the choice

of computing equipment chosen. The technology equipment budget also

includes the building phone system, classroom audio/visual equipment, and

enhanced audio systems in each classroom.

The following table details the costs of each ―Base Infrastructure‖ category:

Servers $50,000

Network Equipment $67,000

Wireless System $70,000

Classroom A/V Equipment $120,540

Classroom Enhanced Audio $40,139

Phone System $30,000

TOTAL BASE INFRASTRUCTURE $377,679


Computing Equipment

With the required technology infrastructure in place, technology computing

equipment must be procured to promote and support student learning,

educational services, district curriculum and operations. This ―Computing

Equipment‖ includes teacher computers, student computing devices, interactive

whiteboards (or ―SmartBoards‖), portable audio/visual systems, printers, foreign

language equipment, and other classroom computing devices. This type of

equipment does have a ―useful‖ life expectancy, therefore, future inventory

replacement must be a consideration for ALL options considered.

The proposed iPad and 1-to-1 initiative recommended was compared to the

traditional fixed student computer equipment. Several budget categories are

the same in both options. For example, teacher computers must be procured in

either scenario, therefore the same equipment costs were used in both options.

The ―iPad Program‖ provides each Uxbridge High School Student with an iPad

for the duration of the student’s educational career at UHS. This eliminates the

need for ―SmartBoards‖ and the traditional Foreign Language Lab equipment as

a much lower cost option becomes available. The program also eliminates the

need for document cameras. Classroom computing is comprised of science lab

computing devices only.

The ―Traditional‖ method compared includes student computing equipment

similar to the existing high school equipment types. This option requires

interactive SmartBoards in each classroom, document cameras, and Foreign

Language Lab equipment.


The following table details costs of the iPad vs. Traditional Equipment options:

iPad Program Traditional

iPads $ 230,582

$ -

Teacher Computers $ 55,811

$ 55,811

Foreign Language Lab $ -

$ 150,000

Student Computing $ 11,412

$ 168,000

Interactive Boards (i.e. SmartBoards) $ -

$ 226,800

Document Cameras $ -

$ 17,000

Digital Signage $ 9,000

$ 9,000

Portable A/V Systems $ 11,300

$ 11,300

Mobile Carts $ 32,048

$ 32,048

Printers $ 5,000

$ 5,000

TOTAL COMPUTING EQUIPMENT: $ 355,153 $ 674,959

Capital Budget Summary

A comparison of the total technology capital budget shows shortfalls for both

options, however, the ―iPad‖ option deficit is attainable while the ―Traditional‖

option is not.

The following table provides a total technology capital budget summary of both

options:

iPad Program

Traditional

Total Infrastructure: $ 377,679

$ 377,679

Total Computing Equipment: $ 355,153

$ 674,959

TOTAL TECHNOLOGY CAPITAL: $ 732,832

$1,052,638

TOTAL TECHNOLOGY BUDGET: $ 720,000

$ 720,000

+ / - BUDGET $: $ (12,832) $ (332,638)


Additional Equipment

In addition to the base budget equipment outlined above, additional equipment

was identified, but could not be supported in the base budget. Any actual

savings during the procurement process would fund these items. For

comparison purposes, the items in the table below were carried in both options.

iPad Program Traditional

Portable A/V Systems $ 5,000

$ 5,000

Mobile Carts $ 32,048

$ 32,048

TOTAL ADD/ALT EQUIPMENT: $ 37,048 $ 37,048

Timeline / Delivery Schedule

Four time critical factors exist that drive the timeline for the technology capital

equipment procurement process– Construction Delivery Schedule, Procurement

Lead Times, Logistics/Installation/Coordination, and Opening Day at ALL four

Uxbridge Public Schools for the 2012-2013 School Year.


Construction Delivery Schedule

Construction of the new facility moves at an astonishing pace. With complete

site delivery scheduled for June 2012, the current construction timeline is on

schedule to deliver different parts of the building with temporary occupancy

licenses starting in May 2012 in an effort to assist the School Department with

the delivery and installation of furniture and equipment.

Procurement

In addition to the base budget equipment outlined above, additional equipment

was identified, but could not be supported in the base budget. Any actual

savings during the procurement process would fund these items. For

comparison purposes, the items were carried in both options.

In addition, technology equipment vendors provide substantial discounts for

orders received by December 31, 2011. While not beneficial for all equipment

to be purchased by this date, major components with lead time, coordination

and professional development benefits will be procured. For example,

considering the wireless network system we are most interested in and

currently budgeted at $70,000, we recently received a quotation totaling

$51,000.

Logistics / Installation / Coordination

No matter the final chosen option for technology equipment, the logistics and

coordination of the District technology staff and resources for installation,

equipment setup, and testing at the new high school along with the

reconfiguration/relocation of staff and students in preparation of the 2012-

2013 requires extensive planning and coordination. Most importantly, it

necessitates the early procurement and acquisition of many of the final

technology components. This allows for advance setup and testing before final

construction is completed. Also, all procurement laws under MGL 30b must

strictly be adhered to, therefore, lead times due to MGL must be considered.


The District’s other option is to employ the services of outside technology

contractors, however, the expenses involved ($50-$80,000) is not carried in the

capital equipment budget and would require the reduction of capital equipment

in order to solicit and pay outside contractors. This option is not recommended

as currently items exist that are not supported by the capital budget.

Annual Operating Budget Impact

A comprehensive assessment was performed on the impact and sustainability

such an initiative would have on the annual school operating budget. While the

FY2013 operating budget has not been formulated or finalized, a forecast was

derived using the current FY2012 budget accounts involving technology budget

expenses and those accounts that may be impacted by such an initiative. The

table below shows the FY12 budget dollars and a forecast for comparison of

both the iPad and Traditional computing options.

Broadband

The forecast for broadband, which includes internet connectivity and the

District’s fiber network, includes an increase required for both options.

Technology Equipment Replacement

It is critical that the District replace aging equipment inventories as computers

have a shelf life of approximately four (4) years. Current inventory for the

District totals 659 computers. This replacement program includes replacing

approximately 25% of the District’s oldest inventory each year and has a District

Wide budget totaling $120,000.


In comparing computing options for the new Uxbridge High School alone, the

high school inventory was separated from the District’s total inventory.

Uxbridge High School currently has 132 computers in inventory for Student

computing. Subsequently, for comparative purposes, the District’s equipment

replacement budget was also separated as the ―iPad‖ option future purchases

would be maintained in the high school inventory. Also, for this analysis,

nothing is carried for comparison for the replacement of the 42 interactive or

―SmartBoards‖ as the District currently has only a handful, no current budget for

replacement, and the active life is 8-10 years on this equipment.

Current pricing for the acquisition of iPad’s assumes 120 incoming 9th Grade

Students at $500 per unit, or $60,000 total expense ($28,000 higher than

budgeted replacement). This translates to approximately 25% of the new high

school’s computing inventory would be replaced annually.

Other Expenses

Other expenses include supplies, textbooks, library media, book rebinding, etc.

that would have associated potential savings to support the ―iPad‖ option.

District Licenses / Subscriptions

Annual recurring license and subscription expenses include iPass, ConnectEd,

Antivirus, Windows OS, Discovery Education, Study Island, Special Education

software, foreign language lab maintenance/support, and other ancillary

application renewals.

The ―iPad‖ option would require two (2) additional license subscriptions for

security, tracking, and content filtering/management. These fees total $11 per

iPad. The ―iPad‖ option would eliminate the requirement for antivirus, foreign

language lab maintenance/support, and Windows OS fees.


Direct iPad additional expenses are indicated in RED.

FY12 Budget iPad Program Traditional

Broadband $ 82,000

$ 84,400

$ 84,400

DW Tech Equipment Replacement $ 88,000

$ 88,000

$ 88,000

UHS Tech Equipment Replacement $ 32,000

$ 5,000

$ 32,000

iPad Annual Purchase $ -

$ 60,000

$ -

High School Tech Expenses $ 17,215

$ 13,000

$ 17,215

Textbooks, Library Media, Rebinding $ 68,040

$ 50,995

$ 68,040

A/V Replacement & Supplies $ 8,000

$ 4,000

$ 8,000

SPED Equipment $ 6,000

$ 6,000

$ 6,000

DW - Licenses / Subscriptions $ 66,000

$ 52,760

$ 66,000

iPad - Licenses / Subscriptions $ -

$ 5,500

$ -

TOTAL TECHNOLOGY BUDGET: $ 367,255 $ 369,655 $ 369,655

School Committee Policy Revisions

In addition to adopting a Social Networking Policy, the District would

recommend that with such an initiative, the School Committee would need to

review and make necessary revisions to the current Acceptable Use Policy

and/or any other applicable policy to include such an initiative.

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