Oak Ridge Today

Oak Ridge Schools working on completing Phase 2 of convertible laptop purchases for students

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Convertible laptops were provided to 9th-grade and 10th-grade students at Oak Ridge High School in October 2016 as part of Oak Ridge Schools’ digital initiative, which is known as Access Oak Ridge. (Submitted photo)

Convertible laptops were provided to 9th-grade and 10th-grade students at Oak Ridge High School in October 2016 as part of Oak Ridge Schools’ digital initiative, which is known as Access Oak Ridge. (Submitted photo)

 

Oak Ridge Schools is working on completing the second phase of a program that, among other things, provides convertible laptops to students. The program is known as Access Oak Ridge.

Phase Two brings the technology, which is also known as one-to-one technology, into all high school classrooms.

Due to funding, Oak Ridge Schools started the second phase by purchasing devices for two grade levels, ninth and tenth grades.

To complete Phase Two, about 750 additional machines are required at an estimated cost of $530,000. [Read more…]

Convertible laptops provided to two grades at ORHS as part of Access Oak Ridge

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Convertible laptops were provided to 9th-grade and 10th-grade students at Oak Ridge High School in October as part of Oak Ridge Schools’ digital initiative, which is known as Access Oak Ridge. (Submitted photo)

Convertible laptops were provided to 9th-grade and 10th-grade students at Oak Ridge High School in October as part of Oak Ridge Schools’ digital initiative, which is known as Access Oak Ridge. (Submitted photo)

 

Convertible laptops were provided to 9th-grade and 10th-grade students at Oak Ridge High School in October as part of Oak Ridge Schools’ digital initiative, which is known as Access Oak Ridge.

The roll-out to the two grades at ORHS was launched the week of October 17.

“Through our Access Oak Ridge digital one-to-one initiative, our vision is to empower all Oak Ridge students with equitable access to digital learning opportunities; to innovate, design, collaborate, and ultimately succeed in local and global communities of the future,” a press release said. “This initiative is geared toward increasing opportunities for creativity and out-of-the-box problem solving. In a 1:1 environment, teachers can serve as collaborative facilitators in an atmosphere of timely information gathering and authentic problem-based learning.”

The student laptops or portable devices are also in use or being rolled out in other nearby school districts, including in Anderson County and Clinton. They’ve previously been distributed to students in some other grade levels in Oak Ridge, starting with some students in the city’s two middle schools. [Read more…]

Remaining middle school students to get convertible laptops in January

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Robertsville-Middle-School-Device-Rollout-Nov-3-2015

More than 300 convertible laptops were given to Oak Ridge middle school students for educational use in November. About 190 are being used by seventh-grade students at Robertsville Middle School, and roughly 130 were distributed at Jefferson Middle School. The remaining laptops will be distributed to the other middle schools students in January. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

They’ve tried a pilot program at the city’s two middle schools, and in January, school officials will distribute convertible laptops to the rest of the students at Jefferson and Robertsville middle schools.

The pilot program was considered successful. It distributed more than 300 convertible laptops to about 190 seventh-grade students at Robertsville Middle School and roughly 130 sixth-grade students at Jefferson Middle School in November.

The laptops, which must be returned at the end of each school year, are part of a new program named Access Oak Ridge.

The students, grades 5 through 8, are using Lenovo Yoga 11e convertible laptops that can be used as laptops, tablets, tents, or stands. The children can use the computers for all subjects. [Read more…]

Game-changer: JMS, RMS trying laptops now, more students could soon

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Robertsville-Middle-School-Device-Rollout-Nov-3-2015

More than 300 convertible laptops were given to Oak Ridge middle school students for educational use in November. About 190 are being used by seventh-grade students at Robertsville Middle School, pictured above, and roughly 130 were distributed to sixth-grade students at Jefferson Middle School. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

In what was described as a “game-changer,” more than 300 convertible laptops were given to Oak Ridge middle school students for educational use in November.

The laptops, which must be returned at the end of each school year, are part of a new program named Access Oak Ridge.

About 190 seventh-grade students at Robertsville Middle School and roughly 130 sixth-grade students at Jefferson Middle School are trying the devices this month, and they could be “rolled out” to all middle school students, grades 5 to 8, in January, Oak Ridge Schools Superintendent Bruce Borchers said.

The students are using Lenovo Yoga 11e convertible laptops that can be used as laptops, tablets, tents, or stands. The children can use the computers for all subjects.

“When implemented well, the research shows an increase in student engagement and achievement,” Borchers said. [Read more…]

Digital transformation: Rollout of convertible laptops starts at Robertsville

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Robertsville Middle School

Robertsville Middle School is pictured above in this file photo.

 

The digital transformation at Oak Ridge Schools starts Tuesday with the rollout of convertible laptops at Robertsville Middle School, officials said. It will continue Thursday at Jefferson Middle School.

“This is an exciting day for Oak Ridge Schools,” officials said in a press release. It marks the “first step in the digital transformation that will impact teaching and learning in our 21st century classrooms,” the release said.

“We aim to close the digital divide and ensure access to powerful technology tools for all Oak Ridge Schools students,” the press release said.

Here are some specific plans: [Read more…]

School board to consider buying $1.36M worth of 1:1 computing devices

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The Oak Ridge Board of Education on Monday will consider buying $1.36 million worth of “one to one” computing devices for middle school students and teachers.

The purchase of the 1,636 devices would be through a $1.59 million, four-year CalFirst equipment lease that the school board will also consider on Monday.

The BOE will consider buying 1,520 student devices worth $1,223,600 from Personal Computer Systems, or PCS, in Louisville, Tennessee. The Lenovo 11E Yoga convertible laptops are worth $805 each and would be used by students in grades 5-8.

Teachers in grades 5-8 would get 116 devices worth $135,140 from PCS. Those devices, worth $1,165 each, would be Lenovo Yoga 12s. [Read more…]